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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Taking baby to cinema

178 replies

Dancingfairy · 24/07/2017 11:18

My baby is 14 weeks old and my ds really wants to go to the cinema today to watch captain underpants, I have no one to watch the baby, would it be ok to take her??

OP posts:
AtlantaGinandTonic · 24/07/2017 18:53

The issue with baby screenings is that they are often films that would not be appropriate for a toddler or older child. A baby would be oblivious to the plot, IYSWIM. I work on behalf of a cinema and our advice is that for morning and early afternoon screenings, babies are welcome but you would need to leave if the baby cried and disrupted other customers. As other posters have pointed out, this would possibly upset your older DC. It's so hard. I took my two to see Beauty and the Beast and was lucky in that DD2 slept most of the time. Another time we went, we had to leave. My advice would be to go to a family type screening, as it's expected for the children to run amok.

AtlantaGinandTonic · 24/07/2017 18:55

Just saw your post - hope all went well and that your older DC enjoyed the film!

Starlight2345 · 24/07/2017 19:06

Glad you went OP..

Hope your DS enjoyed the film...

Mamawingingit1234 · 24/07/2017 19:11

It's a kids movie!!! So yes I would say it's perfectly acceptable to take her. I took my daughter to morning showings until she just wanted to run around and she was great. Most of it she slept, had a fed and sometimes we brought a blanket and toys (obviously not noisy toys).

Go for it and have fun xx

confusedofengland · 24/07/2017 19:11

I would take her. I took my DS3 at a similar age, DS1 & 2 were 5 & 3. He barely murmured, as he was either feeding or sleeping. If you get a front row seat there will be room for you to stretch out with her. Be prepared to take her out if she is unsettled.

Another idea is if you can go with friends, then your friends could stay with DS should you have to take DD out at all.

Imaginosity · 24/07/2017 19:17

*Hudson10

I took mine at similar age and sat on the end of the back row and breast-fed almost all the way through the film to keep her quiet

See, I just don't get that attitude, sorry. Would you like food stuffed in your mouth for approx two hours solid just to keep you quiet?
I'm assuming not.
*

Huh??? This would be my baby's absolute dream - to have me sitting down feeding her non-stop for ages.

NoFucksImAQueen · 24/07/2017 19:20

Hope it went well. I took ds2 and DD to the cinema lots of times when they were tiny. They just fed and slept through the whole thing

Coulddowithanap · 24/07/2017 19:23

I had to take DS to the cinema when he was 2 weeks old. (I had promised to help at my niece's cinema party)

He was fine, slept and fed all the way through. I also sat near the door so I could easily leave if he started to cry.

CouldntMakeThisShitUp · 24/07/2017 19:24

what???? movie links are not allowed?!!! Shock

Meh!

theSnuffster · 24/07/2017 19:30

I took DD a few times when she was tiny, she basically just slept and fed, never made a sound. But OH was there too so if she had cried i'd have been able to leave quickly, leaving OH with DS. I wouldn't have taken both children alone, i'd have felt bad making DS leave if DD cried and also would've been annoyed about paying a fortune to only see part of a film!

Mittens1969 · 24/07/2017 19:40

I can't believe some of the judgmental comments on here, assuming that a baby will automatically scream all through the film. I don't get the impression that it's remotely likely that the OP would refuse to leave if the baby started crying; she's hardly going to be bothered about missing Captain Underpants, is she?

Jumpmom1 · 24/07/2017 19:40

I have a 12 week old..... went to cinema last week... got a few funny looks but parked up th pram away from everyone n he slept soundly for the film till last 20 mins where I fed him. Back in pram n back to sleep. Go for it.

tinker1235 · 24/07/2017 19:45

Yes it will be fine.
I always took mine from my dd being a newborn & ds 2.
Just always sat near the front incase I needed to walk baby up & down.
I don't expect to goto a children's movie & it be silent.

falange · 24/07/2017 19:55

Yabu. Your child isn't going to be harmed because you can't take him to a film. I've been in a cinema where someone had taken a baby and got told by some of the audience to remove themselves when it started making noises. Not crying. Just baby noises. But it was disturbing for everyone and not fair. Don't do it.

