Would you let your tall (young) child ride...

[ladyv]

DS will turn 3 at the end of Dec and we are taking a mid Dec trip. Right now without shoes, he's exactly 40".

I've looked at the height req. chart and the only restricted 40" rides that I think I'm semi comfortable with him going on would be Splash and Soarin'. We went last year and he loved Barnstormer when he was a little over 18 months.

Advice or thoughts from other parents of tall kids? Would you let your almost 3 year old ride Splash? Soarin? Others?

Height is a small factor for me. I'm also thinking about the psychological aspect with ride scariness and the physical aspect with him being skinny and also the bone/joint/neck maturity for a 2/3 year old vs older kids. As a toddler, he's unpredictable. Some days, he's brave enough to take on the world and other days he's scared of every little thing. Last year, he was totally OK with Haunted Mansion, but the darn scuba divers in Coral Reef freaked him out so bad, we had to walk him around outside and take turns eating.

 

[gerows]

Soarin is really just a chair lift and I wouldn't really classify it as a thrill ride (although some might disagree with me). It doesn't have the movement, or drop factor of a coaster, so I'd certainly be ok with that. I would probably be concerned with Splash Mt. The drop on Splash Mt is very long, not to mention the scene leading up to the drop. I would probably hold off on that one.

 

[princessmom29]

DD has always gone on anything she is tall enough for and wants to ride. If they are tall enough and have no other medical concerns that ride is safe for them, so I say let the child decide if he/she wants to ride. If they don't like it, then they don't have to ride agian.

 

[Hannathy]

DD has always gone on anything she is tall enough for and wants to ride. If they are tall enough and have no other medical concerns that ride is safe for them, so I say let the child decide if he/she wants to ride. If they don't like it, then they don't have to ride agian.

This is our philosophy also. Never got the deciding for them bit. If they want to go on and can they do. How else do you learn what YOU like or dislike not what Mom likes?

 

[Hannathy]

Skinny has absolutely nothing to do with it. My DS is about as skinny as you can get and has ridden everything at Disney the second he was tall enough.

 

[tlbwriter]

Soarin is really just a chair lift and I wouldn't really classify it as a thrill ride (although some might disagree with me). It doesn't have the movement, or drop factor of a coaster, so I'd certainly be ok with that. I would probably be concerned with Splash Mt. The drop on Splash Mt is very long, not to mention the scene leading up to the drop. I would probably hold off on that one.

I agree with this. Soarin is fine unless he's afraid of heights or skittish at 3-D movies. Splash is probably a little much.

 

[tlbwriter]

This is our philosophy also. Never got the deciding for them bit. If they want to go on and can they do. How else do you learn what YOU like or dislike not what Mom likes?

Unfortunately, some kids will be so spooked by a bad experience on a ride that they're done for the rest of the day. I've been there and done that, because I listened to people who said "oh, that ride is fiiiiine!" instead of actually finding out what the ride entailed. Turns out those people were dead wrong and she refused to ride anything else that day, and was skittish the next day. I'd rather not put any of us through that again, thanks! If I suspect a ride is going to be too much for my child, why wouldn't I want to spare her?

 

[princessmom29]

Unfortunately, some kids will be so spooked by a bad experience on a ride that they're done for the rest of the day. I've been there and done that, because I listened to people who said "oh, that ride is fiiiiine!" instead of actually finding out what the ride entailed. Turns out those people were dead wrong and she refused to ride anything else that day, and was skittish the next day. I'd rather not put any of us through that again, thanks! If I suspect a ride is going to be too much for my child, why wouldn't I want to spare her?

Just different kids I guess. My DD has never been that bothered by anything that she didn't get over it within a few minutes. She hated Bug's Life at just turned 5 and we had to get up and leave, but she was over it really quickly and we moved on. She has chosen not to ride TOT up unitl this coming trip, and I have been fine with that, although I really think it is the fact that the word terror is in the name. I guess if I had one that was truly that skittish it might be different and I would have to do more pre-screening. I cannot imagine having a child shut down for an entire day over one ride. That must not be any fun at all.

 

[katybug34]

DS will turn 3 at the end of Dec and we are taking a mid Dec trip. Right now without shoes, he's exactly 40".

I've looked at the height req. chart and the only restricted 40" rides that I think I'm semi comfortable with him going on would be Splash and Soarin'. We went last year and he loved Barnstormer when he was a little over 18 months.

Advice or thoughts from other parents of tall kids? Would you let your almost 3 year old ride Splash? Soarin? Others?

