Anyone Have Tips For Calming Kids' Fear of a Ride?

[manchurianbrownbear]

As our WDW trip get closer, and we watch more WDW videos, look at books, talk about different attractions, etc... our DD4 seems to be getting more apprehensive about riding several of the rides. We were just joking the other night as the kids were looking at a WDW For Kids book how the other kids were all saying, "I'm riding that and I'm riding that and I'm riding that and I'm riding that....", and DD4 was saying, "I'm NOT riding that, I'm NOT riding that, I'm NOT riding that....".

We'll never force her to go on something that she doesn't want to ride. It's that she seems to be getting herself "psyched out" before we even get to the park, and I'm afraid she'll miss out on a lot! She's sworn not to ride several rides that, based on past experience, I'm very confident she would enjoy.

Our plan is to start with real slow rides and hopefully build her confidence. Any other ideas?!?!?!

 

[Wish Upon A Star]

Our DS was/still is the same way . . .He was 5 when we first took him to WDW.

He absolutely refused to go on Snow White's Scary Adventures, Pirates of The Caribbean, and a whole other bunch of rides.

We basically just listened to his concerns and didn't even bother trying to make him ride what he was "scared" of.

Even at 10 y/o now, he still will not go into Honey I Shrunk The Audience and he was leary of Test Track, but he did go on Test Track this past trip and he can't wait to go on it again.

I would say to make everyone's trip more enjoyable not to "force" any rides on your DD. She'll go on them in time. Just enjoy whatever rides you go on and enjoy being at WDW.

 

[therealgoofy]

My suggestion is to take her on Tower of Terror and then when it's over tell her "That's the scariest ride in WDW. You won't be near as scared on anything else we do for the rest of the week!"

tRG

 

[goofy4tink]

I'm the 'bad' mommy here. If you know your child well, you may be able to make judgement calls. My dd, then 8, was very hesitant about several attractions. I know what scares her and what doesn't but she tends to psych herself out of trying things too. So...I admit it...I forced her to do Star Tours and Test Track. I'm surprised people didn't report me to the authorities. Even her dad was a little taken aback by my pushiness. Anyway...her comment when we got off both rides? "Hey, that was sooo cool. Can we do it again?!" Only mistake I've made is with Dinosaur. I didn't realize just how loud it is! Now, after she has sat through an American Idols concert though, I don't think I'll be so concerned!!!
I guess my suggestion is to go with the flow. A 4 y/o is certainly different than an 8 y/o!! My dd's best friend went to WDW in late June and was too afraid to go on anything...even Winnie the Pooh and IASW!! And she's 9. If you think your child is hesitating just because she has psyched herself out of it, then maybe if you talk to her and the other kids tell her what fun it was...well, maybe she'll change her mind. But hey, WDW is going to be there for a very long time. There's always the next visit!!

 

[Kimberle]

My dd is 4.5. This will be her 3rd disney trip. I just measured her & she's 40", just big enough for splash mtn & a bunch of other rides.

I'm a bit nervous, too, abt what she'll like. I know she has real sensitive ears. 1 yrs ago she didn't like Goofy's rollercoster or Pirates of Car. She also doesn't like the dark.

This is my plan, we're going to start with her fav rides & work "up". I know alot can change with little ones in a year. I'll take her on Pirates & if she's bothered by the "drop", then I may not take her on splash mtn. In general, I'm going to show her the ride & let her make the decision.

It's so hard to know with little ones what they will like & what will scare them. As parents, we can just do our "best". If we miss out on a ride or 2, well, they'll still be around next year.

Good luck & have fun.

 

[ProfGoofy]

I assume strapping her into the ride is not an option . Actually right now WDW is running a saftey campaign with Timon and Pumbaa http://disney.go.com/safety/, in which they make the point, "Let the cubs decide if they want to ride." To which I applaud Disney for taking an active role in seeing to it that all their guests, no matter what their age, enjoy WDW in a safe manner.

