Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

Original poster

anyone else's school say no babies at the school xmas play??

105 replies

sparklygothkat · 10/12/2007 20:20

recieved a letter today saying no babies or small children at the key stage 1 play and at the key stage 2 carol concert. I can't leave callum with anyone as he is BF and will not take a bottle, also he needs topups after feeding. I thought I would feed and topup just before the play and concert and he should sleep for a few hours.

OP posts:
worleywinterwonderland · 10/12/2007 21:12

my ds1's school doesnt object to babies but they too obnly allow to tickets and the baby if taken has to take a ticket, so when ds2 was in his baby sling strapped to me, they still insisted dp couldnt go, so this year ds2 is in nursery and dp and i get to go together!!!

SleighlyMadSanta · 10/12/2007 21:21

We have 4 dates (for KS1)

Tues afternoon children welcome
Tues & Weds pm no under 12s allowed (which gets ignored)
Fri afternoon for KS2 and the local playgroup to view but parents have to accompany the playgroup children as it is a 10 minute walk to get there and the playgroup staff won't ake responsibility for the walk .

HeadHeartorHormones · 11/12/2007 15:11

Oh dear. Reading through this has confirmed my suspicion that I'm not cut out for having a child at school. How on earth do you all manage to contain your annoyance at these sort of rules? It is hardly a rarity for primary school children to have young or indeed baby siblings. Why is this not taken into account in a family-considerate way? I think I'd better get myself on an anger management course before September.

Original poster
sparklygothkat · 11/12/2007 16:49

we are allowed to go to the dress rehersal with Callum, but not the main shows..

OP posts:
bozza · 11/12/2007 16:54

Our school has two performances - one afternoon and one evening and you get two tickets. So I took the afternoon off work to go and there were lots of pre-school children there. So rather {angry] that I wasted an afternoon's leave. So this year I have got two evening tickets (is 6.30 so not too late) and will take DD who will sit on my knee. She is 3 1/2 and will be good.

yorkshirepudding · 11/12/2007 16:56

Message withdrawn

FioFio · 11/12/2007 16:58

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Gossip · 11/12/2007 17:04

Well, given that I've just come back from a carol concert that was RUINED by inconsiderate parents who let their toddlers run around down the aisles and at the front of the stage I can completely see why this is the case.

And this was despite a letter in advance asking for babies and toddlers not to be brought to the service.

I have no idea why people think it is 'sweet' for their ugly, rice-pudding-encrusted offspring to spoil such events - some people are so selfish. If you HAVE to take a small child or baby, then you should at least have the decency to leave with them if they become destracted/ a distraction.

Anchovy · 11/12/2007 17:07

We are "strongly encouraged" to take small children to the dress rehearsal (which is at 9.30am). I think its a really good compromise, TBH. Its for the rest of the school and parents with littlies and apparently is a good, relaxed performance.

There was one child shrieking at the actual performance and it was off-putting. I know its not exactly Broadway, but you could see the children getting a bit unsettled. I would have been pissed cheesed off if that had gone through DS's line.

Niecie · 11/12/2007 17:10

We aren't allowed pre-school children either. Some people take babies and stand at the back so they can make a swift exit. If you are stuck though the ladies in the school office will run a creche for a small no. of children. I tried to use it once but DS2 who was just 2 refused to stay with them so I missed half of the show.

The second time I took DS2 he was just over 3 and they were having a Victorian concert. They were a bit short of material (it was a bit unplanned but linked to their year topic) so the headteacher said we would sing 'Daisy, Daisy' a second time with parents joining in and in a moment of silence whilst they waited for the piano to start, DS2 piped up loud and clear, 'Oh no, not that one again'. There was a bit of a titter from the rest of the audience. I haven't taken him since.

WinnieThePooh · 11/12/2007 17:13

My dd1's school has 2 performances. 9.30am tomorrow ans 2pm on Thursday. They also only allow 2 tickets.

I got mine for tomorrow morning as that is when the other mums from class are going. DD2(2 months old) will be going with me. The head will probably steal her away from me for a bit as has happened at coffee mornings.