Height is a small factor for me. I'm also thinking about the psychological aspect with ride scariness and the physical aspect with him being skinny and also the bone/joint/neck maturity for a 2/3 year old vs older kids. As a toddler, he's unpredictable. Some days, he's brave enough to take on the world and other days he's scared of every little thing. Last year, he was totally OK with Haunted Mansion, but the darn scuba divers in Coral Reef freaked him out so bad, we had to walk him around outside and take turns eating.

When they are tall enough, we let them ride. Soarin and Splash are mild rides. The only part you see from the outside is the huge hill, but the theming is great for young ones. There is not a ride at all of Disney that I would not be comfortable with my children being on as soon as they are tall enough to ride.

 

[toesinthesand]

I had the same issue when we went to Disney when my daughter was that age. She was tall enough, but I wasn't sure if she was mature enough. In the end, I decided that there would be other trips to Disney and as she got older, she might decide some of the "kiddie" rides like Dumbo weren't cool anymore. So I embraced the fact that she was my "baby" and rode those "kiddie" rides over and over again, thinking in a few years we'd be riding Space Mountain over and over again.

 

[tlbwriter]

Just different kids I guess. My DD has never been that bothered by anything that she didn't get over it within a few minutes. She hated Bug's Life at just turned 5 and we had to get up and leave, but she was over it really quickly and we moved on.

Yes, definitely different kids, and the OP said her kid can be very unpredictable about rides. Also, he's 3, which is really young. My nephew was 5 when he saw Bug's Life - I had warned his parents that it could be scary but they insisted it would be fine because "he loves bugs" and he spent the rest of the day telling me how scary it was!

I guess if I had one that was truly that skittish it might be different and I would have to do more pre-screening. I cannot imagine having a child shut down for an entire day over one ride. That must not be any fun at all.

Yeah, not fun. Luckily it was our first day there so we only spent half a day in the parks. We saw Fantasmic that evening and that made it even worse - she's refused to do either again, years later! So yeah, rather than ruin even one day of a kid's WDW trip, I'd use caution. Ironically, she's a daredevil when it comes to thrill rides, she just doesn't like scary rides. And I know what to suggest and what to avoid.

 

[WIDisneyFan]

I would say it really depend on your child. My son who is now 5 was in no way ready at the age of 3 for Splash even though he was easily tall enough (it would have scared the heck out of him). My daughter who is 3 now considers Splash Mountain one of her favorites and rode it as often as she could during our trip this summer.

If your child wants to do it and is a bit on the adventurous side I would say go for it!

 

[sritter78]

My daughter rode Splash Mountain @ 3 and it is her favorite ride! She can tell you everything that goes on.

 

[ladyv]

Thanks for the responses everyone!

 

[tartemis]

My daughter was 40" on our last trip to Disney when she was just 2 1/2. We had the same concerns and ended up only letting her ride Soarin' -- which she loved by the way.

This year for our next trip she will be 3 1/2 and I will let her ride whatever she wants.

 

[scottish mum]

My dd is tall and we went 6 weeks before she turned 3 and she rode, thunder mountain, splash, soarin, test track. She didn't do Tower of terror as I think she may have freaked at that. She loved all the rides that she did do. For thunder mountain she sat inbetween myself and her dad and was perfectly safe as she was wedged between us

 

[dixonsontour]

DD is also tall.

On our first trip at 22 months she was tall enough for goofys barnstormer and went on and was totally unfazed.

Last trip, 2 months before her 4th birthday she was 44 inches.

We just took her on anything she made the height for - didn't make a big deal of it.

She didn't like the look of expedition everest so didn't go on. her decision.

 

[MickeyMomOfThree]

We took DD15 for her 3rd b-day, we were actually there the week before it so just shy of 3. She was well over the 40 inch requirement. We started slow, with Splash, and she love it, so wen did BTMRR, she love it, we moved to Space, in the end she rode everything at MK. When we went to HS she beggest to ride ToT, I was nervous but said OK, covering her eyes for the preshow. She loved it. She rode everything she was tall enough for with no issues. She is a daredevil.
We did the same with the other 2 girls who were 3 and 4 when they were tal enough. DD11 did not like ToT much, DD8 was like DD15 loving everything including EE.

I never push, I let them decide what is for them, and we have had no problems. Now DD11 likes basically everything but RNRC, so she doesn't ride. Take it slow and when they have had enough. you'll know.

 

[eyor44]

If he loved Barnstormer then if he is tall enough, he is ready for Big Thunder. Both my kids were thrilled when they were tall enough. Try anything that you can sit next to him on to make sure he doesn't try to get up during the ride.

 

[PiperPizzaz]

My DS was riding Splash at 2.5 years old. I am a total overprotective type Mom and it has been fine. That said, he is a daredevil and loves all of them.