Age for first trip to the movie theater?

[aristocatz]

Is 3 years old too young?

Thanks!

 

[PollyannaMom]

Depends on the kid and the movie, I guess, but that was the age we first took DS, and it went well. We saw "Piglet's Big Movie".

 

[Happyinwonerland]

DD was just shy of 3 when we took her to her first movie at the theater (inside out 3d) and she loved it. She has always been good at sitting still and by that age had been to several Disney on ice and various live performances, so she knew how to behave. We have taken her to 4 more since then. We don't go too often, maybe 1 every other month, but it is a fun treat for her.

 

[E&Cmom]

We took both my girls for the first time when they were three and it was fine. With both, it was free so we said we would leave if we had to but that never happened. With DD1, it was a family work event from DHs job and they saw " Happy Feet". I stayed home as we had a newborn. For DD2, I won passes for " Tangled".

 

[MrsJackSparrow4Life]

My daughter was 2 the first time she went and it worked out just fine...the movie was Finding Nemo and she sat through the entire movie without fussing or needing to get up. However, I would suggest going to the dollar/discount theater the first time, that way you are only out a few $ (rather than $10/person) if you have to leave early.

 

[justgrace]

Not at all!! As long as the movie is a fun children's movie, 3 is a great age to take to the theater!

 

[PghPixie]

DS was 3. We went to an early movie (like 11:30a on a Sunday, I think), so that it wasn't too crowded if he did get restless.

 

[mom2rtk]

My oldest was quite fidgety without a very long attention span and did great at age 3 with his first trip to the theater. Of course, it was "Toy Story" so it did a great job holding his attention.

I was shocked to hear others with a 2 or 3 year old saying they watched movies at home quite a bit. That was never in the cards for us with 2 very active little boys. But it really highlighted for me just how different they all are at that age.

No reason not to try. Just be prepared to leave if she gets disruptive.

 

[bluezy]

I think 3 is a perfect age to start taking kids to the movies. When I first started taking my toddlers/preschoolers to movies, I always tried to make sure the movie was short and something that the child was really interested in.

 

[LilyWDW]

1) Go to an age appropriate movie during the day if possible. This will have a higher number of kids and families who will understand a slightly antsy child.

2) Be willing to leave if the child is disruptive even IF it is an age appropriate movie during the day filled with kids and families.

And off topic, but what the heck is up with parents taking their kids to movies like Deadpool? I mean, seriously, get a babysitter! Adults should be able to watch adult movies without dealing with this.

 

[Colleen27]

I think all three of mine were 2.5-3ish. I only remember the oldest's first movie specifically - The Tigger Movie - but that's about the age when they could sit still and follow a story so that's when we started taking them. We did use earplugs to lower the volume a bit for our girls, who were more sensitive to loud noises than DS. I think they were 5 or 6 before they could handle a movie at full volume, so that's something you might want to be prepared for on your first theatre outing.

@LilyWDW I think the issue with Deadpool is that there's an assumption that comic book movies are for kids. Also, I think the rating system is rapidly becoming meaningless - when Disney movies are PG and films made from children's books are PG13, parents just don't take an R rating to mean a film is really intended for an adult audience. We saw Deadpool twice, once just DH & I and once with our two teens, and the first time there were quite a few 8-10yo kids in the audience (and a few pissed-off parents by the end). By the second time, when the movie had been out for two weeks, it seemed like the "This isn't Spiderman/The Avengers" message must have gotten around because my 14yo was the youngest person in the theatre.

 

[BadgerGirl84]

It depends on the kid. I took my daughter on her second birthday and she loved it. I took her to a weekday matinee and there was only 2 other people in there. We sat as far away from them as possible and I told them that if she acted up I would be taking her out ASAP. She's gone to several movies since--she's 2 and a half. It helps that she loves popcorn!

 

[ZephyrHawk]

Well, DD was about 2 months the first time I took her. I don't think she appreciated the movie too much, though. I took her to Big Hero 6 for her 2nd birthday. She loved it, but she's also the kind of kid who isn't afraid of anything. A girl who looked to be about 6 had to be carried out of that same showing crying.

Point is, it all depends on the individual kid. I would not hesitate to take DD (now 3) to a fancy Broadway show, but there's no way in heck I'd try doing that with my godson (also 3).

 

[MomofKatie]

DD was 3 1/2 and we saw Lilo & Stitch. She was okay until the climax when Lilo is in the spaceship. She screamed and cried at that part, but calmed down quickly. Luckily, we went during the day on a weekday, so it was all moms and little kids. There were a few little ones who cried at that part!

 

[mom2rtk]

Well, DD was about 2 months the first time I took her. I don't think she appreciated the movie too much, though. I took her to Big Hero 6 for her 2nd birthday. She loved it, but she's also the kind of kid who isn't afraid of anything. A girl who looked to be about 6 had to be carried out of that same showing crying.

Point is, it all depends on the individual kid. I would not hesitate to take DD (now 3) to a fancy Broadway show, but there's no way in heck I'd try doing that with my godson (also 3).

I think that girls in general do better at sitting through a movie at that age. It wasn't until we had a girl after 2 boys that I really got that.

 

[monorailsilver]

I agree it depends on the movie and the kid.

I remember my kids were 5, 2.5 and like a month old. It was Cars I think. I was bummed I missed a bit because my youngest started to whimper so I stepped out. But the other 2 were fine.

 

[Snap Crackle Pop]

I think it depends on the kid, if your kid can sit through a movie and not disrupt others and make too much noise than I would say go for it. Even in a kids movie you don't want to disrupt others experience. I think a good practice is going to a cheaper movie theater (like the $1.00/2.00 theater) and seeing how it goes before going to a more expensive movie theater. Also explaining the rules/what will happen if they act out.

 

[anniemae]

I brought lots of snacks to keep dd busy. I think she was about 3 or 4.

 

[NewRVLady]

5
It was a Disney movie
if I say the title -it dates me )

 

[scrapquitler]

Depends on the child, the movie and the situation.

DD wouldn't have sat still, so we didn't take her for a long time. Her first movie was Star Wars Episode 1, and I think she was close to 6, but a big Star Wars fan by then.

DS was only 2, I think, and his first movie was one of the Harry Potter movies. He had a much better attention span than big sister did, and we took him with us mostly because we all wanted to go on opening day, and had no sitter available. He ended up sleeping thru most of it.