To take 17 month old to the cinema?

[Sweets101]

Ballerina is on for the kids showing tomorrow, I'd love to take DD's to see it but littlest is 17 months. Bad idea right?

[reallyanotherone]

If it's a family friendly showing, yanbu. They're there so some level of disturbance is tolerated.

A normal showing then yes, yabu, unless you can take the toddler out if they get bored.

[FooFighter99]

YANBU if it is a 2specially for kids" showing, but don't be surprised if she doesn't like it. My now 5 year old DD didn't enjoy watching Finding Dory last year as she said it was too loud

[SaucyJack]

How busy is it likely to be? Last showing we went to (Moana) was so empty we could've taken a rhino with us and there wouldn't have been anyone close enough to notice.

[TheOnlyLivingBoyinNewCork]

Generally a bad idea, yes. They are never going to sit and watch the movie, are they?

I went to a kids movie last week. I don't expect silence but it was ridiculous, kids (and the adults with them!) talking not only at full volume, but actually shouting to be heard over the film. Toddlers running up and down the stairs, babies crying, someone having a tantrum.
Horrendous, and I paid 25 quid for it!

[Sweets101]

Ooh do you think so? I thought if I booked seats right at the front we can all get cricks in our next step but DB can have a bit more space and be less likely to disturb other people.
The front seats are usually always empty.

[glitterazi]

YABU. Wait until it comes out on dvd or get someone to babysit.

[Sweets101]

I don't expect DB to like it it'll more be a case of keeping him quiet for 89 mins so DD's can go and see it. But if DB wouldn't play ball i'd have to take them all out, which might be more disappointing for them then not going at all.
I'm not sure how many chocolate buttons I would need to keep DB quiet for 89 mins

[glitterazi]

I went to a kids movie last week. I don't expect silence but it was ridiculous, kids (and the adults with them!) talking not only at full volume, but actually shouting to be heard over the film. Toddlers running up and down the stairs, babies crying, someone having a tantrum. Horrendous, and I paid 25 quid for it

That would have given me the rage!! I hope you went out and found an usher to complain to - I would have.

[Sweets101]

If someone was about to babysit I would, of course, do that.

[Prawnofthepatriarchy]

I took one of mine at about that age and it was a disaster. He wouldn't sit still or be quiet. I had to take him out. We missed the film and wasted the ticket money.

[hazelnutlatte]

I have a dd of similar age and wouldn't do it as it would be far too stressful trying to keep her quiet and still!
My local cinema does so special baby friendly screenings once in a while - do you have a cineworld near you? This week they are doing Lego batman.
BTW I took my 5 year old to see ballerina and she didn't enjoy it at all!

[IceLemonGin]

I wouldn't take my 18mo DD, even to a kid friendly showing. Although she sits well and I could probably bribe her for a while with food, she wouldn't sit there long enough for it to be worth going.

Could you have a special showing at home with your DD once it's out on DVD? Make an occasion of her being able to choose some sweeties and get all cosy and watch at your leisure.

[Nyancat]

I couldn't have taken DD at that age and she still gets upset at 5 if there is anything at all scary or sad, talking U rating sad, she's just sensitive. However have taken Ds since about that age and he loves going to the cinema. Sits on my knee or his own seat and is as happy as a clam. Depends on the child.

[ThumbWitchesAbroad]

Yeah, don't do it.

We took DS2 to the cinema when he was a tiny baby and pretty much guaranteed to sleep through it, or only wake when he needed a feed (EBF, hence why we took him with us) but after that, waited until he was over 2. I think the first one we took him to that he actually watched was Big Hero 6, and he wasn't brilliant - but he did watch it, and even better, he "got" what was going on. But he also behaved badly and it got to a point where I had to take him down to the door of the cinema screen, so that he wasn't disturbing people - then I watched from the side corridor bit for a while until he settled down and I could bring him back.
I wouldn't take a child of 17m (or any age between 12 and 24m) to a cinema without a back-up adult to take the child out, so I didn't entirely miss the film!

DS2 is now 4. He's not coming to see Ballerina, it won't hold his attention well enough. DS1 though - I'd like to take him (he's 9 and does dancing).

[golfbuggy]

front seats = actually worse in my opinion.

But then I had to spend a whole film (not child showing) while 2 parents chased their toddlers round the front bit. Or actually didn't chase their toddlers round the front bit, just let them disrupt it.

I would imagine your DC will sit still for so little of the time that she'll either disrupt others or you'll spend the whole time taking her out (in which case you're hardly supervising your other children, so you might as well just let them go in on their own ...)

[PageStillNotFound404]

You'd probably have more success taking SaucyJack's rhino, TBH. It's just too long and loud for most children of that age to sit through.

Do you have any friends with DCs of similar ages who might have the same dilemma with whom you can make a reciprocal arrangement i.e. you take their older DC to the cinema with your DDs and they look after your little one, then next time around you swap? (Assuming both sets of DCs get on, of course.)

[GrapesAreMyJam]

I would try and it see. I'm a Nanny and I took the little boy to the cinema when he was about 18months and be loved it. Sat through the film smiling.

[GrapesAreMyJam]

He loved it*

[Hullabaloo31]

DS first did movies for juniors at 3 and was ok, I've contemplated taking DD from about 20 months as it was something DS would like to see and she just has to suck it up at times, but have held off so far. I just think if I have to take her out if she doesn't like it/won't sit still/fills her nappy, then I have to drag him out as well and that's worse than just not going. Certainly wouldn't do it on anything else than the cheap kids showings just in case!

I had a lovely day off in half term and left her in nursery, and took him to the cinema then instead.

[Cheerybigbottom]

Is it a special kids club showing? If so go agead, they are cheap showings because little kids are getting used to being quiet and little siblings are there too.

If it's a full price showing perhaps not, I would get stressed if I had an upset 17month old knowing people around had parted with full price money.

[VestalVirgin]

If you are prepared to walk out if or when the child starts to get noisy, YANBU. It could work? But you know the child best.

If you would stay because you paid for the whole movie, YABU.

[Sweets101]

Yes it's the £3 kids showing, I wouldn't dream of giving it a go in a normal showing!

[MidniteScribbler]

I thought if I booked seats right at the front we can all get cricks in our next step but DB can have a bit more space and be less likely to disturb other people.
The front seats are usually always empty.

I hope you don't mean letting him run around in the front space? If you don't think he will sit on your lap for an hour and a half, then he's not ready to go to the movies yet.

[Sweets101]

Yes midnight I thought if he ran laps for the first half he might fall asleep for the second half
If we sit at the front a) there's no one sat in front so zero chance of him kicking anyones seat and b) we would most likely have the whole front section to ourselves, which is the size of a small hall, so again less likely to disturb others.