Not allowed siblings at my sons nativity play .. including my breast fed baby??

[WinnieLovett]

My daughter is 4 months old and breastfeeding.

My two other sons are involved in the school nativity play. The school will be having two performers one at 2:30 and one at 7:00.

I have been informed that the school has a ‘no sibling rule’ to watching so I will not be allowed to bring my daughter. The issue is these times are both when she has milk.

I was also told by the head that she may make noise and interrupt the performance !!

Really sad as I don’t want to miss it ! But do not feel happy leaving my baby at these times!

I was in the same situation and just took baby in the sling. They hadn’t notified us until after we’d booked the tickets and arranged it all that there was a no sibling rule. No one said a thing and actually quite a few other people turned up with siblings anyway. It’s a stupid rule as it means lots of parents simply can’t go and ours was in a church it’s not like there’s limited space. If the baby is quiet and you sneak in at the back I’m sure it will be fine. Obviously if they cry, you leave.

The children generally get one line each. How would you feel if it was your child’s line that got drowned out by a crying baby?

Sounds fair to me

It's 30 minutes. You'll be amazed at how adaptable babies are, if you actually try it. Feed her earlier. She'll be fine.

The thing is, you can’t take in a child who might make a noise - that’s not fair to the performers or other members of the audience. You have already said that your baby is unsettled (ie noisy) around these times, as a reason why you have to take them….

There are two possibilities, really - one us that you feed beforehand ( at home or somewhere close to the school), then leave your baby with someone else, then if necessary feed again straight afterwards. And/or express/ leave a bottle.

The other is if you ask to sneak in to a dress rehearsal, to watch more informally - though if course you will
again have to leave if your baby starts being noisy as it will distract the performers.

This rule will have come about because of parents bringing babies and children who disrupted the experience for everyone else. It’s not personal.

You say your baby is unhappy at those times, yet you want to take her. A bit contradictory.

Get over yourself! It’s fairly standard and nothing to do with discrimination.

Friends DC school had this. I met her outside and walked her baby around in the pram whilst she was there. It seems harsh but even one cry can drown out a child’s line.

Don't go then op
You and your baby don't Trump everyone else

Can’t someone wait outside with the baby? Surely the nativity can’t last more than half an hour or so?

Good time to get her on a bottle...with expressed milk of course 😊

Completely normal I was in the same position and had to leaver DD on occasion. It’s not fair in the children to have crying babies there.

it’s useful if you can get them used to a bottle of e pressed milk.

That’s a good idea, could your DH or a friend do this?

It’s my DD’s first nativity play, she has one line and yeah, I’d be fucked off if there was some baby crying over it when people had been asked not to bring them.

And your son will ‘not be happy’ when HIS mother is the one skulking out the back door right at the point he gets to say his lines/do his dance/sing his song/whatever. Sort it out! You need to be there.

I think you’re being a bit dramatic; if you feed your baby earlier then they will be ok for hour (at the most as usually less) that you’ll be watching the performance for.

I can’t believe all the people saying it’s normal. I’ve never had it at any of my DCs preschools or schools. The nativity is a whole family affair. I get limiting numbers and how many showings people see, but no siblings is just wrong, not everyone has childcare. I’ve never seen anyone have an issue with a baby or toddler crying either.

I understand why your upset op, I would have hated missing my DCs nativity’s.

If babies/children are allowed in there WILL be a disturbance.

The schoolchildren have put in a lot of work and their parents want to both see AND hear them.

I think you are being very self-centered about this. Your baby will cope for an hour

this. And this will be down to the few idiots that have spoilt it for everyone else.

You might not have seen the issue with crying but I guarantee there was one.

This is fair enough.
I’ve lost count of the number of school shows ruined by screaming siblings. Of course you wouldn’t expect your baby to do this but babies are babies and the parents rarely want to miss the show so tend to stay and then we all have to listen to the crying

It's normal, thank goodness

No one wants someone else's DC siblings crying, fussing or making a noise during a performance.

It's just annoying, very annoying

What day and age is that? The one where it doesn't matter if your baby's disruption means other parents can't hear their own small children' say their line(s) in the school nativity?

🙌 I have an issue with the crying. Don’t take them or take them out but don’t let your baby ruin the show for the children and their teachers

Come on, she's not a newborn. Feed her before the performance and she'll be fine. (I BF DD until she was 2, and by 4 months if we were going out for a shortish period of time I always fed her before we went out so I wouldn't have to whilst out.)

School didn't put you in the having 2 dc position..your dh did that!!