As for your DD4, most children's fears stem from the unknown. My guess based on her age is that she's never been on any of the Disney rides. She doesn't know what to expect. Imagine your first ride on TOT or RnR. What you need to do is not simply tell her that she'll be safe, but actually ask her and find out what her fears are. Then address them. Kids appreciate it when their parents are straight forward and honest with them. Talk to her, one on one. And then plan with her which ride to attack first. I suggest It's a Small World. You've got bright colors, dancing dolls, nice music (play her the song if you have it), a boat that holds the whole family together. And then see what happens from there.

I also have to be honest with you, a lot of the rides in Fantasy Land are actually rather scarey. I was recently at Disneyland with my niece, also 4. We started out with Mr. Toad, did you know that you visit h-e-double hockey sticks on that ride? After that, Snow White and the witch. Figured Pinocchio would be a piece of cake, nope Monstro makes a surprise appearance with his gapping mouth. All through this my niece held her dad's hand and we talked about the ride afterwards. I guess that helped, because we were able to get her onto the next ride and she was never afraid to try something out at least once.

So talk to you daughter and find out what the unknown is that has her afraid. Remember, our fears keep us safe. The trick is not to conquer them, but to work them to our advantage. And a big step in that direction is knowing what to expect.

 

[nkjzmom]

Our kids have tended not to get nervous about a ride until they're actually on it and notice that it's getting dark or noisy, etc. We usually talk them through it by pointing out neat little effects or having them "look out" for cool things coming up. We also have them carry tiny little lights to shine when they get really scared. The last few trips we've enjoyed the light up pins for each park. They are triggered in certain rides and can be pushed to light up on their own also.

Generally, they're not scared once they've ridden a ride and know what's coming up. Except for "roller coaster" type rides, we don't have any problems. It's usually 6yo DD and I on those alone anyway!!

 

[rjjr]

All I do is give my kids (3 & 4) the tools to help themselves when they are surprised by something they don't like. they have choices for things they can do for themselves:

1. close their eyes,
2. block their ears (my ds is sensitive to loud noises),
3. squeeze Mommy or Daddy's hand, or
4. look at Mommy or Daddy's face and we'll tell them when they can look again (when the scary part is done).

We practice these at various times when we talk about things like this and I think it gives them confidence to know that they always have these tools that they can use whenever they need them.

I never put them on a ride that they don't want to go on, however.

Good luck! The 4yo might surprise you!

 

[dmonroe]

It's such a hard call to make! Sometimes our 4 yo will tell us he's not going to do something he's done lots of times before. I often think he just does it to be contrary!

Seriously though, I would never put him on something he truly was afraid of/didn't want to go on. Sometimes though, if it's something we know he will really enjoy we do push harder to get him on. You know, he doesn't want to do TOT and I'll never try to talk him into it. But when he says he doesn't want to do something like Buzz, we do give him a little push.

With a 4 yo it's also hard to explain that even though some things are scary/thrilling, they are also safe. This is a kid that would like nothing better than for us to strap him in his jogging stroller, push him to the top of the highest hill in our neighborhood (which is actually quite tall!), give him a big push and let him go down the hill while dh or I chase after the stroller! NO! We don't do it; but he asks every time we go for a walk. This is the same kid that will sometimes not do Goofy's Barnstormer (but says he will ride SM this year if he is tall enough). For the life of me I can't get it through to him that the stroller thing is totally unsafe while amusement park rides are!

I guess you never know what's really going through their minds about things. Your 4yo might surprise you and ride everything!

Good luck to you and have a fun trip!

 

[Castillo Mom]

If it was a ride that more than two could sit togethr, we would promise that they could sit between mom and dad. If it was a two seater ride, they would sit with Dad since Dad has some type of magical powers and could protect them from anything scary! My boys started riding the big rides at Disneyland at about age 3 but they did not like Snow White, it was too scary for them and they didn't ride until after age 5 or so.

 

[janette]

As others have said it really depends on the child. I have an 11yo thrill seeker that has never refused to ride anything, the only ride she has ever said scared her was PoC and that was because of the cannons. I have a 9yo that has worked her way up to riding Big Thunder, she'll do splash and has even held her hands up once when I promised her a picture if she would. The only thing she hasn't done at all is RnR, she did TOT once but hasn't gotten back on since.

