Booking Santa’s Grotto for 10 month old?

[Mum070322]

Is it a bit silly to book for a baby so young?

DS will be 10 months in December and is my first baby so I’m excited to make memories with him

i also haven’t been to a Santa’s grotto in a very long time and never from an adult perspective I don’t know if I’ll look a bit strange me and DH just standing in the line with a baby while there’s lots of excited children waiting to see Santa.

Seems a bit pointless to me but if you/DH want to and will enjoy having the photos then crack on!

Honestly - total waste of money with a 10 month. You will have a much better experience next year.

Well you won’t be the only one- There will be other babies there guaranteed. I have a comedy photo of me gurning with a Santa and the baby wailing. With the second child I didn’t bother when they were a baby.

My mum insisted on doing this with Ds1, her grandson. He was younger and she insisted. He screamed and cried for the duration and now at 7 still refuses to see Santa, he waits outside when his siblings go. Save your money, take them to the garden centre to look at the Christmas lights.

Do it for the photos, why not?!

2 things.

It's FUCKING AUGUST.

A 10 month old has no concept of Christmas or anything else. Book it if you want but at least own it and realise that it's all about you and not your child.

Plenty do so it won’t look odd, it’s for you/the photos not the baby at that age though. (Which is fine!)

Absolutely nothing wrong with doing something because you’ll enjoy it and find it cute. Go for it.

Of course you can, you'll get some cute photos to cherish and look back on. They're only babies once - enjoy it in whatever way you want! I would absolutely not judge you.

Waste of money!

Long queue, lots of money and a good chance your child will be terrified of Father Christmas.

For the first few years look for local churches and schools that are having a grotto as part of their Christmas fair. Usually much much cheaper and less overwhelming for you all.

Pls calm down Lol

I have owned it Hence why I’ve said I’m excited to make memories.

also I’m asking in August as the tickets have just been released.

Thank you that’s a great idea!

I wouldn't bother. Lots of money for a photo and no memory of it

I really wouldn't bother with the expensive places that you have to book months in advance. Often local churches do Christmas fairs with Santa at, or toddler groups get a Santa in for their Christmas party session. Still opportunities for photos but a lot less money to pay.

For those saying that it’s august the Santa options round here “open” for
bookings in September and if you don’t step on it quickly you have no options at all.
ridiculous but true.

OTOH
I am not saying your baby shouldn’t see Santa but your baby def does not need to see a fancy Santa booked in august

Well people in my antenatal group took their 2mth old babies to see santa, so it's no worse than that 😂

I personally wouldn't but MIL took DS when he was 14mths, which to me is still too young... Different people like different things 🤷🏼‍♀️

Completely up to you OP. Your LO won't remember it but you will. And you'll have pics to show them when they're older.

Who cares what other people think. Enjoy!

Your kid won't remember, and will probably freak the hell out, so the only 'memory making' will be you and your DH standing there while the poor Santa has to... Talk to you two as if you were the baby? Pretend to talk to the baby?

They don't remember anything til after 3 anyway, chill out.

Another option if you want a Santa experience but without paying a fortune, Toby Carvery also do a breakfast with Santa and it doesn’t cost extra to book it (so you just pay the price of your breakfast). If little one doesn’t want to go to Santa or gets upset, at least you haven’t wasted a fortune then.

Our babies absolutely loved the Xmas lights so we took them to the lights instead and will do that again for this year.

We had to book Longleat Santa tickets in July, even then we could only get a weekday two weeks before Christmas!

We took our 6 month old to a National Trust lights display that had a Santa you could see. Sure she won’t remember it but she loved looking at all of the lights and we have some lovely pictures and memories of it!

We have a photo of us with our then 7 week old looking very confused, sitting on Santa's lap! We did the same with our second, who was 9 months old for his first Christmas. Our first was fine both times , second cried, not sure how he'll be this year!
I don't think they really understood, but they liked their gifts and we wanted a photo for us and them to look back on when they're older. This is very early to book though, both times we went in December.

Yeah I wouldn't book anything fancy. Our local high street does a Santa's grotto and it's a couple of quid - you don't book in advance, just turn up and queue. Babies don't typically enjoy Santa visits - ds1 screamed like he'd been stabbed and ds2 slept though the entire thing. I like the sound of the toby carvery breakfast as a pp mentioned though! Might look into that!

It’s for you and not for him. Accept that and do it if you wish and have some fun.

A 10 month old won’t enjoy being passed to an old bloke with a beard it would probably scare them! Sit it out for a couple of years, maybe take when they’re 3. It’ll be really exciting then.

It’s your baby’s first Xmas and your first Xmas as a mum. If you will get pleasure out of doing a grotto then do it! Who cares if they won’t remember it - you will! And you only get one first Xmas.

My ds will be 11 months and I've booked him in! But it's at the local zoo, we have a zoo pass and they do other festive things. I want a cute picture and to make a memory for me