7 yo afraid of rides

[Kate-n-sam]

A little background.....
My DD who will be 7.5 on our next trip in April (just bought tix today, Yeah!), has decided certain rides are scary and under no circumstance wants to go on them. This is because the last time we were at WDW she was 4.5. She is afraid of Buzz because Zurg is in there. She is afraid of Pooh because of the Heffalumps and Woozles. I've tried to gently explain to her that the rides she was afraid of as a toddler really are fun and I think she'd really enjoy them now. I don't want to push her if she really doesn't want to go, but I'm not talking the HM which is obviously out of the question LOL.
Any advice? Are there videos that might depict the rides so she can see they aren't nearly as scary as her pre-school memories?

Thanks!

 

[chager]

We had a similar situation with our son. We live in Ohio and when he was 4 we went ti King's Island. We have a picture of him on the kid's rollercoaster The Beastie. He was scared and it more then shows. Well when we went again he was 8. We didn't force the coaster issue but did walk over to it. He initially said he didn't want to go on and we said that was fine. A little later he wanted to go back over and watched "little kids" come off of it laughing and running to ride it again. He decided if "little kids" could ride then he was too. (He informed us he wasn't a "little kid" anymore) In the end we ended up riding this ride more times then I care to remember. He loved it. I know that sometimes people put videos of the rides online maybe you could do a search a show her a video of it. I don't know if they would be on the Disney vacation video or not , I've never seen it. If nothing else maybe when you go back and she sees it she may change her mind.

 

[catwho]

Remind your dd about the "happy" things on each ride. Remember Pooh and bouncing with Tigger? How you get to defeat Zurg!

There used to be a video Disneyland Sing-along where they do go on some of the rides, but it is DL and none of the newer WDW rides are on it. What about a Vacation Planning Video or DVD? They don't always go on all the rides, but they do give a good overview and my kids love watching it over and over again!

Also, if all else fails, talk to a CM. Explain that your child is afraid of going on the rides and see if they can spread a little Disney magic and "fix" the problem. A friend of ours lied to her dd and got her to go on RnR. She was purely petrified and hysterical when she got off (I majorly chastized my friend for doing this) A CM saw her crying and came over to find out what the problem was. The CM gave her a certificate for going on her first upside down roller coaster and then gave her another certificate for bravery and told her now that she had this certificate she didn't have to be afraid of any other attractions at WDW ever again. She looked up at her mom and said, "I think I'm ready for TOT now!" LOL!!

Another option would be to talk to another family with the same aged child and talk about what attractions they like and why. Sometimes when our kids realize other kids their ages are doing things they aren't quite as afraid.

 

[BevS97]

my dd went through a phase of being scared of Buzz abd Pooh, what we did was go and stand at the end of the ride and see if any of the children getting off looked scared, we even asked a couple if it was scary, when they all said it was great, and she could see even babys weren't scared, she was much happier to try it again

bev

 

[SueM in MN]

There is a book that lists the "scare factor" (among other things like "fun factor" with the rating actually done by kids.
It's called WDW for Kids, by Kids. The title is a little misleading because the book is written by adults with comment boxes about each ride, etc, by kids, but I know of a lot of people who thought it was a good book. The reading level is listed as 9 to 12, but a 7 year old could certainly get a lot out of it with help.
Another thing people have mentioned doing is having a small (not very bright) flahlight that the child can shine on the floor of the ride car during rides if they get scared. Since a lot of kids get scared of the dark, that helps.
Also, you could probably find a lot of websites with ride pictures. It might help your child to know that the Heffalumps are actually flat panels (kind of cartoony) in the Pooh ride and that Zurg doesn't actually show up in Buzz Lightyear - only his voice.

 

[Xtine76]

The free disney vacation video has both pooh and buzz lightyear on it, maybe if you call for it and you watch it together with her she will feel better about the rides. I watched it myself many times before we went because I was sooooo excited myself!

 

[Karibeth19]

I would definitely play up the "everything is pretend" idea. Make a big deal of what a "big girl" she is now, and she's smarter than she was when she was 4. She can understand now that the things in the rides are not real, just cutout pictures and robots. I also might use the philosophy I used to use with my DD when she would be scared in a Disney movie. I always told her, "With Disney, the bad guys never win." That always made her feel better, and more willing to stick it out. We didn't have the same problem with her at WDW when she was 5, since she's pretty much a daredevil. However, "Dinosaur" almost did her in! I had to promise her with all my heart, we would not take her on another really scary ride again. It did take some extra encouragement to get her on HM, and she would not go on ToT, but she regained her courage. This year, I really want her to go on ToT with us because I know she will love the drops. I am working to convince her the beginning of the ride is not as scary as it sounds. I even showed her the show on the Discovery Channel the other night to help her see what it's like. She's still not sure, though! Oh well, Nana will be there to play cards with her while her daddy, grandpa, and I go on!

 

[Kate-n-sam]

For all of the great responses, I appreciate the time you took!

I will definately employ these tactics....especially watching kids who are coming off the ride. I had already planned on the WDW for kids book too. I think if we read it together for bedtime story time, it'll help her get excited...although she's already losing sleep for a trip that is 4 months away.LOL!

The good news is, my folks are coming with us so there will be someone to sit out with her if need be, while I bring her little bro and sis on Pooh....teehee. That ought to get her!

 

[tjmw2727]

I was going to post about the sing along video - you can usually rent them at blockbuster. My dd's decided they wanted to ride Haunted Mansion after watching, they don't have Buzz or Pooh on the videos unfortunately.

