4 Year Old

[LemonNeko]

We have a 3-Day trip planned for January and I'm starting to have doubts if this is a good idea. My son is 4 and very afraid of the dark. I've started looking over the rides to plan our days and I think there is very little he is going to want to do. Anyone have experience with taking a child this age? Am I better off taking him to Disney or a different theme park?

 

[Kivara]

This is just IoA:

Dr Seuss area (3 rides, one playground, little walk through things ike the Lorax area, story time)
Lost Continent (Sinbad show is a fun stunt show, we sat towards the back because my little guy gets freaked out by fire)
Hogsmeade (Harry Potter) tons of shops, Hogwarts express train, Hippogriff is a kiddie coaster (my youngest first rode when he was 4), Forbidden Journey (castle is amazing and the kiddie swap room is well done, always playing a HP movie)
Jurassic Park - Pterradon flyers, and THE BEST PLAYGROUND EVER!! My kids are 10-14 and after 5 years, they could still spend a whole day in this playground...me too! But stay close by, it's HUGE!
Toon Lagoon - raft ride, log ride, Popeye playground is fun
Marvel - Storm ride (teacups) also arcades and lots of character meet and greets through the day

 

[sharona]

We love Universal, currently have APs and favor it over WDW as our Orlando destination - I'm actually heading there this weekend. Telling you that so you know I am not one of those who think Universal is WDW's inferior cousin...

Honestly, I think 4 is a little young for Universal. I know there are some 4 year olds who love thrill rides and are fearless but it doesn't sound like your son is one of them. My DD wasn't either and at 4 I am sure she would not have enjoyed US or IOA very much when compared to the other options in Orlando. If you have older children then I could see bringing the little one along and making the best of it but, IMO, I think WDW or Legoland is a better choice for a 4yo.

 

[HM]

I agree that he may be too young for Universal. We waited until our kids were 8 and 10 before we took them. We did WDW for several years until then.

If you want to do US/IOA, is there a chance you could leave him to vacation at a relatives while you parents go to the parks? Just a thought.

 

[pcstang]

How tall is your son? This will also be a limiting factor.

 

[damo]

A lot depends on what he likes. Is he a big superhero fan? A dinosaur fan? The play areas are the highlights for little ones at the parks. If he doesn't really like rides, he'll really like Universal/IOA.

If he is afraid of the dark, WDW rides are going to scare him too.

 

[LemonNeko]

It will be myself, my son, my sister and her husband which complicates things. My mom is watching my niece and she wouldn't be able to watch my son as well. He could likely spend the entire in the playground and he loves character meets. He's 39 inches now so I'm guessing he will be 40 inches by January. He likes vehicles: trains, cars, boats. I wish the ticket costs weren't so high for 1-Day or I would do one day at IofA and 2-Days at Disney.

 

[damo]

https://www.universalorlando.com/Rides/Rides-For-Kids.aspx

https://www.universalorlando.com/Rides/Islands-of-Adventure/If-I-Ran-the-Zoo.aspx?Intsrch=play areas
https://www.universalorlando.com/Rides/Islands-of-Adventure/Camp-Jurassic.aspx
https://www.universalorlando.com/Rides/Islands-of-Adventure/Jurassic-Park-Discovery-Center.aspx
https://www.universalorlando.com/Rides/Islands-of-Adventure/Me-Ship.aspx
https://www.universalorlando.com/Rides/Universal-Studios-Florida/Curious-George.aspx
https://www.universalorlando.com/Rides/Universal-Studios-Florida/Fievels.aspx

 

[kohlby]

