Cinema - 3.5 year old?

~Chameleon~

mrs_sparrow wrote: »

Just to add, Cineworld has a much box which has popcorn, sweets and drink with a free gift (usually naff but the kids love it) it;s not really advertised but is great value.

Thus filling the child with sugar and additive laden treats at a time you want them to sit still and watch the film :rotfl:

Perhaps teaching a child that it is possible to sit and watch a film without stuffing your face would be a more positive thing

mrs_sparrow

~Chameleon~ wrote: »

Thus filling the child with sugar and additive laden treats at a time you want them to sit still and watch the film :rotfl:

Perhaps teaching a child that it is possible to sit and watch a film without stuffing your face would be a more positive thing

Rude much!!

And perhaps you should mind your own business!! If I want to give my child a treat then that is MY choice. Your kids your choice, my kids my choice!!

I see you did not critisise the parent who is choosing to give popcorn and ice cream at the home 'cinema showing' though..... is there a reason for that??

My son has ADHD and he is surprisingly capable of sitting through a film - unmedicated too - and after eating those 'sugar laden treats' that are SOOOOO laden with additives too, but thanks for your concern.

jen007

If you have an Empire cinema near you, it's £2.95 on a Tuesday (3D is £3.95), or if you have access to an orange phone then make use of Orange Wednesday. This month we've seen 3 new movies already


I also don't buy food in the cinema, except popcorn. They just reel you in with that smell Just last Wednesday me and DS went to Wilkinson's for a pick and mix as they're currently doing cups for half price. So we got two regular cups for the price of one

These are the only days I'll take my son to the cinema. I have found that the cheaper £1 films are one's he's seen already and don't find a cinema trip worth while for that. DS is 7,(in 14 days as he likes to remind me)and so has already seen a lot of the movies they show as part of the kids club.

gregg1

idea wrote: »

Hello,

My little girl is nearly three and a half. The other day one of my friends was talking about taking their child of the same age to the cinema and it got me thinking. I've not taken my DD to the cinema yet as I'm not sure she could sit still for an hour and a half and it's expensive thing to do if she wants to leave half way though!

So I wanted to ask if anyone else has taken their children to the cinema at this age? It would be something else on the 'things to do when it's miserable outside list!'

All experiences welcomed!

Not many adults seem capable of sitting still in a cinema these days so would not worry about it.

Lunar_Eclipse

Yes, we did but it really depends on the child (and to a degree also how comfortable you are, as a parent, in certain scenarios.)

You mentioned the fact that you doubt she could sit still for the duration of a film. I don't think that's too much of a problem, although it would be useful for her to be able to do so, but keeping quiet is far more key, in my opinion.

Before deciding, I'd also think about whether she sits happily playing with playdough, dolls, on car or plane journeys or at restaurants for any length of time? If she does, she'll probably enjoy going to the cinema. If not, you might actually be helping her learn to do so by taking her (which is a skill that particularly helps kids going to school.)

DD1 was a people watcher from birth. We've taken her to the cinema or theatre from a very young age. She would happily sit in a high chair, at restaurants, for a couple of hours before she was talking or walking. I'm now wondering if this was because we expected her to.

DD2 wasn't quite so easily engaged and is a very active child by nature. She can quite happily sit for hours drawing, writing or making things, but she doesn't find TV or the cinema particularly enjoyable. She also still dislikes our 3 hour dinners on holiday. She must have been to the cinema/theatre from about the age of 2 though.

Alias_Omega

We take our 4 yr old, we only watch 2D movies. We take the car seat in with us, as it acts as a booster seat.

We ensure plenty of snacks/drinks are available.

The movie has to be something they want to watch, and once your through that first movie the follow ups are easy.

daska

Lunar_Eclipse wrote: »

Yes, we did but it really depends on the child (and to a degree also how comfortable you are, as a parent, in certain scenarios.)

You mentioned the fact that you doubt she could sit still for the duration of a film. I don't think that's too much of a problem, although it would be useful for her to be able to do so, but keeping quiet is far more key, in my opinion.

Before deciding, I'd also think about whether she sits happily playing with playdough, dolls, on car or plane journeys or at restaurants for any length of time? If she does, she'll probably enjoy going to the cinema. If not, you might actually be helping her learn to do so by taking her (which is a skill that particularly helps kids going to school.)

DD1 was a people watcher from birth. We've taken her to the cinema or theatre from a very young age. She would happily sit in a high chair, at restaurants, for a couple of hours before she was talking or walking. I'm now wondering if this was because we expected her to.

DD2 wasn't quite so easily engaged and is a very active child by nature. She can quite happily sit for hours drawing, writing or making things, but she doesn't find TV or the cinema particularly enjoyable. She also still dislikes our 3 hour dinners on holiday. She must have been to the cinema/theatre from about the age of 2 though.

It certainly isn't as simple as expecting them to sit still. Yes, you can lead by example (and unfortunately all too many parents don't) but whereas DS1 would be quite happy in the cinema, DS2 has far more of a problem. But he enjoyed Hairspray when he was only a few months old - we went as a postnatal group to a special screening and most of us were still b/f so I don't think he'd have been more than 6 months old, if that, but he could hold his head up and he was always very strong in the leg - anyway DS2 spent most of it watching the screen, standing up on my lap (supported obviously) where the other babies whinged and cried.

I wish I'd realised what this highly unusual behaviour signified at the time because it would have saved us a heap of worry and problems. DS2 has severe sensory processing problems which mean that not moving is very uncomfortable for him. But on the other hand he also probably has ADHD and one of the features of that is that the attention can be caught by moving images (the constant visual movement is the distraction which allows them to attend).

mountainofdebt

~Chameleon~ wrote: »

Thus filling the child with sugar and additive laden treats at a time you want them to sit still and watch the film :rotfl:

Perhaps teaching a child that it is possible to sit and watch a film without stuffing your face would be a more positive thing

Trolls are up early I see

littleg_2

I've been taking my 3.5 year old boy for 8/9 months now - to the Vue children's screenings at the weekend, which are very relaxed. I take a snack box with grapes, cocktail sausages, cheese strings as the showings are usually 10.30am and hit snack time. We probably go twice a month and he loves it. He's a very lively typical boy , always on the go, but will happily sit through.

idea

Thanks everyone for your replies. I'm going to maybe give it a go next weekend if the weather's not too nice. I forgot to say that DD did sit through the peppa pig show at the theatre, so there's hope!

Has anyone with children of this sort of age been to a pantomime ? Was that a successful outing? I'm thinking of it as a Christmas treat.

Thanks again

Idea x