How do you deal with going to the movie theater?

[Jessica]

Up until today we've just gone to the drive-in. But the kids wanted to see a 3d movie so we went to the theater. I didn't know what this theater sold as far as food, so we took sheets to cover the car seats and changed out of our clothes when we got home. But I feel like it's overkill. Also ds had his feet (without shoes) in the seat underneath his bottom and they went straight back into his shoes, so obviously anything that was on them would now be in his shoes. I'm not worrying about that (much). The only scary things they sell there are reese's pieces and butterfinger minis, both of which I feel like are low risk for messiness. So next time we may just not worry about it and check our seats before sitting down. What do you do?

[PurpleCat]

Hi!

DD either wears long sleeves and long pants, or we bring a beach towel for her to sit on.  We bring our own food.  I do wipe the arm rests and cup holders on her seat even with long sleeves - those can be nasty.

She changes when we get home.  We have had no problems.

[Janelle205]

I don't do movies in the theater, but I what I would normally do in this situation is start out overly cautious and then step back slowly.  So if this time you took sheets, maybe next time, go sheetless, but look at the seats and still change clothes.  If that's fine, maybe next time you don't all need to strip when you get home.

Though you didn't say if you ate at the theater...I think that if I was eating while I was there, I would want the arm-rests covered or at least wiped down so I didn't touch them and then put my fingers near/in my mouth, since I've had contact/ingestion ana.  But otherwise, I'd go with a gradually stepping back method.

[SweetandSour]

I'm contact reactive, but never have had any issues. I always check seats, then wash my hands, then have popcorn and a cherry coke. I do wear jeans and a hoodie, only because our theater thinks it's 100 degrees out all year long. I have gone hoodie-less and been fine.

[krasota]

In the winter, I drape my cloak over the seat.  In the summer, I just take a hoodie (theaters are cold) and try not to fidget.  Oh, and I do wipe the armrests.

A baby crib sheet would work well and could be put into a tote bag.

[nutless]

We wipe down the arm rests and give DS a wet wipe to wipe his hands. He eats food from home and buys a drink (wraps a napkin around the cup so it stays dry and any residue is covered up). We have never had a problem and he is contact reactive. We also don't change our clothes.

[Stinky6]

We just go and have the benefit of bringing our own snacks.  We have not had a problem at all.
When he was 3 and 4 I worried A LOT and did wipe down the arm rests if they weren't fabric.
but now i really don't do anything except remind him about what to do if he touches anything sticky and remind him about symptoms and safety, etc.

he did have a 'contact' reaction to peanut at childrens gym when he was 3 - hand to eye
but he hasn't had any kind of contact reaction since then

[Jessica]

Thanks everyone. I don't want to bring attention by bringing along crib sheets and such-that's why I only put the sheets on the car's seats. I did wipe the armrests down but even felt funny doing that-like people would just think we are incredibly germ-phobic. Part of my concern is that my dd is almost 16 now and will probably be going to the movies with her friends someday, and won't want to have to bring along a sheet or anything like that. I guess I'm trying to assess the actual risk. btw as far as we know she hasn't had contact reactions, but my concern is something getting on the car seat or something like that and her touching it while eating in the car (we rarely let them eat in the car but she does chew gum, which she gets out of the pkg with her fingers, and on vacation we do let them eat in there). We did not eat at the movies and don't plan to-I've told my kids they can manage a couple of hours of the day without eating.

[krasota]

Ah.  I have contact reactions (and the hives spread beyond local contact) at theaters, but I react to soy and gluten more so than any peanut residue, we think.  So movie theaters are a big problem for me, what with that nasty soy topping they call butter. 

She may want to request that her friends not get M&M's with peanuts.  Is she comfortable speaking up? 

And movie theater armrests are frequently sticky.  I wouldn't think anyone wiping one off was germphobic--they just don't want soda on their elbows.  Now, when I wipe down the shopping cart at the grocery store, people totally think I'm germphobic, but I'm mostly wiping off their aloe-laden hand sanitizer. 

[AllergyMum]

My ds is mfa and is extremely contact reactive to dairy and peanuts. We take him to the movies all the time and have never had a problem. Regardless of the time of year he wears long pants and long sleeves to the movies. And we bring in his own snacks (we don't ask we just bring)

[Jessica]

My ds is mfa and is extremely contact reactive to dairy and peanuts. We take him to the movies all the time and have never had a problem. Regardless of the time of year he wears long pants and long sleeves to the movies. And we bring in his own snacks (we don't ask we just bring)

So you don't have any trouble with anything transferring from his clothes to the car's seat and then back on him at a later time?

[Macabre]

You strip once home.  And this is why we insist on leather car seats. So we can wipe them off.

[Macabre]

FWIW, DS wears short sleeves and sometimes shorts to movies.  We carry a wipe for him to wipe his hands with after he gets situated and before he eats popcorn.  He gets the movie meal--which at our theatre has pf candy.  I haven't wiped down a seat in a while, but if it looks yucky, I do.  But i don't expect him to if he goes with friends.  I do expect him to use a wipe before eating popcorn, as he's had accidental ingestion reactions before. Anaphylactic, I mean. We wash hands before going home. If I am worried about bringing stuff home, I wipe down the car (but more often than not it's because it was clear a person with cat sat in my theatre seat before I did and it's to get cat dander off.)

[Jessica]

I'd love leather seats but dh insists on paying cash for vehicles (he's never had a car payment) and the ones with leather are out of our budget. Especially for a new one, which is what we did last time. I really hate buying used cars and imagining what all the people ate in them before us. ugh.

[hedgehog]

DS has never had a problem at movie theaters.  He often gets popcorn, but not always.  He almost always gets a package of candy (PF, obviously--usually Sour Patch).  He usually wears long pants/sleeves, but in the summer it is shorts.  Never a problem. He has never had, AFAIK, a contact reaction, though.  That, I'm sure, makes a big difference.