Since becoming a parent one of the drastic changes has been the complete halt in our movie and theatre outings. Those just aren’t possible with a bub. Yes I’m aware of the mommy and me movie screenings but unfortunately the hubs is a complete movie snob and will ONLY attend movies with certain tomato ratings and at select theatres. So there goes that!
We really do enjoy a good show and were pleasantly surprised to find out that Cavalia’s Odysseo welcomes children! Yes even babies. Yay! The mother in law is a huge fan of theatre and it was the perfect family outing on their recent Toronto visit. The show was entertaining, the horses thrillingly captivating, the musicians and performers held us in rapture and best of all was the set. That set was absolutely stunning and I loved the last water scene. So MAGICAL! Though I will admit that after seeing a Cirque Du Soleil production one will not be super impressed by the acrobats and certain segments seemed ten minutes too long. Then you see the horsies and you forget all about the semi-boring antics. All in all, it is a great outing and totally do-able with a baby. I know a lot of mommy bloggers were recently invited to attend Odysseo but I was not one of them, so this post is definitely not sponsored!
We were a group of six adults, a five year old and an 8 month old. Every single one of us were enamoured by the horses and we enjoyed ourselves. The beer and popcorn also helped! The five year old spoke of the horses throughout the next week and while he did take a quick ten minute snooze, he was well behaved and took every scene in. The Little Monkey was in her Bjorn, which I highly recommend when attending events such as these as there are stairs and in cramped quarters there’s no place for a stroller, and surprisingly content. The Bjorn (facing out) was great because she enjoyed the show while she was awake and then would be comfortable enough to snooze when she wanted. Best of all… my hands were free, for the popcorn and beer! Win win all around! We went for a 7 p.m showing assuming that she would sleep throughout but she was quite alert for the first and last 45 mins of the three hour show, bouncing with the music and offering an occasional squeal. Looks like we have a future theatre enthusiast on our hands! Unlike at the movies where we’d get the stink eye (mainly from the hubs) at the slightest sound, at Odysseo the music is loud enough that it goes unnoticed. Mind you there are quiet scenes but luckily for us, the Little Monkey respected those moments mainly due to the wonderful distraction that is called a COOKIE! Snackertainment at its finest.
While taking babies to the regular movies is still a bit difficult, I’d highly recommend taking them to plays, especially musicals. It’s never too early to introduce culture to them! Art galleries are another great outing, you can read about our recent visit here. Just remember to be well stocked with toys, snacks and milk (and soother if they’re still into it! I forgot mind and stopped in at a pharmacy to pick one up, it’s our life saver!).
