Taking infant to the Oath Ceremony

[PhdStream]

Hi,

I am starting this thread to exchange ones experience, ideas, suggestions, etc to attend a citizenship oath ceremony with their child. I wrote infant in the title specially as they are not small that they go to sleep all the time and cries less. Unlike toddlers and young children, they are not enrolled on daycare nor their parent feels safe to leave them with casual nanny.

P.S: Personally, I have a 5 months old child and waiting for our an invitation for oath (along with my wife). As oath are normally on weekdays, I do not have friends whom I can ask to skip their work to look after our child. I have no family members/relatives here whom we can ask help.

 

[xylene]

They do not recommend it as it is not fair for the others who are there to witness their citizenship ceremony in peace and quiet.

However in my experience (I left my toddler at the day-care) there were parents with infants who cried during the ceremony and the process goes like this
1. Baby cries / toddler talks (10 seconds)
2. Clerk stops the proceeding ( and wait 10 seconds)
3. Asks politely for the parent to take the child outside (and adds that they would be called back during the Oath and to collect the certificate) and repeats every other parent to do that if their child makes a sound ( 20-30 seconds)
4. Wait until the child and parent walks out (add 30 seconds)
5. Moves on with the ceremony

Repeat for the next infant/toddler.
We had at least 4 incidents that day. It was annoying to be honest. I have two kids and I can empathize with the parents, but I feel it shouldn't overshadow the right for the rest of the group to enjoy their happiest time in Canada.

So its okay to take an infant / toddler along, but be ready for 200 eyes on you when the proceeding stops and you have to walk out

The ceremony happens in a court (or a hall treated as a court), this is the regular practice in any court with a judge presiding.

 

[PhdStream]

They do not recommend it as it is not fair for the others who are there to witness their citizenship ceremony in peace and quiet.

However in my experience (I left my toddler at the day-care) there were parents with infants who cried during the ceremony and the process goes like this
1. Baby cries / toddler talks (10 seconds)
2. Clerk stops the proceeding ( and wait 10 seconds)
3. Asks politely for the parent to take the child outside (and adds that they would be called back during the Oath and to collect the certificate) and repeats every other parent to do that if their child makes a sound ( 20-30 seconds)
4. Wait until the child and parent walks out (add 30 seconds)
5. Moves on with the ceremony

Repeat for the next infant/toddler.
We had at least 4 incidents that day. It was annoying to be honest. I have two kids and I can empathize with the parents, but I feel it shouldn't overshadow the right for the rest of the group to enjoy their happiest time in Canada.

So its okay to take an infant / toddler along, but be ready for 200 eyes on you when the proceeding stops and you have to walk out

The ceremony happens in a court (or a hall treated as a court), this is the regular practice in any court with a judge presiding.

Thanks a lot for taking your time to reply.

You shade an interesting point. So far, after reading past experience in various threads, i was under the impression, once you leave oath ceremony (go outside with child), ones oath is gone and has to be rescheduled. This is the first time, I am reading that they were asked to go out and called back to collect citizenship certificate.
By the which office was yours and when was the ceremony?

 

[canuck_in_uk]

Hi,

I am starting this thread to exchange ones experience, ideas, suggestions, etc to attend a citizenship oath ceremony with their child. I wrote infant in the title specially as they are not small that they go to sleep all the time and cries less. Unlike toddlers and young children, they are not enrolled on daycare nor their parent feels safe to leave them with casual nanny.

P.S: Personally, I have a 5 months old child and waiting for our an invitation for oath (along with my wife). As oath are normally on weekdays, I do not have friends whom I can ask to skip their work to look after our child. I have no family members/relatives here whom we can ask help.

Agree with xylene. From personal experience, it was annoying and disruptive for the rest of us every time someone had to take their loud/crying kid out. It really just came across as disrespectful. It is a courtesy to others to leave young kids at home.

 

[PhdStream]

Agree with xylene. From personal experience, it was annoying and disruptive for the rest of us every time someone had to take their loud/crying kid out.

I agree.

It is a courtesy to others to leave young kids at home.

Yes, I agree. But at the same time, I beilive it is not always possible for everyone to leave their child home/daycase, specially if they are new born or infant.

 

[yanesrahn]

Also take in consideration the whole process take time in our case almost an hour waiting in line for the documents to be check, then you go and sit until the ceremony start, the space was not so big to accomodate a stroller or carry on so maybe you have to carry the baby with you. I am not sure all the ceremonies are like that but it was our case, maybe you can ask a friend that can wait outside with the baby.

 

[PhdStream]

Also take in consideration the whole process take time in our case almost an hour waiting in line for the documents to be check, then you go and sit until the ceremony start, the space was not so big to accomodate a stroller or carry on so maybe you have to carry the baby with you. I am not sure all the ceremonies are like that but it was our case, maybe you can ask a friend that can wait outside with the baby.

May I know which office you took Oath. The whole purpose of this thread is to post experiene like yours so that people can plan and understand what to expect a head of time.

 

[yanesrahn]

May I know which office you took Oath. The whole purpose of this thread is to post experiene like yours so that people can plan and understand what to expect a head of time.

I did my ceremony at Hamilton, ON