4 year old and rides

[JenDaveBrendan]

Just a question for those who have kids around my son's age (4):
Last Jan/Feb we took a vacation to Disney and my son (he was 3) was scared of every ride, he would hardly go on anything! Basically just unwilling to try much of anything. He has been watching the Disney vacation planning tape repeatedly lately and now says he wants to go on tower of terror, space mountain, thunder mountain, etc... (we are going in Jan/Feb of 2005) I am wondering if he is all talk (I hope not!!!) and if anyone has had any similar experiences with their child not going on anything one year, and wanting to go on everything the next.... or if they were all talk about it before they left, then didn't go on anything again...
BTW, he is 42 inches tall and able to get on these rides.
I really want him to have more fun on this trip with the rides. Of course, I would never, ever force him on anything he didn't want to go on.
Just curious if anyone has gone through the same thing?

Thanks!
Jen

 

[BlueBayou]

I think that watching the video is a great idea.

My daughter just turned 4 and we are planning a trip in December. She watches the planning video and the video of her trip when she was 14-months. I am hoping it is going to help. She acts like she wants to ride everything. She is only 37 inches so she won't be able to ride a bunch of the scary stuff.

I am worried that she is going to be scared. She gets frightened at a very non-scary Dora episode and most Disney Princess movies.

Good Luck!

Sher

 

[Jenn Lynn]

My DD was scared of the rides (she is 3). So after the first day of crying in line and then loving the ride once we got on, we just stopped telling/asking her about the ride/show. When we would get in we would tell her it might be loud or whatever. She was fine after that and no tears.

 

[ladydancer]

I just returned from WDW last week. This time I went with a 9 and 11 year olds. I have in the past gone with 4 year olds several times.

I would not take a 4 year old on Space Mountain or Tower of Terror. You don't want to scare the child to where they wouldn't want to ride anything again.

FYI.. the 11 year old loves roller coasters. The more they go upside down the better for her. She will ride just about anything.

The 9 and 11 year old did not want to ride TOT. It was too scary for them.

We did go on the Dinosaur @ AK and they didn't like it and neither did I. It was too loud, dark and jerky. I actually hurt my back on Primevel Whirl. The 11 year old didn't like Primevel Whirl either.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[MateasMom]

My daughter is 3.5....will be 4 in December. We were just at DisneyLand yesterday and I was suprised by what she was willing to go on. She didn't want to go on TOT, but she LOVED Soarin over california (I don't think they have a similar ride at WDW though.....) Thounder Railroad and Start Tours. She begged to go on Splash Mountain, but 5YO refused to go on it and it was cold anyways...so we didn't get the chance.

 

[crisi]

Sounds like a more intense version of my son!

Fortunately for us, his sister is less cautious (and shorter) so she pushes him - and we won't go on anything yet we can't all ride together - and she was barely tall enough last time - but got a mild concussion the day before we left, so we had instructions from the doctor for "no big coasters." She is fine, and we saved a lot of anxiety with a good cause.

I'd really recommend starting small - if he was scared of everything last year - work from Peter Pan's Flight to Pirates of the Carribean to Haunted Mansion. For less theme, more thrill, start with Teacups, move to Goofy's Barnstormer then try Big Thunder Mountain railroad. Star Tours (and Body Wars when open) aren't too scary.

Unless he does all the above effortlessly, I think you are asking for trouble with Tower of Terror or Dinosaur or Space Mountain.

BTW, the first year we went, he was three. Got close to the Haunted Mansion, freaked out and we couldn't go near that part of the park again without causing anxiety. He did everything else, Pirates only sitting between Dad and Grandpa and was quite scared a few days into the trip. This last trip he'd just turned five, we prepped him with the videos and web sites, and he was very excited for Haunted Mansion. He and Daddy and Grandma were supposed to get in the Doom Buggy behind me and DD and Aunt Norma. When we got off, Grandma got off after us, but no DS or DH. They emerged about two minutes later - he'd gotten scared, then finally got in, and made it through. "For the scary parts, Mom, you can put your hands over your eyes."

 

[JVL1018]

Last year, my about to turn 4 year old daughter did Spalsh Mountain and Test Track.
She loved Splash, but did not like TT, but I asked her to go one more time, with me(she had gone with DH), because she had a cold and was a little cranky the first ride, so I thought maybe that colored her view.
I didnt push her to go again, just asked and a few days later she went with me and LOVED it, went on a few more times that trip.
She didn't want to do Space or ToT that trip, but for our upcoming trip(when she'll turn 5) she has been talking about it nonstop. I'm a little nervous that she'll freak out, but I have prepared her the best I can, told her all about the rides and she is insisting that she can't wait to go. So go we shall.
My son isn't tall enough yet(1 inch shy-darn it!), but he went on Barnstormer last year and loved it, even had his little hands in the air(he was 2)-I think that is a good trial run coaster for kids.

 

[opus_00]

My son was just turning 3 when we were about to go on our first WDW trip. We went to a bday party at Chuck E. Cheese a few weeks before our trip, and he was afraid of those little rides. I thought, "oh, boy...Disney is going to be a disaster." So I took him back to Chuck E. Cheese several times in the weeks before the trip.