The best thing anyone ever did for her was a friend that helped her make it through Haunted Mansion. She gave her a small pinlight to shine on the floor during the intro and also a glow in the dark bracelet that she could look at during the dark sequences. It was wonderful and she did great. I've saved the glow in the dark bracelet and we'll use that again. There are all kinds of glow in the dark things you could get at the dollar store or somewhere and that will really help the kids that have problems with the dark.

 

[jacksonsmom]

Only you know your child & what they can or can not handle.

My son was 3.5 yrs old on our 1st Disney trip last June. He went on every ride he was able to go on, including ToT, Dinosaur, Test Track, Splash Mountain, Haunted Manison & of course all the rides in Fanastyland. He never freaked out on any of those rides, although ToT did take his breathe away He especially enjoyed Dinosaur & the Haunted Manison.

What I did was I explained every ride to him in detailed. I told him what was going to happen & that it might be dark or maybe even a little scary but I will be right there with him. On some of the rides, ToT & Splash especially I had my hand on his leg as a 'comfort'.
I NEVER pushed him onto the rides, it was always him asking to go on them. (he is a daredevil and has NO fear)
Even while we were in line I would ask him if he really wants to go on this ride, IF he would have said No, we would have left the line.

Has your child ever been to different amusement park rides or maybe rides at a fair? If she has, how did she do? If she freaked out on those then it is probably a good idea to hold off on some of the rides at WDW. If she has never been on an amusement park type ride, I would try to bring her to a place where she could experience it. I believe it said you were from Minneapolis (unless I was thinking of someone else) but you could take her to Camp Snoopy & see how she does on some of those rides.
I think why my son is such a dare devil is because from the time he could go on rides I have let him.

Also if your child does try a ride & does freak out just give her praised that she tried it & tell her she was pretty brave.
After all the 'scary adult' rides my son went on we made a HUGE deal out of him being so brave

Good Luck

 

[>>^..^<<]

Okay this is Cassie's tip for the day - take it for all it's worth but I have seen it work MIRACLES with my fraidy-cat nephew 5 who was terrified of everything even "It's a small world"

This works best for dark rides...

Buy them the spinny/light up/gizmo of their choice ~ you know the ones I mean? that they sell on the carts? Kids love them - except they ONLY get them when they are going on a dark ride, like magic wand...

My nephew would do anything to play with it, Pirates, Splash, Snow White etc... as long as he got to play with/hold the light up spinny thing he was fine.. sort of like a security blanket/ nightlight psychology.

As soon as it we were off the ride we would take it away and put it in my sister's bag... he would be asking to go on the ride again to get it back


Good Luck!

>>^..^<<

 

[dclwdwlover]

Having had 4 sons - each very different - I speak with a
little (?) experience here. Not only is each child different, but also each age & ultimately, each experience.

I also have taken my kids on rides that they have been apprehensive about - NEVER scared to death about, tho.

I know what has always worked for me are these things:

1) I have never lied - even white-lied - to my kids about anything & they trust my word & my judgment. (I've never been the type to bribe them) When I say I 'think' they will like something they trust me.
2) Before taking them on anything I ride it first so that I can explain everything that will happen. I pay special attention to the noises, lights, whatever that child may have concerns about
3) Usually they always will go again & again, but in the rare instance they actually didn't like it, I never push them to 'try it again'


Funny story (at least NOW) -
When my youngest was 3 & we were in Universal Stu. waiting in line for Jaws - he was excited until JUST as we got onto the boat, as someone waiting in line said to him, "You're not scared???". (Thanx!!) Because he hadn't shown any fear until then & I had shown him the shark prior to getting on AND his 3 older brothers had just waited almost an hour to get on & couldn't go without me, I took him on, but I promised him we'd sit on the side that the shark didn't come up on. So, I put him as far left as you could get - after being in Univ.St. in CA & seeing the shark come up on the right.
O.k. - you guessed it - the shark jumped up out of the water right NEXT TO my son & he literally FLEW across all of our laps into the center aisle. I felt bad for him, but it really was hysterical.
No, he wasn't permanently traumatized. He's 12 now & laughs about it today - although I don't know how much he really remembers or what he gathers from his brothers memories. Either way, he still trusts my judgment - Mom's aren't perfect I've always told him.

