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@Cherrybee: we did all those things, but she would also easily fall asleep in our carrier!

I wouldn't now at 7.5 months but at that age he slept any where and didn't go down for the night until 9.

My son would not have let us enjoy it! Plus we were super stressed taking him out for fear that he would fuss and we'd have to leave!

Plus the noise, not sure about that.

We took our 4month old to see fireworks for the 4th of july and he loved it! If you are pretty strict most of the time i dont think one nigt will make any long term impact. You have to weigh the potential day or two being "off" with the need to get out and feel normal/see friends. It really just depends which is more important to you! Your baby will be just fine either way!

I'm pretty strict about bedtimes, so I wouldn't. Mine don't really sleep that well, and I just don't like messing with bedtime. Mostly I find it really affects the next day, and takes awhile to get back on track. Mine don't ever sleep in late the next day, they often wake up earlier when they don't go to bed at the right time.

i think it depends on the baby and the parent. personally i am not flexible enough to keep LO up way past his bedtime unless it's for a really special occasion--which in my book has not happened yet (he's 9.5 months old). i know that i would be stressed out the while time. but the rational part of me knows that it probably wouldn't be a big deal for LO to keep him up later once in a while.

@Cherrybee: Does she sleep well in a carrier? Could you maybe put her in a carrier with some earmuffs on and make it a sort of nap before bedtime?

My baby "naps" in the evening so I'd probably go because she's totally happy to do it in her car seat, carrier or someone's arms.. and has been known to do so on a blanket in the middle of the table while we all sat around and ate dessert at thanksgiving.

Her longest stretch is from midnight to whenever (lately 7:30 or 8). But, if going out at a midnight was ever even an option, I don't mess with the nurse, swaddle, rock, bed at that time, so I wouldn't go out at real bedtime.

At three months, LO was pretty good about sleeping anywhere. She was a lot more flexible, and as long as I had her in the Ergo, would fall asleep no problem. I wish I would've taken advantage of that more. At 20 months, she is very particular and will only sleep in her crib. Now we definitely can't stay out past bedtime (730PM)... she'll just be a miserable, tired, grumpy mess.

I would go. I don't stick to schedules unless it is an event I want to avoid!

At that age, we didn't have a super strict bedtime, but if it was me, I'd probably ask if I could play it by ear depending on how naps go and if I didn't feel like disrupting the routine when it came time to leave, I'd say he was too cranky or something. I know how I am and I usually like to be part of the group, but sometimes when it's time to go I poop out and don't want to deal with it all. A baby's temperament is a great excuse

@Cherrybee: If you do decide to go, and it turns into a total meltdown, ok you have to deal with a bad night and maybe bad day the next day but it's no long term harm done. I like to say every day is an experiment-- you'll never know how she will be unless you try it. But that's only if you really want to go.

For us, yes I would have - DD is great in new situations, they distract her and keep her happy... haha

Personally, I think it's best to get out and experiment with her now, while she's still young and not too hard to mess up. At 9 months we now know what DD's limits are, and I know that if I push them, it will take us a day or two to recover.

So, I say give it a shot!

I would go. We have a 15 week old, and we're really flexible about sleep. She has her patterns, and doesn't have issue falling asleep, on the go. I think it depends on how you think E would react.

nope, my LO is also a very good sleeper, but only in her crib, with her white noise machine, and blackout curtains. so i know she wouldn't sleep during it. she'd also be super fussy because shes tired. and the noise might make it worse. if it was something more low key like a family party i'd probably extend her bedtime. but nothing that would make her overtired or overstimulated. it would stress me out!

My very flexible unscheduled baby would have loved that. But if she'd had a firm schedule? I would have stuck to it.

I wouldn't, but my dd was still SUPER fussy at that age. We could barely take her out of the house during the day (and rarely did.) Thinking back to about four months...maybe once. But I think it would have been just as stressful keeping her out and I'd rather have just missed it unless all our family was going or something...

I totally would. especially 10 min walk away from home!! but my LO slept happily in a stroller or a carrier at that age anyway