I found out on Thursday last week that my prents are arriving from Scotland about 10am on thursday and they would love to see dd1 in the christmas performance. On Friday I explained the situation to the head and she said I could have 2 for the afternoon show if there were any over. I looked in DD1s school bag yesterday and the tickets were there. My parents are thrilled.

PirateInaPeartree · 11/12/2007 17:16

not sure about babies tbh, but parents were asked that todlers be left at the creche provided by the school for this purpose.

I really don't think that all that hard work is appreciated as well, when littlies are crying, and the performance is sometimes so quiet!!

cat64 · 11/12/2007 17:18

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Unfitmother · 11/12/2007 17:22

Seems a bit harsh! Can see the idea of a child-free evening performance say, but all of them? That's a bit unreasonable, how are you supposed to get there?
it's a shame that a few inconsiderate parents spoil it for the rest. There were toddlers running amok at DD's nativity play this morning.
Still they weren't as annoying as the bloke, spread over 2 seats, who kept waving his mobile around as he videoed the whole thing despite a letter asking us not to.

sugar34plum · 11/12/2007 17:26

my ds school wont let me take my younger too which is very as its his first play and his signing has come such a long way and i would love to see him up there all proud and happy. but i have no one to have my other 2 and i think the school sucks on this and so do some of the teachers

Judy1234 · 11/12/2007 17:37

Toddler noise can ruin these things. Ours has a creche manned by mothers whilst the shows are on which is a brilliant solution. Why not offer to set one up?

sugar34plum · 11/12/2007 17:42

my ds attends a main stream school with HI unit attached. There is also a nursey to that school. Its a great idea if you know all the mums but if it weere the other way around i wouldnt leave mine with anyone i didnt know that wasnt employed by the school.

Gossip · 11/12/2007 18:12

At DS1's carol concert this afternoon there was a toddler who kept running to the front and trying to get on stage (presumably to be with her sister, who was singing in the front row).

The elder child was clearly embarrassed, the other children were giggling and getting distracted, the leader of the choir was getting annoyed, and I thought the Headmistress was going to explode - she was looking decidedly pink with anger.

The mother casually strolled up to the front (also disturbing the concert) and picked up the toddler, who promptly started wailing, and continued to wail when they returned to their seats. Meanwhile, there was an 8 year old boy trying to sing a solo, poor lad.

RudolphtherednoseEANDHdeer · 11/12/2007 18:20

its my dd1 1st nativity tomorrow (although is preschool so slightly different) I have chosen to ask my friend (dd2 godmother) to have dd2 for the morning as she has just started walking and will not sit still and means I can be with dd1 if needed (she gets a bit overwhelmed at these things) my mum and mil coming as well as there is the xmas bazaar afterwards and as a committee member I have to run a stall so Mum/Mil will keep an eye on dd1.

There will be loads of siblings there though, will probably just line all the pushchairs up and they'll amuse each other (either that or give them lots of bisuits )

walkinginawinterBundleland · 11/12/2007 18:20

we have one performance for siblings and another "quiet" performance with no little ones

flack · 11/12/2007 18:29

Crikey, I am always amazed at how sensible our poxy little primary school with it's barely so-so SAT results manages to be... anyway: head teacher simply reminded the audience, before the nativity play started, what she had said in an earlier newsletter -- if you have a child with you who becomes distressed, disruptive or noisy can you please take them out?

Cannot most people comply with such a simple human request? It seemed to work fine for our play (3yo DS was good as gold luckily and DD had an important speaking part, preen, preen...)

icod4by4 · 11/12/2007 18:29

sparkyl
the play isnt hHOURS long
feed him before nad give him to someone

nannyL · 11/12/2007 19:24

my 2 year old charge was banned from my 4 year odl charges Xmas play

extra sad cause i KNOW he WOULD have sat still / quietly... and i couldnt see the play either

islandofsodor · 11/12/2007 21:26

I have always got childcare but our school has two performances and gives 2 tickets per performance per child. Under 4's are not allowed at the evening performance.

If I was in the situation that some of you are in then I would simply withdraw my child from the play/concert.

WhenScoobyGotStuckUpTheChimney · 11/12/2007 21:27

Ours is doing it on 2 days 1 of the days children are allowed the other is Adults only.

Swipe left for the next trending thread