I was recently talking to a friend about how I want to go watch the movie Frozen. She told me that she saw it with her husband and her 4 yo son, and that they all really enjoyed it. She said the visuals and the music was really awesome and that if I took my soon-to-be 19 month old, she would probably enjoy it even if she didn't understand the storyline. My initial reaction was that my daughter is too young for the movies. Then I found out a friend of mine took her son to watch Frozen a few months ago, when he was about 21 months. I'm still thinking 19 months is too young for the movies, but what are your thoughts?
I'd say no.
It's really not about whether the child is too young for the movie, but that they tend to be rather needy and annoying in the theatre at that age. "Shhh!" and "Not so loud" aren't very effective. The child becomes bothersome to the other moviegoers.
No, I'd wait until she's at LEAST 3 or 4. Get a sitter and enjoy the movie.
She might be just fine but it seems like a waste of money to me. I mean movies aren't cheap, and if she's not really going to get the story line anyway what's the point?
Is she able to sit and watch a full movie from beginning to end at home? That's how I knew my kids were ready for the movies (my youngest wasn't "ready" until she was six, because she couldn't sit still and it drove me crazy!!!)
I don't get why you'd bother. They don't have the attention span for a movie that long, so you won't get to really watch it. I'm a firm believer in not doing things with kids they aren't ready for, unless they have older siblings, and it's a matter of them not being able to do it.
I would sit as far away from you as I could possibly get. Not because I don't like babies but because I paid for a ticket and I want to see the show. Not listen to:
shhhhh
sit still
here's your passy
shhhh
did you drop your bottle
leave sissys things alone
shhhh
it's ok if he/she walks and goes up and down the stairs
shhhh
come here sit on mommys lap
its ok don't cry its ok
shhhh
I'll get you more candy just let her have yours
SHHHH
mommmm make her sit stillllll
just let him sit with you etc.....
(this is what went on in the row behind us for the last shrek movie
I paid for a ticket and just like I don't think a play is the right spot for a toddler I don't think a movie theater is the right spot for a baby.
sorry probably not the answer you are looking for lol
Your initial reaction was the sane one. I don't understand why other people feel they need to bring their very little ones to a movie theater. It is loud, kids don't have a well-developed separation between fantasy and reality, and they just end up ruining the movie for those around them.
Honestly, this is why I don't go to at regular theaters -- we wait for the second-run ones at the theaterpub, get a sitter, and go when kids aren't allowed. I don't want to pay full price (or even half) to be annoyed by someone's crying kid. Kids should go to theaters when they are old enough to be able to sit through the feature and whisper. We waited until our son was old enough to enjoy the movies, behave appropriately and understand the content. About 5 or so. And we would prefer to save our money most of the time, rent them and watch them at home, where we can have bathroom breaks or stop the dvd if there's a question about the plot.
Your girl will really enjoy Frozen when she's old enough to understand it in a couple of years.
19 months is too young, sorry! As a parent of a toddler, I make the sacrifice to miss out on movies while my son is too little to sit still and I would be annoyed that someone else chose to bring theirs and be a potential distraction for everyone sitting close. Our theater does free kid movies in the summer, we go to those since it's full of kids and babies and is free. We won't do a movie that requires a paid ticket until he is old enough to sit still and actually watch a movie. Some theaters offer kid friendly matinees once a week, you might check out your theater.
Way too young. Babysitter if you want to see it in the theater. And I think it is fine to take a 19 month old to a nice restaurant. You can get up and leave quickly without disrupting anyone. In a movie theater, you are disrupting the whole row you are in, plus all the people along the aisle when you leave - especially if baby is crying. I don't see any reason to think the 19 month old would actually enjoy the movie.
I'd get a babysitter and go alone or with friends without kids to the movie.
I want to enjoy the movie without having to worry about a baby scooting off my lap and down onto the floor and not wanting to stay still. I say this just because baby does well at home does not mean it will do well in a dark movie theater.
My own daughter went to her first movie at 4 and it was a good fit. Make this one of those projects to "look forward to" in the future.
the other S.
If you have older kids and want to plunk the toddler on your lap, sure -- no major harm done. But otherwise, what's the point? All it'll do is habituate her to visual media, and habituate her AWAY from books and active forms of learning. What's the benefit of that? She probably would enjoy the music, but at her age, she'll enjoy all kinds of music. You don't need movie theater tickets for that.
With most 19-month-olds, too, you'd probably be in and out of the theater with all kinds of issues. She's hungry, she needs a diaper change, she's crying, she suddenly wants to race around .... etc. Hard to see this as worth the price of a ticket.
