How to Take Your Baby to the Movies

Having a baby doesn't have to mean the end of your movie going days. With a bit of forethought and planning, you can see that movie without annoying baby or your fellow moviegoers.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• baby
• movie schedule
• snugglie, sling, or other baby holder
• feeding stuff

1. 
   Learn Your Baby's Sleep Cycle

   In order to successfully take in a movie with a baby along, some planning is needed. First, don't try to do this too early in the baby's life. Baby needs to have been with you long enough that you can accurately predict his or her sleep patterns. But don't wait too late; after Baby starts to crawl, this system becomes increasingly unreliable and eventually you'll be forced to get a sitter.

2. Once you've figured out the times when your baby is most likely to sleep for at least two hours at a time, start comparing those times against movie schedules. When you find a reasonably good fit between sleep time and movie time, plan ahead and pack your supplies.

3. 
   Don't risk having your arms fall off. Use a snuggly!

   You'll need the usual fully loaded diaper bag, feeding stuff and some sort of sling or snugglie. While it might be possible to use a car seat carrier type thing, in our experience babies stay quieter longer if they're held against Mom or Dad's body. Using a sling or snugglie keeps your arms from falling off.

4. 
   Try feeding to soothe a prematurely awake baby. Breast is best!

   If by some unlucky chance Baby wakes up mid-movie, don't panic. Try feeding. If feeding or a quick trip to the restroom for a diaper change doesn't work, try walking a bit in the halls to soothe baby back to sleep. Missing a few minutes of movie is better than risking being pummeled with popcorn and juju beans from irate fellow patrons.

5. 
   If Baby says leave, then leaving it is!

   If baby simply won't soothe, be prepared to leave without finishing the movie. This dismal result should be a fairly rare occurrence if you accurately predict the nap times. In our long experience, we only had to leave movies twice before they were over because of fussy babies. If you have one of the rare babies who is a very light sleeper this might not work, but most babies when truly in the sleep zone snuggled up against a parent aren't awakened even by movie explosions and screams.
   
   Try for dollar shows or matinée showings to lessen the distress if things go awry-- but only if they coincide with the all important nap time! Some movie theaters even have special "baby friendly" movie showings.

Tips & Warnings

• Use a sling or snuggly for best results
• Don't forget your shoulder throw for breastfeeding or other feeding supplies
• if your baby likes pacifiers, this is an excellent aid for movie-watching
• Baby wakes and won't resettle? Time to leave, alas.
• Sit on the aisle in case you need to leave quickly

Resources

• Do You Take Your Baby to the Movies?
• Can I Take My Baby to the Movies? Yes!

[Punkuns]

on 1/29/2009 Great tips for taking a baby to the movies!

[resar]

on 2/7/2008 I think you have to be sensitive to your child's ability to tolerate noise. Some kids seem to be really uncomfortable with anything loud. Mine would sleep through nuclear Armageddon once they were settled, though.

[Terra]

on 2/7/2008 we have taken our daughter to the movies before when she was quite little but I just worry about the noise?
Is it really bad for their ears?

[ritzar12]

on 10/26/2007 Jujubees! This was fun to read and provided advice the more parents should heed