A week or so ago we took Aidan to the movies for the first time…It had been raining quite often and most restaurants with indoor play areas results in either Rob or I awkwardly watching him play while the other dines alone, so we wanted a change.
Aidan is still pretty young (28months/2years), most people wait for at least 3-4, but I must say despite his age, it was a success. He sat through the movie and has already asked when we can go again…also “sooooo much popcorn mummy”
I am by no means an expert this is just my opinion, but I figured why not share what I learnt, so here goes:
Tips for taking a tot to the movies….
– Know your kid.
Would he/she be able to sit quietly through a whole movie? In my opinion it’s not an age thing as much as a temprement thing. My friends’ twins are the same age (shocker) but we are certain one will take to the movies far better than the other. Aidan has TV time daily and will utilise the full time period (also known as; you watch this so mommy can finish some work time) so I suspected he could sit through a movie.
– Choose your time well
We went midday on a weekday to reduce the chance of having a theatre full of annoyed people if kiddo decided to act out.
– Choose your movie well
Make sure it is age appropriate and that it doesn’t run too long (sidebar: I don’t like long movies myself unless it is a good Bollywood one).We watched inside out which in hindsight was a little emotional for him.
– Skip the trailers
The less time they are forced to sit still the better.
– Prepare them
I believe in explaining “big” things to him, it gets him excited for the event and he is less overwhelmed. In this case, he is not a fan of the dark so I explained that the lights would go off, but then a “big TV” would go on and he was fine with it 🙂
– 2D over 3D
It’s a lot to ask of a kid to wear plastic glasses for 90min so if possible go for 2D. We didn’t have the 2D option, he wore the glasses but only because mommy and daddy were…He hated it though.
– Choose an aisle seat
It’s easier to make a quick retreat in an aisle seat, incase of tantrums or bathroom breaks (we are only just starting potty training so the latter is not for me yet)
– Don’t be too invested in the movie
If your kid doesn’t want to sit through the whole film be prepared to walk away from your overpriced seats 😉
– Pick up on queues
I noticed that Aidan was getting a little uncomfortable/tense when he reached for my hand…I checked if he wanted to go, but he insisted on sitting through albeit on my lap.
– Soak up the excitement
Nothing like seeing things like this though a child’s eyes… things we take for granted are magnified and made even more special with them 🙂
