When to Try the First Movie

Joy S. said there are movie theaters that have specific movies playing for moms and kids, they leave the lights on...etc...Hunt Valley definitely has those showings if you live on that side of town.

My son is also 2.5 yo and he has been going to movies since last year. He is very energetic, but if it has something that he is interested in and maybe some singing, he will watch it. His first movie was Happy Feet last year and he loved it! I would go to the first showing of the day, or go to a theater that is not too crowded, just in case he needs some 'wiggle time' during the movie. He has also seen Charlotte's Web in the theater and we did the summer movies at Commonwealth
Center (Midlothian) every week during this past summer. Good luck!

You can definitely take him to the movies but I HIGHLY recommend taking him to Cinema Cafe. I have two kids 4 and 7, I went weekly during my pregnancy with my daughter. It's very affordable (like $1.50)

You definitely want a kids movie and kind of a fast paced one. I also recommend a Pixar style versus cartoon. At least my kids have always favored them (Toy Story, Monsters Inc, Nemo etc.)

The key is to go early, prefferably the 1st show of the day and the great thing about cinema cafe is that there is food! Your son can munch and watch and nobody will look at you crazy when he talks and oohs and aahhs!

You'll love it- it's your best bet. Have fun! http://www.cinema-cafe.com/

J.

P.S. I would go to the one on Independence.

Do you let your soon eat popcorn yet? It is a huge hit with my son, and when we first started taking him to the movies, we would by him a big bag of popcorn, and he would sit there and eat it almost the whole time. He is also very active. It kept him still and happy. Also, you could try bringing lollipops, and go see something you think will be interesting to him. I would try it out on any children's movie. People are very forgiving since most of the crowd includes children. Becc

I think that 2.5 years old is a little young to take to a movie theater. Movies for children are 1.5 hours long, and you have to add another 15 minutes to that for getting seated, etc. If you son can sit without getting up for 2 hours, then maybe he's ready. The other thing to think about is, how much pleasure will he get out of the movie it you are constantly telling him to sit still and be quiet? It's not only the activity, but also he has to not talk or make noises so as not to disturb the enjoyment of others who have also paid money for the ticket and deserve to enjoy the movie.

Why don't you have some "home movie" nights first, where you have popcorn and buy a DVD that is for small children. If he can sit through all that quietly and gets some enjoyment out of it, then maybe he could go to a movie. But I see few children that age who can have fun in a movie.

I tried taking my very active son to his first movie when he was about 3 1/2. We spent most of the time running back and forth to the lobby. He just couldn't sit still for the length of the movie. Our family then started family movie nights at home. We would rent a movie, have popcorn and drinks and turn out the lights in the den (like a real movie theatre). This also allowed for brief intermissions during the movie for bathroom trips and stretching without missing the any of the movie. My son was also able to ask questions or make comments about any part of the movie.
He is grown now, with a daughter of his own and has continued the movie nights with his own family.

I have 2 boys and when they were young I tried taking them to movies. UUGGHH.... They didn't sit still, drove me crazy, and wanted candy. A friend told me that I was doing it more for me than them. At first I thought she was being harsh but then I thought, she was actually right. Wait until summer and there are movies just for little ones that are free. For now just take him to different parks if it warms up a bit. Or take him on weekdays to different malls. They all have play areas for the kids.
Enjoy him NOT sitting still. Soon they will be teens on the computer and XBOX sitting on couch.

Just go during the week during the day. Everyone there will have kids anyway so it won't matter if he doesn't sit still or stay quiet. See a kids movie so he is entertained and if he is completely done at some point then just leave, nothing says you have to stay the whole time!

I am the oposite of everyone else here. We started taking my daughter at 6 months. There were times me out my husband would have to take her into the hall for a bit, but both sides of our family love the movies so it was just natural to start taking her with us if we knew it wouldn't scare her. It is a big deal now at 7 for her and her 6yo cousin to go early on sat morning to any new disney movies coming out.

When I take my kids (5 and 2 1/2), we just make sure to sit in an area that has a bit of floor room for my youngest to walk around a bit during the movie. There are usually the first seats (before all the REALLY close seats) that look to have room for wheelchairs and such...that is where we sit. That way we are before the stairs, as once they are noticed, it becomes an issue..she wants to walk up and down the stairs. If you do go however, just be prepared to leave the movie early if it doesn't work out...and don't be too disappointed! We were lucky, at our last base (military) the theater's seats that were farthest back had a big open area behind it...and no stairs. So it was perfect, my little one would just roam around, I could watch her and the movie...and we were able to sit through the entire movie whenever we went there.
K.

2 and 1/2 is a good age. However, don't go when you expect it to be crowded. My son is the same age and has been to two movies. He is very active as well. We chose a kid movie to go to (taking him to a movie geared for adults spells disaster) and we took him during the week when most people are at work. That way, there was only a few people in the movie to begin with.

Hi M.,

I took my daughter to her first movie on her 2nd birthday. I took her to see Over the Hedge. She was okay. She wanted to stand a lot and of course eatting popcorn and candy helped keep her in her seat, but we haven't gone since then and she is now 3 1/2. We watch kids movies at home often and she gets board half of the way through the movies and starts to play while still watching the movie. I would suggest taking him to see a movie that is short in length, maybe 90 min at the most. A cartoon like movie would help or anything that he might be interested in. I would suggest taking him to a $1.99 or $2.99 movie theater, that way if he can't sit still, you won't feel bad about spending the money. Also, before you go to the movies, remind your son that it will get dark in the movie theater and that it can be very loud. This can freak some kids out, so just prepare him for that. I hope all this helps.

Take care,
D.

I know I see a lot of kids his age when I take my kids to the movies, but we didn't start until about 4 years old. With my younger son, I tried the first one out over the summer during Regal Cinemas free kids movies, because with my older son we ended up leaving 20 minutes into the movie and that was money down the drain. It wasn't even the sitting still that caused us trouble, but the volume - movie theaters are very loud and both of my kids got a little scared to first time.

I'd say try it out. Every child is different. My daughter had her first try at a movie at the same age as yours and she was great. My son was completely different, however. He went to his first movie with a friend at age 3. His friend, a boy, sat contently and watched the entire movie. My son stayed in his seat a total of 20 minutes and then moved up and down the steps. I had to take him out of the theatre eventually. My recommendation is go to a matinee.

I dont know if you have one around your area, but one of the local cinemas here have a morning where moms can come to a movie with their children. The theater leaves some of the lights on, and you know that everyone there is coming with the knowledge that there will be other children and distractions. If you can find one it might be a way to test the waters without feeling like you are disrupting others.