How Old Was Your Lil One B4 U Went to the Theater to Watch a Movie?

One great advantage we have is that it is summer time!! AMC and others have programs that offer movies once a week for $1.00 (which is donated to charity) or no charge at al,l as part of their Summer Movie Camps. I'm not sure of your child's age, but with this option, even if she does start crying and you need to leave, you haven't wasted a lot of money. You might check into that as a way of testing out the water before you jump in.

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one of my biggest pet peeves today is when parents that bring their children into movies that aren't age appropriate just because they want to see it or it has superheroes in it ie a 5 yr old in a PG-13 movie, Transformers, GI Joe, Iron Man. If ya can't get a babysitter people just wait to see it later!
End of rant not directed at you, just reminded me of that.

For babies it does get really loud in movie theaters. Your hubby is right. A crying baby can really ruin a movie for the rest of the movie goers.
leave baby home with the hubby and go out with your girlfriends.

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I took my daughter to see The Princess and The Frog, she was had just turned 3, now she wants to go to the movies all the time!

My daughter is 2 1/2 and we have NOT taken her to a movie yet.

i see you have received a lot of responses, but just wanted to chime in - We started taking our son at around 3 months old and changed the movie themes to cartoons or kids movies when he turned 1 b/c his attention span grew. If you decide to take her, it's all in the timing, make sure that she's fed, clean and is ready for a nap, my son would fall asleep during the credits. Also, if you warn the ticket agent ahead of time, they will refund your money.

just took my 3.5 year old to her first movie this past weekend and she sat through the entire 2 hours! I'd say don't take them unless she's at least 3yrs old.

How old is your daughter? Is she normally well-behaved? Is it a kids movie or a movie geared more for adults? Would you be able to find a sitter for the movie? I remember when I was a small child being taken to the movies was a chore b/c I/we as kids would not sit still, always wanted to goto the bathroom just to play b/c it had tile in it (We thought tile was just the bomb diggity) & my poor mom had to put up w/our restlessness to where she no longer allowed us to goto the movies until we were older like 10-12 yrs old. I know that not all kids misbehave & only you know your child & how she may react. The only thing I can suggest is to try it & see how it goes. I know this will sound awful & selfish so I do apologize for it in advance but I cannot tell you how annoying it is to sit in a theatre trying to watch an adult oriented movie & can't hear it over the other patron's kids being loud or crying or kicking the seat(s) or some such other disturbance. If it's a kids movie then yes, it's expected there will be kids there & making disturbances but if it's a movie that is more for grownups that I want to go see w/hubby that's not a kids movie, I want to be able to enjoy it w/o having kids misbehaving or calling out "I wanna go potty" every few minutes which means the parent(s) hafta get up & block the view (depending on theatre) or scoot past the ppl sitting next to them which disturbs their enjoyment but again I realize that not all kids are like that so I'd just say try it & see how it goes, then you'll at least know for next time. Hope my comments help & good luck, have a good time.

It depends on many things. Does your child know how to behave in different social situations like a movie theater? My oldest did. We took him everywhere and he was ALWAYS well behaved. The first time I took him to a local theater for a live production he was 15 months. He was around the same age at the regular movie theater. Now my second child is well behaved now (he's 6 1/2 yrs) but as a baby I think he was much louder outside of our house.

My husband loves movies and wants to share them with our kids but I'm the one always saying the kinds of things your husband says about theaters. We won't take a child younger than 3 to the theater. Get a babysitter and go enjoy a movie just the two of you. Or wait until your baby is old enough for you to be comfortable leaving them with a sitter for 3 hours.

when my son was about two my parents took him to see Alvin and the Chipmunks. I told him that he was too young and he would not sit, would be loud and they would probably end up chasing him around the theater. They got back and said the majic words rarely uttered by them "You where right"!!!! He did all those things and kept both grandparents on there toes. Now only a few months later, he is two and a half. My hubby plans on taking him to see Toy Story. We think he is ready because he will sit in front of the t.v. and watch an entire movie, like Shrek.

