Panto! When did you first take your children and did they enjoy it?

[gerbo]

We used to have an annual outing to panto with my grandparents, cousins and all, and thoroughly loved it (ride on the bus, fish and chips tea, then panto!).

I now have a 20month old dd and was wondering if next year would be too early to take her? She'd be almost 3...

Any panto fans out there?!

about 7 think they are to young before that. DD3 would have been scared stiff at 3.

Just took dd (3.5). She loved it, but we had to help her through the scary bits, explaining that it wasn't a real giant, but a nice friendly actor (as in the program) just pretending for the story. We tend to have a problem with anything remotely scary.

This will be dd1's third year at going to panto's she is 4. She loves them (sits on grandads lap at a scary bits along with dd2 and dniece2) He was very numb legs afterwards.

We go to the GRand in Wolverhampton- Peter Pan this year.

Incidently I'd ask about how old they have to be to have a seat of their own. Last year we brought dd1 (3 at the time) and dd2 (nearly 2 at the time) tickets- but took dniece (18 months) in as a babes in arms.

Originally hadn't planned on taking dneice. When we rung the box office about getting an extra ticket for dniece they said up to 3 could go in as babes in arms as long as they shared your seat. - Useful if taking lo's in at £30+ a ticket

Took DS2(3) last week and he didn't really like it. He was scared of the baddie and everytime he came onstage DS2 asked if we could go home.

I'm not taking my 2.6 year old. I would have taken him if he'd been closer to 3. Will definitely take him next year.

I posted earlier on thread to say that I thought DS would be petrified but we went last night and he loved it!

I spent a bit of time beforehand explaining about actors playing the part etc and it seemed to work.

He really enjoyed the "booooo, hisssss", "its behind you" banter.

good tip -if they are liable to get really excited by the whole experience don't let them eat their own body weight in Pringles and Celebrations during the panto or you'll be up in the night clearing up vomit

my 5 year old DD went for the first time this year and she really loved it.

DD was about 4 - she's always had sensitive hearing and she hated the screaming and shouting. I'm afraid she's not been keen on panto ever since - which is a particular shame as her father's family were very big in the local am dram society and her grandfather wrote music and stuff for the local pantos.

DS was 5 when we first went (he wouldn't have sat thru it otherwise).

He LOVED it, and said part way thru he was enjoying it sooooo much he didn't want it to end (made me cry).

Granny went with us, and bought himn so many sweets he was sick when we got him to bed (but itwas her spare bed, so that was kind of justice!!!).

Took DS this year to an am-dram one (our old group). Not sure he got it all but he loved the cheering & booing, clapping & singing. He got a bit restless but, TBH, it wasn't brilliant
(NO set, poor sound, not enough songs)

we just got back from panto took my ds 10 and dd 2.8 and they both loved it. dd has been but at only 8 months old so won't remember it. she keeps telling me mummy i like the pantomine i loved the singing. she joined in with the clapping and copied some of the dancing.