In addition or instead of the flashlight we got a cinderella coloring book at target that has a glow in the dark wand on the front. I have recently seen a barbie as well. They only glow with the black lights and don't bother others but my dd's loved riding the "dark rides" to make the wands glow. They are only about 6" long and very lightweight.

I think once you get to MK et all the "magic" will take over and she will become exicted. In our family we have a "try it once" and then you don't have to go again if you choose. Of course this applies only to age appropriate ride not, TOT or RnRc, <g>.

Tj

 

[mcnuss]

My DD is 9 and she is still scared of some rides. We went in October with my nephew, also 9, and she was relieved to find out he was more scared than she was!!

We have just come to the conclusion that for some people, WDW is more about atmosphere, shows, characters, etc.. than the rides. After going many times, we noticed that there were just too many unhappy looking people in the supposedly happiest place on earth. So we observed a little, and we noticed that a lot of the unhappiness is caused by a group's differing expectations fo what a day at Disney means to them. We usually go with another family or my folks so we have enough people that we can split up the riders and non-riders. It just works better for us that way. No cajoling means no arguments (except over junk food and junk toys, but that's another thread!!) and lots more smiles.

 

[pjlla]

During our first family trip to WDW my DD was 6 1/2 and DS was almost 4. They were scared of almost EVERYTHING!! Especially what they couldn't see inside of (most rides), but were okay with those they could see (Dumbo, Indy cars etc). We forced them on a few things, but quickly learned not to do that. I felt bad that there were several rides I know they would love, but they refused to try. It really put a damper on the trip. But they found other things that they loved.......pressed pennies, autographs, parades. So that is what we ended up concentrating our time on. It certainly made it easier than forcing them on every ride or just getting mad. Their memories of that trip are different than I thought they would be, but that doesn't make them "bad" memories. IT WAS, HOWEVER, a surprise trip and as such they had NO time to prepare mentally for what they were encountering. BAD IDEA!! (Bad parents, slap our hands!!)

This time around we are all FULLY PREPARED (as well as being older and braver!). We have read books and descriptions of most rides, seen video on the computer and on tv, and we are ready to roll!!!!!! There are still several that my kids don't even want to try (Snow White and HM to name a few), but that is FINE WITH ME!!

BY THE WAY......... DD who was also afraid of the Heffalumps and Woozles on the Pooh ride, LOVED Space Mtn.!!! She rode it at least 5 times during our two days at MK. GO FIGURE!! You can never figure what is going to scare them or not!...............P

 

[edie w]

Lots of good advice.... but I think you do see Zurg in the last bit of Buzz. He's basically a big cardboard model - no movement - and you do get to shoot him good and proper, but I'm pretty sure it's him. It would be a bad idea to say he isn't there.

My nephew (nearly 4 at the time) wasn't keen on Buzz, but mostly because it's quite loud and he believes aliens are real!

 

[elgerber]

It won't help with Pooh, but if you ride the People Mover, oh sorry, Tomorrowland Transit Authority, it goes through Buzz for a minute, so you can see the inside.

Erika

 

[goofy4tink]

My dd, 10, has a friend who wouldn't go on any rides last spring! Everything scared her. Now, her little brother, 6, went on everything his height would allow! My Katie even got her the Birnbaum guide for kids before she went. But, she was still too scared to try anything other than the Carousel and TeaCups. I would also suggest the Vacation Planning Video/DVD. And also the philosophy that Mickey is in charge. Would he let anything bad happen to you? Good luck. Let us know how it all turns out.

 

[margiemc]

My DD 6, has the same problem. We went out on the Internet and looked at pictures from the attractions, as well as the vacation planning videos. The CM's are also a huge help. We were in Cranium Command and right before we walked into the theatre, DD started to cry and said she didn't want to go. We asked her if she wanted to try it and she said no. A CM came over and asked us if she could talk to DD and tell her a "secret". We agreed and she pulled DD aside and was whispering in her ear. DD decided to have a look. The CM told us we could sit in the last row and if she didn't want to stay, just to get up and leave. We stayed for the whole thing and DD loved it. She said that the CM told her that there was a food fight and a kiss! That was enough to get her to go!

When we were there in March, there were certain rides she didn't want any parts of or changed her mind about while we were in line. So, we asked her if she wanted to try it out and if she didn't like it, we would leave. There were a couple of things where we left the line and DH and I took turns taking her on things she wanted while the other one tried things that they wanted. I've seen too many parents yelling at their kids that they're babies, etc. It's vacation, relax. I know I wouldn't want to be yelled at and stressed for not doing something. That's what work is for! HA!

 

[dizagain]

HI! My DD's were 7 and 9 in May for their first WDW experience. They absolutely loved (and still love!) the WDW for Kids/by Kids book...it's awesome for getting prepared!

Both could be considered ride wimps in my book. DD, 7 was gripping my arm so hard on our second ride - Peter Pan, that I almost cried thinking about what was to come! However, both girls were troopers and really tried most rides eagerly. Neither liked Splash much,but both LOVED Thunder Mountain and felt so grown up. DD, 9, actually fell in love with Space Mt! Their plan for next year is to add T of T and Mission Space to their list to try.

Haunted Mansion was fun for both, although the younger was nervous going in. When it was over, she was surprised, and wanted to go again.

I would just encourage her to try - Mickey onlyl wants her to have a good time!