I took my oldest son to the movie when he was 6 months old. That was almost 58 years ago. It was a Bette Davis Movie, black and white, and very dramatic. I took along his bottle and thought he would go to sleep. He stayed awake the whole time with his eyes glued to the screen and the only time he cried was twice when the movie blacked out for a few seconds. Later we had drive in movies and that was easy to take children to.

We started taking our son when he was an infant. We would feed him right before we went and would go at a time he would normally be tired and sleep. He would sleep right thru the entire thing in his car seat. But then again at home he could sleep thru the dogs barking, doorbell ringing, vacuum cleaner, etc. The best advice my Ped ever gave us when our son was born was don't be quiet and tip toe around while the child is sleeping....make noise therefore he learns to sleep thru it all, maybe that's why he could sleep thru movies at the movie theatre.

There was an excellent post on here a few weeks ago addressing this type of thing. A mom was interested in taking her child to see ToyStory 3. It was on June 24. Scroll back through and see the responses there... it will help guide you for later on as well (you will start wondering again when your 5 month old is 3 or 4 years). Lots of different view points and things you might not have considered...

I would enjoy the movie without my little one if I were you. And I mean that literally... I would ENJOY the movie. With a little one, I wouldn't. I'd be worried and stressed, instead of relaxed and into the film.

Enjoy!

Back in the good ole days when I could afford to go to "regular price" movie theaters, I recall certain ones would have a Crying Baby Room at the back. It had a glass window so you could see the screen and the audio was piped in, so hopefully parents wouldn't miss what they paid those big bucks for. That was several years ago, though. I don't know if theater owners still care so much about the patrons, but you could call and check.

I waited till my son was 22 months old but I took him to the Alamo Drafthouse here in Austin for Kids Club...the original Muppet Movie. See if there's a theater in your area that offers "baby day" at the Alamo here they have any movie before 2pm on specified days. The lights are up a bit, and the sound isn't up as loud so its a good way for them to get used to it. My so loves "fun mobies" now and asks for them all the time. I just sit a bowl of popcorn in front of him and his water, and he doesn't even try to move at the movie. I did get a portable booster seat that I strap to the seat in the theater, then strap him to it. He's raised up and strapped in, it works great. Good luck!

I did not take my children to the movies until they showed they could sit through and enjoy a movie at home. My children are 6 and almost 5, and we just started going to the theater as a family this last year. I hate when I go to a show and someone brings their 1 or 2 year old, or younger, and the baby is fussing or crying, it ruins the movie for everyone near by.

My daughter was 3. It worked out fine.

11/2 mo It's not a big deal. Just get up and get her quiet if she starts crying.

Our daughter was 3. We got lucky because we were the only ones in the theater! She was not the kind to sit still, so we waited until she turned 3. Yes, she did get up and walk around a bit, Yes she did get bored, Yes she did get restless...but we did make it through.
OUr son was 2 when he went the first time. With sister and us. He also got down and switched seats between Daddy and I several times, but he was very good and stayed quiet. Until the end when he yelled "that man is getting time out!" the whole theater cracked up laughing. We were watching UP. It was fun!
I would wait until they are at least 2, but then again each child is different. If you want to take her, plan for the worst, maybe she will cry, maybe you will have to leave...but MAYBE you wont. Just go into it being flexible.

I think that every child is different you just have to gauge what your child can take. I have 2 daughters and I took both of them to a movie when they were each about a month old and they were fine they slept through the entire movie. No our one daughter is 3 and she is a wiggeler. We have found that sometimes she will sit and sometimes she will not. We have found a great alternative is to go to a drive in movie. If our daughter gets restless she just goes to the back of the car and plays. Do make sure that you take them to an age appropriate movie because sometimes kids like to make comments about certain parts of movies and if it is a kids movie chances are there will be other kids there and they will be fine. Also and early matinee is probably best less people are there as well.