You know your child best. I would say that generally, it wouldn't be a good idea, though. I don't know your friend who took her 21 month old, but are you sure that she and he weren't an annoyance to the other movie-goers? Did she go to a matinee on a Tuesday when they were the only 2 people in the theater?
4 years is what I would suggest for "most" kids, for a kid movie. Some can do it earlier and are well behaved, know how to behave and what to expect, and actually enjoy the entire movie without issue. Some, even at that age, cannot. Not without being a disruption to everyone around them. Trust me. I've sat next to those kids before. Constant whispering, passing around noisy snacks, kicking the seat of the patron in front of them, etc.
Your initial reaction was that your daughter is too young. So I would stick with that gut reaction and wait. Rent it/get it on Netflix. It'll be out soon, I'm sure.
----
Exactly Sherry! That's what I wonder about the friend who took her 21 month old and said he was fine. I wonder how much of that she was doing and thought it was ok.
Way too young. I did not take my kids to movies until they were in Kindergarten.
4 yrs old is about the right age for a first time movie theater experience.
Younger than that is just selfish on the part of the parent.
If you have one near you then going to a drive in is a great thing to take the kids to during the summer (and they tend to sleep through the 2nd feature).
Since YOU want to see the movie, then YOU can go.
You do not have to take your 19 month old, unless you don't have anyone to watch/babysit her.
I mean, a 19 month old is not going to be able to just sit there, still and quiet throughout the whole movie.
And sure, they won't know about any storyline. At that age.
My kids, even at 3 years old, did not want to go to the movies.
And my daughter just found the movies at the movie theater, TOO loud.
I don't know why, a 19 month old has to go see a "movie." At a theater.
But if YOU want to go see it, then you can.
I would personally avoid that. That is just a horrible age for restaurants, movies, etc.
I personally wouldn't take a child that age UNLESS I was taking his/her older siblings and they were just along for the ride, so to speak. There are plenty of other things to do with a 19 month old that are more suited to the age group.
Seeing a toddler in a kids movie is not unexpected. Just be prepared to get up and leave quickly if she misbehaves so that you don't ruin the movie for others.
3 was the absolute minimum age for any of my kids to attend a movie.
And at 3, it still took a truck load of popcorn and candy to keep her still.
Maybe some calmer kids would be different. But mine....no way.
I guess it depends on the individual kid. I have seen **some** around that age (very small percent) be able to sit through it but then I wonder if they get it. I agree it seems like a waste of time and money
no and no and no!
khairete
S.
too young! I have taken my almost 3 yo to the movies, with his big sisters, because I do not want to deprive the big kids. But honestly, if he was my only, I absolutely would not go. There are WAY too many other things they like to do instead of going to the movies.
My DS is VERY sensitive to loud sounds, has been since birth, so I was concerned about him responding to the volume in the theater. our preferred movie theater offered some matinee showing of kids movies that encouraged families with young kids, even infants, to a special showings with lower volumes and fewer upfront commercials, as some of those commercials can be inappropriate for a G or PG audience. I would make a call and see if they offer any of those options. :-) S.
Do what you think is best for your child. Mine was too active at that age. We saw frozen two weeks ago. He's three. While he was a model movie goer, I don't think he really "got it."
Best,
F. B.
I took my daughter with me to movies and even stage plays from the time she was six months old. At that age, she mostly just slept through it. (If she got fussy, I left, even if it meant not being able to see the end. I did end up buying tickets for a few shows that I didn't get to see in their entirety. But that's the risk you take with littluns). By the time she was old enough to sit up, she would sit quietly in her seat or in my lap and watch the movie. Whether or not she understood it, she seemed to enjoy it.
Ok, umm...looks like I'm in the minority, but I've been taking my younger sons to Kids movies with his older brother since before his first birthday. I truly don't know what the big deal is. It's never been a problem, and a lot of times he fell asleep.
When my kids were that young I only took them to the cheap theatre and I was prepared to leave if I had to. Mine were both pretty good at sitting through a movie at a young age though. They usually kind of conformed to what everyone else in the room was doing and would be embarrassed to cause a scene. It depends on the child, but I wouldn't waste money on an expensive first run theatre the first time.
I took the kids at birth. I sat in the back so it wasn't far to go if they got fussy. Didn't bother anyone and I enjoyed getting out. If kiddo doesn't like it you go out into the foyer and wait for the others. Make sure you take an extra adult along if you have other kids with you so they are never left alone.
