2 Almost 3 Year Old at the Movies?

Has he seen Madagascar 1?? Yes, its about animals; however my DD loved animals at age 2 as well and couldn't sit through Madagascar 1 at all. There is way too much talking and not enough cute songs to hold the younger kids' interest. Not to mention its a PG movie, not G. My BIL gave us the movie because he though DD would love it so we popped it in and she lasted 5 mins before we turned it off. I was glad thats all she lasted when I realized it was a PG movie. Now I'm super thorough about checking previews and reviews before letting her see anything.

Movie theaters are very dark, loud and disorienting. Be prepared for him to hate it or love it. I personally have had better luck taking my kids to Childrens Theater (tickets are cheaper, too) They seem to like the live performances: cute songs, lively costumes, and shorter length than movies.

GL!!

Hi J.,
You have already received some great advice. I think the key here is to be prepared for anything. If your son is just too overwhelmed by the huge screen and the darkness and noise then you should be prepared to leave. Arrive a little early, so when you walk in, the theater is well-lit. I would also recommend to pick a time that won't be too busy. Maybe Sunday, or go after the movie has been out for a while and the crowds have died down.
Have fun,
B.

The first time I took my son to the movies he was also 2yrs old. We went to see Thomas and the Magic Railroad. A couple of days before the movie, we got him one of the "characters", a train called "Diesel 10". I'll never forget the look on his face when he realized the toy he was clutching in his hand was up on the big screen! I was afraid he wouldn't make it through the movie and I was fully prepared to get up and leave if he started acting up. As it turned out, he was like a statue for the entire movie, didn't move a muscle, was totally enthralled. I would say to go ahead and take him to the movie, get him the popcorn, just do everything as you would normally do. He may love it, but if he shows signs of being overwhelmed and starts getting irritated/irritating, leave. Don't force him to stay just because you've already paid for the movie. Some kids LOVE movies in movie theaters (like my son, who's a movie addict now) and some kids HATE dark theaters and the loud sounds. I'm hoping this is a really fun movie as my own kids are dying to see it, too! Have lots of fun with your little guy tonight!!

My daughter loves movies! She did not really like the first one we went to, though. I think it kind of scared her. After that first one, she would cry when it was all over because she thought it was so neat to see the movie that big on the screen. Thankfully we have gotten past that phase, too! Definitely bring something to cover his ears. Some theaters are worse than others - a lot of the time we wait for the movies to come to the dollar theater here before we go see them and their sound is awful! Always WAY too loud, even for me! If you have a pair of earmuffs or headphones or something, otherwise we have used a hat like Deb suggested. Much easier than sitting with your hands over his ears to muffle the sound for an hour! lol

We usually take her blanket too, again, because it is a cheap dollar theater and usually kind of cold. The blanket does double duty to be able to cover her if it is cold and to cushion the booster seat so she can see. At the 2 year old point I would sneak in my own snacks for her (yeah, bad mommy sneaking in the snacks...) usually goldfish crackers or something like that because she didn't like popcorn yet. Now that she is three, she changed her mind and likes popcorn so I don't bother with that as much now, we usually just get the kiddie meal thing with the popcorn and drink and share. Since this is his very first movie, do be prepared to leave early. He could not like the experience at all. I think that was another reason we did the dollar place at first because then i wouldn't lose so much money if she hated it! I remember taking her to see the Veggie Tales movie with my mom and it is such a fun memory! She was just totally enthralled by the movie - I don't think I had ever seen her sit for that long without squirming around. hee hee Just have fun and I hope your little guy enjoys himself!

First see how long the movie is. I know our first attempts the movies over 60 minutes it did not work.
I can say too the noise level is huge. I forgot how loud movies were. So maybe if you have a hat or something to put over their ears as it can be bothersome to some kids.
Potty breaks will be frequent if they are potty trained, hee hee. You know your kids and how long they are able to sit still too.

Snacks and drinks on hand. They have booster seats so they can see better too, and if you have a movie theater that has the arm rests that lift up that is nice as they can lay in your lap. Don't have big expectations though, it wasn't until recently my kids could tolerate the noise and being sitting still for a long time. I see more often then not kids leaving early as they get too restless.

My seven year old still doesn't like going to the movies. We just end up waiting and renting the movies here, hee hee.
Good luck and have fun, be sure to update us on how the movie is, I loved the first one!