Should you consider taking your 3 year old to the movies? We have all wondered if we could ever take a our kids to a movie theater without being “those parents”. You know, the same parents that bring their children on airplanes and can’t keep them from touching everything at the grocery store. *Insert eyeroll*

Well today, my husband and I took not one, but BOTH of our children to the movie theater. Check out my Tips for Taking a 3 Year Old to the Movies below to see what we learned.

Tips for Taking A 3 Year Old to the Movies

Tip #1: Check out what other parents had to say about the movie.

Ask your friends, or read a review online like this one. We skipped this tip, but based on my concurrence with the review I know now how important it will be to check in the future. While a movie may appear to be appropriate in overall message, we know as parents that our kids pick up on the smallest things and run with them forever.

Tip #2: See a kids movie.

There are a ton of movies that we know our kids might like to see, but aren’t made specifically for their age group. Other than the language and content issue, you also run into another problem – a ton of people with no kids in your theater. These are the people who will “shh!” you or even inform the theater if your kids are too loud and disturbing their experience. Go see a rated G movie that is obviously for children (Despicable Me, Trolls, Paw Patrol the Movie, etc.). There are other parents in those theaters with the same worries you have. For the most part they seem to welcome you into their tribe during the potty breaks.

Tip #3: Go to a show before noon.

This tip is one I will always abide by. Although we saw a 12:20 showing with little to no issues, 10am is the sweet spot. No one gets up that early to see a kids movie except for people with kids. We went on a Sunday and our theater only had 3 other families in it. A 10am showing also allows you to stay on schedule. Breakfast – change clothes/potty – go to the movies – movie is over just in time for lunch – POW, you just made it to nap time. While we had a late breakfast today, my daughter started to loudly ask to go home for “dinner” when the movie still had about 30 minutes to go.

Tip #4: BYOS – Bring Your Own Snacks.

I did allow my daughter to get a kids combo pack from the theater, but bringing your own snacks is still really important. At any point our toddler can decide she doesn’t want or like something that she always does. It’s never a bad idea to have a backup. Plus, if your kid is hungry after leaving the theater, they may want something on their way home. For those fervently against your kids being stuffed with a bunch of salt and sweets – you definitely want to bring your own snacks. Personally, I think it’s part of the experience. We don’t go to the movies often so I know I’m not giving up my popcorn for carrot sticks. I’m also not going to force that on my kids at a place where everything smells like butter and salty goodness.

Tip #5: Sit in an aisle seat.

Go to a theater where you can choose your own seats to ensure you can get out for potty breaks or tantrums. I’m sure you’ve already had this idea in mind, but I’ll leave it here anyway.

Tip #6: Don’t come early.

Let me clarify – don’t sit in your seats too early. If you would like to come early to get you concessions trip and potty breaks out of the way, go for it. Just don’t bring your toddler into the theater during the previews if you can help it. My daughter was okay for awhile, but then she began to get frustrated because she couldn’t understand or follow a “plot”. Plus, not all of the previews were appropriate for children.

Tip #7: If you’re going with a co-pilot get separate containers for popcorn.

This may seem trivial, but it is so necessary. My husband and I attempted to share a large popcorn, but that was a logistical nightmare. He sat in the aisle, our toddler sat between us, and the baby sat in my lap. We had to pass the bucket over or behind our toddler and it just became kind of annoying. I ended up dumping a ton of popcorn in my toddler’s combo box and sharing with her.

Tip #8: Don’t see a movie you actually care about.

If you’re really invested in the movie, see it before taking your kids. I think we as parents set ourselves up for failure at times. You will be much less annoyed and more in control of your emotions in the case of a tantrum or meltdown, if you remove the added annoyance of missing parts of a movie you actually wanted to see. It’s also a good idea to see a movie that’s been out for awhile – another way to improve your chances of having an emptier theater.

Tip #9: Let the kid talk.

This tip only applies only if you decided to follow the previous tips. If you’re in a theater that isn’t crowded and the people who are there have kids – don’t make your toddler feel like they can’t comment on the movie. Try not to “shh!” them to death and just let them enjoy an overwhelming new experience in the only way they know how.

Tip #10: Talk to them about the movie afterwards!

Depending on the child, you may not get a detailed response when asking questions about the movie. I think it’s important to ask a few probing questions in order to see what they enjoyed about the movie. It also reveals if they picked up on anything you didn’t screen or which parts made them uncomfortable. My daughter, for example, only talked about how they “got that bad guy” at the end. She also thought the bunny was “super cool”. The few things I was concerned about, went right over her head.

Examples of probing questions: What was your favorite part in the movie? What did you think about “X” character? Was there a scary part? Did they make good choices at the end?

I know some of you are thinking ” it’s just a movie, why do I need to ask them all of these things at their age?” I have found that exercises like this really help to enhance communication between my daughter and I. It continues to encourage her to feel comfortable having a conversation with me and to let me know what she feels. It’s also helping me to learn what her interests are and how to do things that she actually enjoys vs. things I enjoy.

Bonus Tip: You can also take an 18 month old to the movies!

However, I wouldn’t recommend it. Let me explain. We try to do things as a family whenever we can. Now that my 3 year old is more active, it’s hard to do things as a a group that she likes AND that her little sister can comprehend. At times we do things with them separately, but when we can combine things, we do.

That being said, she was great in the movie. I let her, her cup, and her pacifier sit in my lap. She ate popcorn and some cereal that I brought. She actually laid back and watched the movie without really doing much of anything. Towards the end, she wanted to turn around and play with me and grabbed at the straws in our cups. I would take her again for the sake of us all going as a family. However, I wouldn’t bother taking her on her own because she didn’t understand what was happening.

Those are my Tips for Taking a 3 Year Old to the Movies.

I am such a fan of normalizing parenting. In this world where people want everything to be picture perfect, to never be embarrassed, and for kids to live in plastic wrap until they’re old enough to not be socially awkward – I will continue to allow my kids to be kids. A little planning and consideration will stop parents from hiding in the shadows or never leaving our homes to do anything fun for fear of being “those parents”. Live a little. It’s fun.

Check out my post – Parents are Struggling to Make it to Church to find out why some people hide in the shadows at church for some of the same reasons I just mentioned.