Archived Forums

My kids are going to bed later but not that late. Even at 12 I wouldn't take bigly to that late a screening. Let alone the other two. Not sure why they'd show a u film at that time though?

Mine are 11 & 12 and I would take them to an evening theatre performance but probably not cinema. When mine were under 5 they had to be in bed at 7 (for my sanity!!)

Wa! I'm amazed that seems very late

It maybe because it is cheaper for the late showing. At our cinema it is about ~£ 2 cheaper per person for the late performance , with a family going that can make a big difference.

Do you remember a year or so ago there was a mass shooting in the States in a cinema (late night screening of a Batman movie I think), and some of the casualties were littlies, toddlers really. Astounds me.last night DS, who is staying with my sister for a few days, went to bed at 9.30 after going out to a BBQ. That is sooooooo late for him!

Took the Imps, now 7 and 11 to the theatre last week. Show started at 7:30 and finished at 9:45. LittleImp just about managed it but two late nights last week (we had family) are catching up with him now.

It does seem very late to me.More incredible are people who take toddlers to fireworks shows and then, when the child is screaming in terror, don't just take the poor thing home.Love,Corkwing

Another thing I've noticed on the odd occasion I've been to the supermarket late in the evening (maybe 9.30ish) is people with children shopping at that time. I must be getting old because I do tut tut at a lot of things I see younger parents doing or letting their children do (running about in the supermarket, playing hide and seek for example!)

Neither of my two is a good sleeper, we can qspend hours trying to get ds2 to sleep, so if we want to see a late film we just do it since he doesn't sleep anyway.He himself comments however about some other kids in the street who are still out playing after 9 o clock and he says they should be in bed !

We went to a rock concert (Paul Weller) in an outdoor venue last month and there were loads of tiny ones, including kids in buggies. Most were wearing ear defenders, thank goodness. But I did think it was the most ridiculous place to take a young child to.I was at Mme Tussaud's yesterday (niece here from Ireland) and there was a man with a newborn baby in his arms! Wierd what people do.

The newborn will not care if they are in Madame Tussauds and often sleeping is a bit random with babies so taking them out to the supermarket/evening events is not going to make much difference to them.We took little boy to one of the acts at Greenbelt last year that was at about 8pm which is past his normal bedtime so he fell asleep. We were well away from the speakers but it was still very loud. He was under 1 then and I think it's a bit more strange to do with a 3 year old, say, as they are probably not going to sleep in a buggy at an evening event.Hubby was away for work for a few days and went for a burger at 10pm and spotted a 2 year old also having a burger at 10pm. We did wonder how much sleep the toddler was going to get.

You are right, thespouses, the baby won't mind. Bit wierd though.Trouble is, people do sometimes want a child free experience.Many of these kids are not happy and are wailing. If you can't find it at a Paul Weller concert at 10.30 at night, where do you find it?

I think it's different if it's a big outdoor space at a festival (which is what ours was) versus an indoor theatre type space. I'm not sure I go to outdoor concerts for a "child free experience" and after all, if children get upset or noisy you can take them somewhere else if it's outdoors. If it was in a theatre I'd be miffed though I agree.Little boy has slept round quite a lot of museums and art galleries, if you walk there with him in the buggy after lunch and he falls asleep on the way there, especially when he was a bit smaller, he doesn't know the difference! In fact with a medium sized baby or smaller toddler who has an afternoon nap at a regular time it's a great way to actually have a reasonable adult experience while not needing a babysitter. The danger of the newborn is their random sleeping times and the older toddler will want to get out, run around, and scream, but between those ages it's just a nice nap in the buggy.

Being outdoors doesn't necessarily mean you can get away from young children. At the concert we were at, there wasn't much room to manoeuvre. There was limited space to lay out rugs. Everyone was crammed in a very small space. It's also a real problem if you sit next to someone who smokes too...

I think wee ones are more portable than toddlers. Certainly when ours were babies and we were on holidays then we would be out and about later in restaurants etc. But that was overseas where babies and children are made to feel more welcome and families eat later as they've siesta'd.And I have taken all of mine to the theatre in the evening as they've got older. I wouldn't have taken them to see a musical at, say, 2 or 3 because they wouldn't have been able to sit through it and I wouldn't have been able to enjoy it. I wouldn't take mine to the cinema in the evening for selfish reasons - I want some peace and I want them in bed!!

BTW, noise levels at the Paul Weller concert were immense. I had ringing in my ears for hours afterwards. We were at Kew Gardens and they pack everyone in to a smallish space in front of the huge greenhouse. As there are so many trees to the sides, you really all had to sit in this small space. And the noise levels were deafening. I am not convinced that this could be a good environment for any young child.We did go to a music festival a few days later with our girls and there were young kids there too. It was a much more open space so I could see how that could work. But there was a child near us who basically tantrummed for large parts of the day. As we had a great spot (we got there early to bag it and it was in the shade) and had three picnic rugs out, we were not inclined to move. This kid basically did not want to be there. It's just not fair on everyone else.

I was rather surprised to find lots of very young children at an early evening film the other week, much less a late showing. It was the first time I recall taking our 8 year old to a film ending after her normal bedtime (she has sometimes been out later to restaurants on holidays but she doesn't generally do well with late nights.)Come to that I am often surprised at the number of kids changing after swimming on school nights at my health club when I manage to sneak away to the gym.

Meaning I am at gym in middle of evening - 8- 9pm