Taking baby to the pictures

This isn't really a movie review of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull – it's easy enough to find out all about Indy's long-awaited return elsewhere. It's more about taking your newborn along to a cinema…something which I wasn't too sure about. I hadn't accompanied a child to the movies since I was a child myself, so I wasn't too sure what the rules are about taking babies in. I'd heard about 'Mother and Baby' screenings from a friend, so I asked cinema staff whether they did any. Apparently, the Mother and Baby screenings are usually on one weekday morning, and the only different thing about such screenings is that the CCTV cameras are turned off so that there is more privacy for mothers wishing to breastfeed. This did sound appealing, but they added that babies are welcome - and free - in any screening that is not age-restricted anyway. Luckily Indiana Jones is rated 12A, so, as I'd obviously be accompanying my 8-week-old daughter, she would be admitted to any screening. I decided to go to a normal screening with my husband and my sister - for extra baby support, and anyway they wanted to see the film too. We were not allowed to take the pram in with us; it was stored in a locked room by staff. We were prepared for this possibility, and had brought the baby sling. I chose an aisle seat in case I had to rush out, and we settled down to enjoy the film. The sound seemed very loud, but my baby did not seem to mind. She snuggled quietly on our laps for quite a while. When she got hungry, I breastfed her, while continuing to watch, with no problem. My husband burped her, and she settled down again. But then we heard the sudden rattle of machinegun fire, and it wasn't coming from the screen! I decided to take her out immediately to change her, and that's when I remembered that the change bag was still in the pram. Luckily, I carry an emergency nappy and a few wipes in my own bag, just in case…so I didn't have to waste precious Indy minutes seeking the key to the room the pram was stored in. The change facilities were fine, and soon I was back in the cinema. So all in all, not an overly traumatic experience, though it certainly could be if your baby were to cry inconsolably throughout…