Have you taken your baby to the cinema (adult screening)?

[Purplelady1]

My LO is 5 months old and I want to watch the new Gladiator movie. I have no one to watch LO this period. He will be wearing ear defenders and will be facing away from the screen.

I am very fortunate to have a very calm and quiet baby who rarely cries, and will most likely fall asleep throughout the movie. In the unlikely event he does cry, I will immediately step out so as to not disturb other viewers.

Bear in mind, I will be going at an off-peak time during the week so the cinema will most likely be empty.

I am unable to find the answer on the Cineworld website and they have yet to respond to my query I emailed them days ago.

Has anyone taken their baby to an adult screening in Cineworld?

Do they not have an actual parent and baby showing through the week? I used to do those. Volume slightly down, lights slightly up, others in the same boat. My daughter went to see the hunger games as a teeny baby.

Yes definitely go to the baby sessions whilst you get the chance!! I went loads and so glad I did, as it was three years before I went again!! They often include a cake and tea in the ticket price. It’s really laid back, never full, I’d probably go every day if I was on maternity leave again!!

It’ll be far too loud. Also other cinema-goers will be massively pissed off to see you rocking up with a baby.
Also the film is shit ( apart from Denzel). Wait and watch it at home if you really can’t find a sitter.

No!! Go to a mother and baby screening.

I did a few parent and baby sessions, DS loved his sling would sleep and BF , the volume wasn't at loud either and others in the same boat. I wouldn't take a baby to a standard screening

Hi ladies, thanks for the responses!
I checked out the Cinebabies experience on their website but they don’t offer it in London. It seems they only offer the Cinebabies in seven locations in the whole country!

You won’t be allowed a baby in an adult session. But do find a baby friendly session. In my experience they’re fantastic and were a real highlight of maternity leave

Picture house cinemas have (or at least used to have) baby screenings and they have several London locations. These are the ones I went to

@Purplelady1 there dozens of cinemas in London most of which do parent and baby showings. Where abouts in London are you?
For a regular showing they might not let you in with a baby.

I had an Odeon membership when I was on maternity leave. I went multiple times a week to normal screenings when I was on maternity leave, but I tended to go to the first showings of the day.
He never cried during the film but I was always ready to leave in case he would.

I have a five month old baby who is also exactly as you describe.

I saw this film today at a baby screening. It would be very loud on a standard screening, and also I would be mightily pissed off of id paid £15 (the usual price now) and had the film interrupted by a baby, however briefly.

I don't think they will let you in.

Used to go all the time when DS was a tiny newborn, but to gentle art-house stuff in a small local one. Usually about five other people there, at least one or two others with small babies unconscious in slings.

I wouldn't have taken him to a deafening epic about fighting though, ear defenders or not.

There will be London sessions for parent and baby showings. I’ve been to them. You can’t take a baby into a normal screening.

Yeah, we are in London too and both the Cineworld and Odeon near us have stopped doing parent and baby sessions since covid. So annoying! It's a pain to have to go up into central when there are perfectly good cinemas nearby.

All the baby screening sessions at my local cinema are kids films! I find that so annoying, I'd love to go and watch a normal movie whilst on maternity leave.

I've taken my baby a few times to the cinema which have been adult screenings. No issues he slept. They have to be pg and under though.

Look for relaxed SEN sessions? Lower volume, lights not fully down, free to move around and make noise.

My daughter is 7 months old and I’ve done it twice, both times sat right next to the exit so I could run straight out if needed, took her headphones and both times she slept through the full thing. They were just normal showings as our Cineworld doesn’t do specific mum & baby ones but both were 11am on a Wednesday, first one there was 2 other people in the screen, second one there wasn’t a single other person in😂

I would be very annoyed if I saw you walk in with your baby

I was let into cineworld recently with my baby, just a normal screening . But I did have MIL with me so I could leave DS with her if baby started to cry. What a shame my local cineworld doesn't do the mother and baby showings, they sound great!

The answer is no because you can only take babies into films rate 12a or below

We are happy to admit Babes In Arms into a morning or afternoon performance with a U, PG or 12A certification.

The Cinebabies performances are aimed at enabling parents with infants to come and watch movies with us in an environment more suitable for small children than our normal screenings- with the lights to half and the sound at a lower volume than normal, though there is no formal restriction on the age of children allowed to come to the performances. The screenings are primarily aimed at the parents rather than the children and we won't show any films rated higher than 12A.

There are loads in London .

https://babesabouttown.com/babe-friendly-guides/parent-baby-cinema-by-area/
That's just one link.

Of course you can’t take a 5 month old to the cinema.

I took mine to an afternoon showing of Casino Royale many years ago when I was away with my husband on a work trip. I checked with manager/box office and assured them I would leave if she started crying.

It was quiet because it was a weekday afternoon and I sat in the very back row and discreetly breastfed her more or less throughout and they even took my pram into the back office for safekeeping.