Stars and Strollers Cineplex Ottawa Review
As a new mom I tend to search Reddit before going to activities so I'm sharing this in case it helps another mom!
I went to Cineplex Cinemas Ottawa for a Stars and Strollers screening of the Devil Wears Prada 2. There were lots of moms, families and babies there which was so nice to see!
A change table was set up outside the theatre with diapers and the sound was lower than a normal movie. I had read you have to leave your stroller outside the theatre so I wore my baby in a carrier but there was space to park strollers inside the theatre, just not necessarily beside your seat.
I booked an aisle seat thinking it would be easy to get up if my baby was fussing but it was under a bright light - next time I would book in the middle so it's darker and maybe she would sleep more!
Babies fussed and made noise as babies do and it wasn't a big deal. I stood on the stairs at a few points and bounced my baby and other moms were doing the same.
There were a few older people without babies in the theatre and I had read that sometimes seniors or folks with sensory issues like the quieter movies.
HOWEVER, it became clear that the two old ladies in my aisle were not aware of the purpose of Stars and Strollers.
About 30 minutes into the movie, I heard them whispering to each other and they got up to leave. On the way past, one of them hissed at me "next time you want to go to a movie, get a babysitter because you're ruining it for the rest of us!"
I was so shocked! I managed to tell her she was being rude and that this is a baby friendly movie time, but she was on the move and I don't think she cared.
The moms around me were really nice and asked if I was ok and told me my baby was doing great.
I had been so proud of myself for getting somewhere ON TIME, and doing something for me with my baby. I tried not to let this woman bother me but it honestly lessened my enjoyment of the experience.
Being a mom is hard, getting out of the house is hard, breastfeeding in public is hard. Showing compassion to a mom who's just trying to do her best shouldn't be hard.
Or at least take up your complaint with the theatre.
Despite this, I would 100% go again, it was nice to get out for a few hours and eat some popcorn.