5 Things to Consider when Taking Children to the Cinema

It’s half term so the cinema can be a great choice for taking children on a rainy day.

After our first trip last year though, I have drawn some conclusions-especially with two children with a large (in children’s terms) age gap.

Here are my five things to consider when taking children to watch a film.

1.Do not decide to take your small children to the opening night of a really big film-like Star Wars or Harry Potter. It will inevitably end in tears-yours, theirs and everyone else’s.

2.If you have a mobile baby or toddler, either sit at the front so they can crawl/walk around or at the big before the stairs which is suitable for pushchairs and wheelchairs. Trying to confine a small child will never end well.

3.I do try to schedule cinema trips with nap time. It doesn’t always work as, if he’s tired he can also be grumpy but it does work sometimes and that is good enough for me.

4.Be mindful of snacks. While sugar-laden sweets are a lovely treat, with my twom such confection does not lend well to sitting still in a chair. Likewise, I worry about popcorn-especially with Baby G and the choking hazard.

Thankfully, there are alternatives out like these new puffcorn snacks from Organix. It is popcorn without the threat of unpopped corn lurking in the bag-that’s a winner for us. They are available in my favourite, sweet cinnamon or banana.

5.Don’t expect to watch all of the film. From toilet breaks, snack trips, searching for lost toys on the floor, in the dark, a relaxing movie date it is not but you may get to sit down for 30 minutes and, if the baby falls asleep on you and the film is dull, you may be able to catch 40 winks yourself.