This may not help the original poster, but here in Austin, TX, we have a theater that has "Baby's Day Out" movies on Tuesdays. According to the website, babies are welcome at the first showing of the day, and "These show times allow parents to bring their infants, or any children under 6 years old. Baby Day shows are generally not children's films, rather our regular movies, and are shown with the intention that customers with small children have an opportunity to experience the Alamo without having to arrange for child care. Admission is free for those under 6 years old. During the movie the lights are left a little brighter and the sound a little lower."

I'm not sure how well that works for actually enjoying a movie, but it could be worth trying. There may be something like this available in other cities, too?

I don't know if they have anything like it in your neck of the woods. . .
Here in Austin, there is a local theater chain called the Alamo Drafthouse.
I'm happy to say that when mine were infants, I kept up with the current movies, thanks to "Baby Day." At the ticket window, they were always sure to warn the adults without children, that today was Baby Day, and that there would most likely be noisy infants in that particular showing.

Here's the information on it. Perhaps you might talk to one of your local theaters to see if they'd consider something like this:

Baby Day!! Parents with Infants Welcome!!
The Alamo Drafthouse understands that it is hard for new parents to get out for an evening on the town. That is why we proudly offer Baby Day, for regular shows that start before 2:05pm, on Tuesday afternoons (special festival screenings are excluded). Infants are welcome to these shows, and of course, are allowed in for free. For our baby day shows, we keep the lights up a bit, and the sound down a bit, so your little one never has to know they even went to the movies! Take some time for yourself, pack up the kids, and head out to the Alamo Drafthouse for some much needed entertainment! Please note: Baby Day is Tuesday ONLY at Alamo Lamar and Lake Creek, and Tuesday and Friday at Alamo Village

I wouldn't take a baby to the movie's with me for a movie that I want to watch , so annoying when kids are crying when you are watching a movie , plus it is far too loud , I find it too loud and I'm an adult. As for what age to take kids to see a kids movie , that depends on the child , my 7 yr old son hates to sit still for that long so doesn't like going , however my 4 yr old daughter can sit through a kids movie such as Toy Story , The Princess and the Frog , etc.

I went to movies I wanted to see w/ my babies when they were super tiny...like under 2 months old...they just sleep the whole time while you hold and nurse them.

My daughter is 3 and we are taking her to the movies for the first time tonight.

One thing to think about is that often movies are much too loud for an infant's ears.

Ours was 4.5. We say Toy Story 3. I thought they fell asleep they were so still. There were other parents there with children smaller, but overall they did not seem to have any problems with their child. I think you know your child best. Does she watch movies at home? How long can she sit still? Use your mommy instincts, and you will make the right choice.

I waited until my kids turned 3 and then took them to their first Disney movies. At 3, they can sit still for the hour and a half, they will not cry and disrupt others, and you will all have an enjoyable experience. Any age younger than that is risky . . . because if they start to whine, you have to leave immediately, as movie goers pay a lot now to see a movie and no one wants to hear a baby cry. I've seen a few moms attempt a movie with a baby, and it never works. Just my advice. In the meantime, catch a movie with a girlfriend and have your hubby watch the baby. Girl's night out!

i took my son to see the alvin and the chipmunks part 2 last year. he did pretty good and enjoyed it. he was about 1 1/2

as long as its soemthing he likes and he has had a nap and ate, so he does not get cranky during the movie it will be ok. take snacks just in case in his bag and alot of juice.

good luck and best wishes

I think 5 is a good age.

Any age is good as long as they are able to pay attention. I would definitely try a cartoon movie. I don't think it would be easy for a kid to sit through a grown up movie. They don't really follow it and it gets boring. Take lots of snacks in your purse, you didn't hear that from me. Ha ha ha!

we took our son at the age of 4 to his first movie. but i do have friends that took their babies to movies and had to problems with them. our son still is very active but now at the age of 8 he can sit stil better!