Penhacked · 24/07/2017 20:06

YANBU, at 14 weeks my breastfed baby would love the opportunity for a marathon feed in a dark room with pretty pictures. If it goes tits up you leave and buy sweets. Simples.

icantthinkofamnusername · 24/07/2017 20:24

Wow. When did MN become so judgey?

I think it's your decision after all, if you think your dc is going to cope.

For me I can never risk it as dd2 (18 mths) was/is always on the go. But I did do a couple of baby/parent screenings with dd1. They were good.

Teenagers are more likely to cause chaos then younger kids from an experience lately.

Hope you all enjoyed the cinema trip OP.

Mittens1969 · 24/07/2017 20:44

I find young children running around and throwing tantrums much more disturbing than a little baby, that doesn't bother me unless the baby is constantly crying.

We've only recently started taking our DDs to the cinema aged 8 and 5, they always used to be so lively that it wasn't possible to take them.

But I don't see an issue with a baby sleeping or breastfeeding.

Beetlejuice43 · 24/07/2017 20:56

I wouldn't do it

Original poster
Dancingfairy · 24/07/2017 21:36

I was surprised by the comments aswell. My baby slept through the entire film! She didn't wake or even stir once (and slept all the way home.) Didnt need to take her out of her pram at all, as I was fully prepared to feed her the whole time but didn't need to. I'm not too sure if we ended up in a baby friendly screening or something but it was a lot quieter than normal films and the room was alot smaller, son had a great time, thanks.

OP posts:
Mittens1969 · 24/07/2017 22:13

I'm glad it worked out so well, OP, at least you didn't have to go out with DD! I think a lot of people don't realise how much little babies actually sleep. I expect DS enjoyed watching Captain Underpants? (The title made me laugh, reminds me of an episode of The Apprentice and an advert the candidates in one team created, with a superhero called 'The Pants Man' lol!)

belgina · 24/07/2017 22:18

I'd go to a daytime kids film screening with a baby. I have done so many a time in the past over the years. The babies pretty much always slept through the film.
My youngest, who is 4yo & who can't sit still is far more of a pain to take to the cinema nowadays. I always sit right at the front where she can wiggle and get up & down laps without a problem.

Cheby · 24/07/2017 22:36

Glad you went OP, I would have (and do!) too. My baby is 16 weeks and very very rarely cries. The only time she cries is in the car seat when I can't feed her.

Why does everyone assume the baby is going to be screaming her head off?

Also, to the poster who said it was unfair to bf a baby through a film just to keep them quite. Hahahahahahaha! Babies love breastfeeding. It's not just food, it's comfort and nap time and lunch all rolled into one. Mine would feed 24/7 if she could. It absolutely wouldn't be a hardship for her to feed through a film (in actual fact that describes our afternoons; I watch Netflix, she naps happily on the boob. Everyone's a winner!).

LumpySpaceCow · 24/07/2017 22:54

I've always taken my babies to the cinema - they would either sleep or feed.
I've always found that daytime screenings of kids films to be a bit noisy anyway. I can't see why anyone would think you were unreasonable.

Beeziekn33ze · 24/07/2017 23:05

OP so glad you had a successful cinema trip.
Some posters make you want to go 'Na, na, na, na, na!' don't they?!

Hudson10 · 24/07/2017 23:12

Some posters make you want to go 'Na, na, na, na, na!' don't they?!

I'm glad that baby was (apparently) quiet. So why the "na na na" attitude?
Good on OP if she did have baby sat quiet all the time, and would have taken her straight out if she had cried.
It's a fact that lots of parents are totally selfish though and don't give a shit and let their kids run about, or their babies cry/whimper.