It’s one of those paradoxes of parenting that, even though babies keep their mothers busy, a lot of mums find hanging out with a newborn isn’t often mentally or socially stimulating. Looking for a cure for the common coffee morning, we met up with brand new baby Abigail and mum Shawnah for Cine Royal’s mother and baby movie morning.

After a leisurely cup of Starbucks, we headed upstairs to the box office for one of the special mother and baby sessions showing every Sunday and Tuesday morning at 10.45am and 11am. With the choice of two movies – both geared for grown-ups – we went for the funniest which cost us the standard AED 30 a piece (and free, of course, for the baby).

Though getting to the theatre from the box office provided to be a bit of a labyrinth, we managed with a pram in tow thanks to the wheelchair accessible ramps and lift and plenty of helpful directions from staff.

The difference between this session and a typical matinee is the provisions made for mums with little ones. For starters, it wasn’t very busy and the temperature had been adjusted so we weren’t freezing. Also, the sound was not quite as jarringly loud as it can sometimes be in a movie theatre and the lights were left at a low setting, which proved useful for a mid-flick nappy change.

Best of all, we knew any other movie goers would be patient with our little princess who, after a quick but subtle breastfeed went promptly to sleep. When she finally woke up a bit fussy towards the end of the movie, none of the other mums gave us any of those tell-tale dirty looks that make parents want to slink away.

Want to know what’s showing this week for mothers and babies? Call 02 681 9444 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for regular movie updates.

Laura Fulton