It really depends on the kid. I had kids scared of the dark who were willing to do dark rides as long as I was right next to them. I've 3 year olds who absolutely loved IOA/US and found plenty to do. (IOA was my older two kids second favorite park out of 7 parks when they were 3 - and they were 3 at different times. Epcot was the only park they liked better). That being said, we had one trip where my youngest wouldn't do anything. But this wasn't just at IOA/US - this was also at Disney. He has some sensory issues and refused to ride anything. I got him on the Twirl and Hurl and even that he hated. So, he hung out in the stroller, ate yummy food, and chased birds. And had a blast doing that. We had 6 days at IOA/US that trip and he had lots of fun - even if he didn't like rides, not even rides that kids younger than him usually love. He was 4 years old then - but not a typical kid, due to his sensory issues. We're headed back and he's 6 now. He's still afraid of the dark but he got over his fear of rides mid-trip last year. I'm hoping it doesn't come back though. We'll be doing several days once again. But if it does come back, I know we'll be just fine anyway.

I really like how rider swap is done at US/IOA. The child comes in the line with you so they can enjoy the interesting lines as well. The child swap rooms had tv's with cartoons playing when we were there last, so he liked that. For the coasters, no one but the adults in my group wanted to do them - meaning my husband and I. For those, it was easier to split up and do single rider line. But even then, it didn't take up much time at all.

Another tip, get some glow in the dark bracelets. Dollar Tree usually sells them. I've seen them cheap at Target as well. Then let him wear a bracelet or two in the dark rides. The little bit of light they create won't bother the other riders and it can help a child afraid of the dark feel like they have a little light - and help to distract. I've heard of people using small flashlights as well. We didn't go that route because I worried about the child shining it where they shouldn't.

 

[elaine amj]

We just went with a 9 yr old child who was afraid of everything with a sudden movement and with anything dark. Needless to say, he did pretty much no rides. We got him on MiB and he even rode it twice - 2nd time he freaked out though since he didn't get warned in time to avoid seeing the big alien near the end. I also got him on ET, but he wasn't a fan. Oh, he saw Shrek but pretty much hid his face the entire time. He spent 2 days in the playgrounds - which thankfully are awesome.

His parents aren't too sure it was worth his ticket price...but they did get a family vacation and where else other than Disney/USO can you find such awesomely themed playgrounds?

 

[kohlby]

About characters - we've never done a character meal since my kids were never that into them. However, they did a Storytime that was great for meeting lots of characters. We may have done it more for me than for them . . . I'm not positive if they still do it - but it was free and in Circus McGurkus, and not very crowded at all. (We were during the off-season however).

 

[princessebird]

We just got back from a trip with our 4 year old daughter. It was for her birthday, and she's 42 inches tall. She loved everything about Seuss Landing. We did everything there at least twice. The only "dark" ride there is Cat in the Hat, and it's very well lit for a dark ride. The caro-seuss-el, one fish/two fish, story time, and the trolley are all (mostly) outdoors. She also loved the Pteranadon Flyers and the Jurassic Park play area. Loved it! She also liked the Discovery Center. The Flight of the Hippogriff and Hogwarts Express were also great. (She also LOVED Spiderman, but if dark is problem, you should probably skip it). At USF, she loved Minion Mayhem and Shrek as well as the (very, very wet) Kids Zone. But the highlight of USF for her was the Superstar Parade. It has the Minions (bring a banana!), Dora the Explorer, and the bunnies from Hop. I have zero regrets about taking her to Universal instead of WDW. She absolutely loved it.

 

[bumbershoot]

My son is 4 and very afraid of the dark.

Well, the rides for that age/height-range aren't big scary dark rides. So the problem is solved.

you guys can split up and have some go to the play areas while others go to the bigger rides. You could all hang out playing, then go use rider switch at a bigger ride (everyone goes in the lines at Universal...there are rooms for the kids and second-riding-adult to wait in), then go play, etc etc. Lots of options. And there are rides for him! That parents want to go on, too. Cat in the Hat is great, One Fish is a must for DH (and DS) to go on (though it can get you wet!). etc etc.

If the family wants to go, I'm sure the child will have lots of fun things to do.

Don't forget to find the soft ball play area back behind the Curious George wet-play area. It's SO much fun! If no one wants to get wet, follow the footprints that make up a path through the CG area, so you aren't squirted with water.