I'm LDS, so coming from a bit of a different dynamic because everyone from birth on up attends the main worship service, which is usually the first hour of church. We bring non-messy snacks and quiet activites (books, crayons) for our children. My 16 mo is at the point where she's having trouble with that hour. Sometimes DH or I take her out into the lobby (they have speakers in the lobby and a few rooms like the Mothers' Lounge so you can still hear the service). If we do take her out, we carry her. . . she doesn't get to get down and run around the building. If we take her back into the service, she can get down and walk around, provided she's quiet and stays within our pew. We've done this with all three of our kids and they learn pretty quickly that it's more fun to be in than out.
For the second and third hour of church, there is an optional nursery for kids ages 18 mos to 3 yrs old (after age 3, they move up to classes geared toward their age group). Children under 18 months are welcome in any of the adult meetings during that hour, though often it's nearly impossible to keep a kid happy and content during those two remaining hours, so one of us ends up in the halls, walking after her and letting her explore. During this season of my life, I sometimes don't get a whole lot out of church, but it's important to our family to be at church every Sunday, so we strive to make it the 'norm' for our kids.
For the second and third hour of church, there is an optional nursery for kids ages 18 mos to 3 yrs old (after age 3, they move up to classes geared toward their age group). Children under 18 months are welcome in any of the adult meetings during that hour, though often it's nearly impossible to keep a kid happy and content during those two remaining hours, so one of us ends up in the halls, walking after her and letting her explore. During this season of my life, I sometimes don't get a whole lot out of church, but it's important to our family to be at church every Sunday, so we strive to make it the 'norm' for our kids.