 

[Chim Chiminy]

The posters here are giving some excellent advice!
My little bit to add---take moldable earplugs. I always advise this. Children have sensitive ears, and so many of the attractions are loud. You can buy them at any pharmacy or wal-mart.
I used them last trip for my 4 and 10 year old. I use them still when we go see a movie!
I also found a small flashlight recently for our next trip at K-Mart. It is tigger and when you squeeze his tummy, his nose lights up. There is a spot on his tail where you could attach a string or jumpring to help hold on to him. They also had Pooh Bear and Eeyore. The light is not bright and I thought it would be perfect for my four year old on dark rides. I found this in electronics, near the cd's.

 

[hightown]

Our first trip and first time on Test Track (1999) my almost 6yr old DD was really afraid but she did it and loved it.

Two trips later we were standing in line at TT and I noticed a girl about 6 that was fighting tears and was very scared. Her Mom was trying to calm her but we were on the outside part and everytime those cars roared by she shook! I pointed her out to DD and suggested she go over to her and tell her how scared she was the first time and how fun it ended up being. etc.They chatted about the details and ended up playing and having fun while waiting. The girl loved the ride and DD felt like a hero..

So my suggestion would be to watch for someone same age as your child whose done it before and maybe ask the parent if the child can tell your child a little about the ride and maybe calm those fears. But if that doesn't work,, then we'd just skip the ride. There will be other times.

This year I finally want to try Tower of Terror which DD (now 9) is still leary of. I told her we'd go to the exit and she could talk to some kids coming off the ride. We'll see

Sharon

 

[TimeWarp]

I think a four or five year old is too young to "force" on a ride. Let them see you ride it - kid swap - and then maybe after seeing your excitement they will give it a try. If you force them now, then when they are 10 they still won't do it. That's from personal experience with my sister who is 41 and won't go on SM because my dad drug her on there when she was a kid. Just a mom's opinion.

 

[Jennasis]

I agree with the above post. Do NOT force unwilling children on a ride. In fact, don't even push the subject. If the kid says no, just drop it. Don't try to convince them that it's fun, or not scary or whatever.

I recall for MANY years that whenever we went to Disney, I flat out REFUSED to even look at the Snow White ride for fear of catching a fleeting glimpse of the witch. Mom and Dad let it slide, and eventually I got tired of being left to wait with Mom while Dad took my sister on and gave it a try. PS...I'm 26 and STILL get awful heart palpitations whenever I see or hear the witch.

Dragging frightened children on a ride is scarring to them and ruins the ride for EVERYONE around you. Your kid will let you know when they are ready.

 

[crisi]

Some people just don't like rides - especially thrill rides - regardless of their age. My husband has been on ToT once - and will never do it again. If our kids decide they need to try, it will be with Mommy - Dad won't ride.

Be aware of what your kid finds scary. My son will spin (teacups), but drops have just recently become fun (Splash, any Coaster). He hates loud noises. Other kids are afraid of surprises, bad guys, dark, enclosed spaces, seat belts, etc.

Thanks for the reminder on ear plugs though. Now go add it to my packing list. Not only do I expect them to help get through the loud noises, I'm really not comfortable with the loud noises on little ears. I'm not yet forty and have noticed my hearing is damaged, don't need to help my kids do that.

 

[manchurianbrownbear]

Thanks for all the great ideas!

"Forcing" DD4 on a ride is NOT an option. If we tried, you'd be able to hear the screams throughout the entire park!

We'll definitely start with slow rides to build confidence and work up to to others and I like the idea of getting a toy/flashlight to bring on rides she's not sure about.