I had gone to bed the night before full of plans to take my boy on a long, sunny walk to a neighbourhood park to introduce him to swings, slides and piles of sand.

The weather – originally forecast to be at least partly sunny – washed those plans down the gutter along with the rain.

Any other day, this would have been no big deal. Over the past nine months, I’ve learned any plans with a baby should be written in pencil. Sometimes babies have other ideas.

But the cold, rainy weather on this particular day came at the end of a long week when Oliver and I were housebound by colds and a steady stream of visitors. We were both in desperate need of a change of scenery.

A walk was out and neither one of us was in the mood to stroll around a shopping mall. We decided this was a perfect day to give Movies For Mommies a try.

When I got pregnant with my boy, I feared my days as a moviegoer were numbered. I was too tired during my pregnancy to stay awake during an entire movie – the last film I saw in the theatres was, fittingly enough, Juno – and I figured I’d never be able to take my child to a theatre. Who would want to sit next to a screaming infant?

That’s why Movies For Mommies was born. Launched in Toronto in 2001, the baby-friendly screenings sees the sound turned down in theatres to protect tiny ears and there are no complaints or withering stares when the little ones cry. There are now screenings across Ontario, B.C., Quebec and Saskatchewan and the franchise will expand in April with Toons For Toddlers, catering to kids aged two to five with 60-minute shows – perfect for short attention spans – at 15 theatres across the country.

Slumdog Millionaire, which cleaned up at the Oscars, was on the marquee this particular day, and the line-up of moms with their babies in slings and backpacks was out the door 30 minutes before show time. Inside, the lobby resembled a miniature drive-in with a long line of strollers.

It was a full house by the time the lights dimmed and the screen burst to life. To my amazement, the room soon hushed, apart from the odd gurgle or coo. Oliver, who had been making eyes at other babies (and their moms) before the show started, settled into my lap and stared raptly at the screen.

When Oliver filled his diaper – at a pivotal moment in the movie naturally – I popped outside the theatre where a change table with wipes and spare nappies was set up in the lobby. A quick change and we were back in our seats, having only missed a minute or two of the action.

The theatre was also comfortable place to nurse hungry babes without fear of unwanted stares or raised eyebrows. Other moms fed their babies crackers, cookies, even jarred vegetables.

My tired boy began whimpering as his naptime approached, but Oliver soon nodded off as I rocked him while standing in the aisle. He slept soundly in my arms until the final credits rolled.

One young mother began bringing her son, now six months, to Movies For Mommies when he was just five weeks old. Every week she looks forward to the outing as a chance to escape the mommy routine for an afternoon and enjoy a popcorn flick.

“It’s such a nice break for me,” she confessed. “It’s a little taste of my old life before baby.”

Oliver may have missed much of Slumdog Millionaire, but we both gave the experience two thumbs up.

-- Sarah Green

   sarahg@babyontheway.ca