Are any rides an issue for extremely petite children?

[Shrill]

Hi all!

My DD is 7. She was a micro preemie and while she is 46 inches now (might be 48 by the time we go) and is tall enough for most rides, she is tiny: she weighs all of 36 lbs. She is an adrenaline junkie and would want to go on pretty much everything except Tower of Terror (which would be a problem for her because of the emotional intensity, not the actual drop which she would probably think was hilarious).

She has no idea that we are going , but already knows that she is not allowed on any roller coasters that go upside down until she is a bit bigger, Mommy's rules. So basically no RockinRollercoaster.

Has anyone travelled with kids who were this petite? Did you find any of the rides problematic? From what I am reading, it seems they would all be ok?

Cheers!

 

[cakebaker]

My daughters were very small both in weight and height for their age. This was years ago, they are grown now, but if they met Disney's requirements for height and they wanted to ride, I let them. But at age 8, they weren't even tall enough for space mountain.

Now we're facing the opposite problem with my grandson. He just turned 3 and is tall enough to ride things we don't think he should - like TOT. So I know the issue from both sides!

 

[minnie mum]

Provided she is tall enough to meet the height restrictions and has no medical conditions that could be affected by the ride, she should be fine.

 

[mullysisters]

Would she go on Expedition Everest? I love it but in reality it doesn't really go fast or spin etc. The view from the top is great. The cars are very tight. Also Kali River Rapids is quite fun but doesn't "throw" you around too much. Mine Train, obviously. She'd be okay for Space Mountain, it's a bit jarring but you are very well secured in your tiny seat. It doesn't go upside down. I think she would be okay in Big Thunder Mnt RR too. She sounds adorable. When she can go on RnR she will really love it. It's my fav ride at WDW.

Sorry I just reread your post- no EE or SM but BTRR should be okay, it's not really like a roller coaster.

 

[TXAKDisneyFan]

Hi all!

My DD is 7. She was a micro preemie and while she is 46 inches now (might be 48 by the time we go) and is tall enough for most rides, she is tiny: she weighs all of 36 lbs. She is an adrenaline junkie and would want to go on pretty much everything except Tower of Terror (which would be a problem for her because of the emotional intensity, not the actual drop which she would probably think was hilarious).

She has no idea that we are going , but already knows that she is not allowed on any roller coasters that go upside down until she is a bit bigger, Mommy's rules. So basically no RockinRollercoaster.

Has anyone travelled with kids who were this petite? Did you find any of the rides problematic? From what I am reading, it seems they would all be ok?

Cheers!

My DD7 (not a premie) is the exact same size as yours. She's been to WDW several times starting at age 19 mos and never had any problems with any rides she's been on.

She'll be riding the mountains (Splash, BTMRR, Space), ToT and Expedition Everest for the first time in May. (I doubt that she'd agree to go to RRC even if she were tall enough.) While we don't have specific experience with her riding some of the more 'thrilling' WDW rides yet, she has ridden some things like Atlantis at SeaWorld without any issues. I don't think she'll have any problems.

As a side note, I went to DL several times as a child, I was the same size as my daughter is, and I never had any issues riding the mountains there.

 

[DizneyNutz]

Our five year old grandson rode it (RnR) several times and was probably around that weight at the time. He is 8 now and still only around 55 pounds. But we support your decision if that is what you decide. Just giving you our experience to base your decision. Have a wonderful trip!

 

[Lorelai]

I lean toward the newer thrill rides as better for children, primarily because they tend to be smoother. Case in point, my daughter could easily withstand EE at that age, yet Space Mountain really jolted her head around. I was trying to buffer her through the ride, but Space Mtn. is old school erratic.

 

[buttercup14]

I'm a fairly petite adult and I had some issues on big thunder with the lap bar not coming down anywhere near low enough, I was sliding around a lot and while I'm sure I was safe it made the experience not to enjoyable, the lap bar probably would have come down future if I'd have been siting next to someone smaller or by myself though. Being that I'm an adult and had issues I'm not sure how a 7 year old would go. I didn't have trouble with anything else.

 

[philschrek]

My son was a preemie as well and is 35 pounds, 47.5" at 6 years old. He has never had any issues with rides he's been tall enough for, so I think she will be just fine!

ETA: LOL the typo with height! He's definitely not 37.5"

 

[philschrek]

Forgot to add, Space Mountain is quite jerky. My son did get jostled around a bit but I don't think any more than any other young child. It wasn't enough to keep him from wanting to go again!

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

She is going to slide around the most in the rides where the lap restraint is shared because they only get as tight as the biggest person will allow. BTMRR is one of the major culprits for that. Not saying she won't be safe, but she might not "feel" safe on rides like that so you may want to keep an arm around her.

 

[Shrill]

This is all so helpful: thank you. I'm so pleased that I won't have to restrict her very much (and I won't be left panicking if I don't!). I'll have her sit beside her dad probably which should help on the mountains etc: I am average sized but he is quite thin, especially his legs. Heh.

 

[mombrontrent]

I think she will be fine on all the rides. My youngest is very small and last summer she was almost 8 years, about 48 inches and 40 lbs. She rode many more "intense" roller coasters than you will find at Disney. We are headed to Disney in a few weeks and she has plans to ride all the rides. She is just so excited that she is finally tall enough to go on all the rides with her older siblings. She has grown since than and is now 8.5 years old, 50 inches and 44 lbs. She was not a preemie but has just always been very tiny. She even wants to ride Summit Plummet at Blizzard Beach!

 

[joecal44]

Hi all!

My DD is 7. She was a micro preemie and while she is 46 inches now (might be 48 by the time we go) and is tall enough for most rides, she is tiny: she weighs all of 36 lbs. She is an adrenaline junkie and would want to go on pretty much everything except Tower of Terror (which would be a problem for her because of the emotional intensity, not the actual drop which she would probably think was hilarious).

She has no idea that we are going , but already knows that she is not allowed on any roller coasters that go upside down until she is a bit bigger, Mommy's rules. So basically no RockinRollercoaster.

Has anyone travelled with kids who were this petite? Did you find any of the rides problematic? From what I am reading, it seems they would all be ok?

Cheers!

Hi Shrill, looks like you're all set but figured I'd respond as my DD's situation incl. being a micro preemie and an adrenaline junkie is identical. You will not have an issue as cast members focus on height, not weight.

My DD just turned 7 and is slightly smaller (exactly 44 inches) and about the same weight. She's been to the parks several times over the past few years, loves the thrill rides and roller coasters. Despite the size/weight, nothing seems to impede her from a ride perspective. However, I do find myself keeping my arm around her, just in case, but Space Mountain is a solo seat.

BTW - She's a huge fan of Tower of Terror and helped her deal with some potential anxiety by showing her videos of the rides in advance.

Enjoy!