I know my son's personality, so I knew that once he got on the Chuck E. Cheese rides, he would love them. It was just the anxiety of trying something new that was getting to him. I gently coaxed him on to one ride and then another, and pretty soon he was running around looking for more things to ride, and even putting in the coins himself to start the rides.

When we did go to Disney, he was fine. He was not tall enough for the roller coasters or other adult rides, but he went on just about everything that didn't have a height restriction (even Pirates and Haunted Mansion), and loved every bit of it. Even now, I would not attempt to take him on Splash Mtn, Space Mtn, ToT, etc. I won't even go on ToT because I'm a wimp!

Do you have a Chuck E. Cheese or other kids' play center with coin-operated rides? If so, I would suggest starting there to ease him into it (but don't force him if he is truly terrified). I actually had to put the coin in and start up one of the rides before putting him on it so that he could see how gentle it was. I even squeezed onto one of the little cars with him for his first ride to give him more confidence.

Good luck!

Paula

 

[hezreck]

We were at Disney when my daughter was 3 1/2. She went on alsmost everything with us (except TOT and RNR) Mission Space wasn't there, so hopefully when we go in Nov. she will go on that.
We had no problem at all with her. She rode between DH and I on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and did just fine.

This Nov, she will be 6, we are taking her in line with us on TOT and Space Mountain and if she decides not to go on, just take the chicken exit. Or baby swap so we can still ride. That's the great thing about Disney, they work with scared kids, so the parents can still ride. Have a great time!

 

[PolyAddict]

On our last trip my DD's were 3, 10 and 12. Most of the stuff that she was able to do we did. We really didn't discuss the rides with her. Just took her.

The trip before that she was 9 months. We took her on Haunted Mansion.

SHe was a little iffy about Haunted Mansion at 3, of course she didn't know what it was, but DH held her and she was fine.

Now at 4 we just had our school fair and she wanted to ride everything!! She was too small of course!!

Only you know your son, but my theory is just take them, your reassurance will guide them. She might have not been 100% about everything but she never screamed or disrupted the ride for anyone else.

Michele

 

[ErinInCT]

We were there last month with dd4 (and dd1). We had watched the planning stuff too so dd was always talking about going on Haunted Mansion. DD is VERY brave, she watches any movie, loves the WWotW in Wizard of OZ, etc. She goes on EVERY ride for her height at Hershey Park with NO FEAR. Total thrill ride kind of girl! Well, we started in Fantasyland & she was scared on Snow White!!! We discovered she did not really like the "dark" rides & preferred the thrill rides. She continued to do the dark rides, but we brought a glow necklace for her (from home) that she wore & she always kept her hands close to her eyes. She liked sitting next to daddy for reassurance. She had to take off the glasses on Mickey's Philharmagic too & even started to cry a bit at first! She loved the rides with no themes like Dumbo, Tea Cups, Barnstormer, etc, but even Peter Pan was a bit "dark" for her! We did Toontown & Tomorrowland (dd was not tall enough for SM). Do TTA in Tomorrowland, it goes through SM & Buzz & is very relaxing. Then you'll get an idea if he can do the rides!

Ok, EPCOT, she LOVED TT b/c it is a thrill ride. She did the 2 boat rides too but did not get much reaction.

Last day at MK we did HM. She was fine until we got in the waiting room with the spooky pictures, etc. She started getting scared but dh continued to reassure her & she help her glownecklace tight. WE got into the doom buggys & she was ok but I was in the buggy in front & I noticed she was sitting so close to dh that the ghost who joins your car at the end looked like he was sitting on her lap (it is supposed to be in the middle of the 2 passengers)!!! But she was fine. She loved Jungle Cruise & BTMRR (she said that was her favorite). She did PotC but being a girl she basically just "put up" with it, but that was a bit dark too.
So, I was surprised at what she was afraid of. Here are some recommendations:
Bring earmuffs for the loud stuff (dd wore hers during fireworks & probably should have worn them on other stuff but didn't).
Bring a flashlight or glow necklace or something that will give off light in the dark.
Let ds snuggle up to the adult, probably dad, during the ride & tell him it is ok to turn his head or hide his eyes (or take off his 3D glasses!).
Let ds make the decision as he sees the rides whether he wants to do them.
Talk about the attractions in advance to prepare ds for what is going to happen. DD constantly kept saying "it's all pretend, right mommy?" & she seemed ok knowing it was not real. We said the only real things are the characters!!
If you have to skip stuff, don't worry about it. It will give you a reason to go back!!!
Enjoy!

 

[JenDaveBrendan]

Thank you to all who replied! I am hoping my son is not all talk and will go on the rides this year...... We went to Storyland (in New Hampshire, for those who know it) a few times this summer and he went on the rollar coaster (maybe the equivalent of Barnstormer) and the log ride (not as big as a drop as splash mountain) multiple times and loved them. I am taking this as a good sign!! He seems a lot more daring than he did last year when we were at Disney.
It was good to hear the feedback on Test Track. I was wondering how other kids did on this.
I agree with you on ToT and Space Mountain.... I think they are too dark and scary for him at this stage. But.. if he insists while we are there, I will bring him on. (I don't think he would make it through the pre-show thing on ToT.) We can always leave if he doesn't want to go on.

Thanks!

Jen