Movie with a 7 month old?

[WifeofAnt]

He's getting to that age where he wants to watch TV so he might actually pay attention but I don't know how long he can watch a movie without getting bored or overstimulated.  We've done a move (actually two in a row) before but it was after bedtime and at a drive-in so it didn't matter if he cried or slept.  He was 6 months old then and after watching for 5-10 minutes he passed out in my arms.  We've moved since then so there aren't any drive-ins around here or we'd just take that option right off the bat.  What would you do?

[Avani]

You are kidding right? Your 7 month old baby is getting to the age where they WANT to watch tv?!

[WifeofAnt]

Either you don't believe me because you've had experiences to the contrary or you're judging me...

Yes he likes to look at screens.  I try to limit it but its not like we have 'baby tv time' or anything.  If it weren't for my husband, we wouldn't even have television service since I rarely watch it.  I figure going to a movie once a month isn't going to turn his brains into mush.

[LittleBirdy]

Just out of curiousity, are you talking about taking your son to one of those daytime showings specifically meant for young children to attend?  (I think our local theater calls them "Mom's Day Out" or something and it's like every Thursday at 10 a.m.)  Or do you mean just taking him to the movies in general?

[greenemami]

I assume you are asking about taking your baby to a movie for YOU to watch as opposed to going to a movie intended for him, right?  PP, I think OP just meant that he is getting old enough that he notices/pays attention to the colors/sounds etc. of the movie, not that the baby was begging to watch TV shows ;)

Is he mobile yet?  I know that my ds would not have made it through a movie at that age b/c he was already crawling and wouldn't sit still enough for me to actually watch, let alone enjoy, a movie in a theater.  I feel like you have to catch them when they are really itty bitty to get to watch a movie or its not really enjoyable for anyone.  Good luck though!

[WifeofAnt]

Its a movie for me, not for him.  I doubt he'd even understand enough to enjoy a movie if I were doing it for him.   I just wanted to have a nice day out since we're celebrating our anniversary and DH is going back to Iraq but we don't have a babysitter.

I wish they had the special times for babies but I haven't found any locally.  They *should* have them since this is a growing town but they don't advertise anywhere I've seen.

He is crawling now.  I might be able to entertain him a little by letting him stand while holding onto the chair but I don't know how long that would last.  Maybe we'll just watch it next year.

[samstress]

Originally Posted by Avani 

You are kidding right? Your 7 month old baby is getting to the age where they WANT to watch tv?!

this is exactly what i was thinking. 

OP, it's not a judgment, i just think it's impossible to know that your baby "wants" to watch tv.  it's also impossible to know that he "likes" to look at screens.  he may stare at it when you put him in front of it, but that certainly doesn't mean he "wants" it or "likes" it.  it also doesn't mean it's good for him(which, IMO, it is not).  it's the responsibility of the parent to make those decisions.  if we didn't make such choices, kids would sit in front of the tv all day or eat ice cream for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  kwim?

as for when your child can reasonably sit through a full-length film.  i don't know.  took dd to see her first film in the theatre when she was three and i don't think she would have been ready any earlier.
 

[samstress]

sorry, only saw your first two posts before i started responding.

 

Originally Posted by WifeofAnt 

Its a movie for me, not for him. 

in that case, i think he's probably too old (will just be antsy and you probably won't be able to enjoy it).  i think this only works with a newborn.  maybe a day at the park would be a nice family outing instead.
 

[QuestionGal]

DD is 6 mo old, DS is almost 4 yrs. 

I think having a date night with your husband who is about to deploy to IRAQ is WAAAAY more important than debating weather it's "good" or not for a baby to see moving pictures on a screen (TV or Movie).  Time to look at the bigger picture.

Go to the movies. Your DS may be a bit of a handful (squirmy, talkative, etc). You could try to time the movie to be during his nap/sleep times in the hopes that he'll drift off (I think my DD would) but that's a toss up. 

Are you sure you can't find a sitter? Maybe trade babysitting with another couple, I'm guessing that alot of people are headed to Iraq with your DH and they probably want date nights too =) I'm only pushing the babysitting angle b/c I know that even if DD was sound asleep I'd still not be able to fully focus on the movie/my husband b/c I'd be checking to make sure she was *still* asleep. I'd enjoy the time more if DD was being babysat somewhere else.

Have fun! 

[WifeofAnt]

It went pretty well.  I was iffy on going but DH really wanted to go.  He spent the time eating puffs, nursing, trying to talk to the little girl in the next row, watching bits of the movie, and squirming.  It wasn't perfect but it was still pretty awesome.  I might not attempt it again if we had a second child and we had to take them both but passing him back and forth gave us time to enjoy our popcorn, lol.