Are HISTA and The Boneyard play areas recommended for young toddlers?

[branv]

I had planned to take my 2y2m DS into these play areas, but I keep reading little blips about them being really easy to lose your kiddo or the older kids being really rough. DS is still not good on the climbing front and still thinks he can step off high areas (like he's going to float gently to the ground like a feather or something ). And it doesn't even look like these are areas that are terribly easy for adults to follow or even visually supervise. Are these play areas not recommended for the littler kids?

 

[Alesia]

I would definitely not take him to the HISTK playground. My daughter never tried the Boneyard, so I'm not sure about that one.

 

[msmama]

If you go into the boneyard and immediately to the right there's a great area for little ones (with a small slide).

Personally I never had issues with HISTK when my son was little, but he also tended to find one thing he liked and stay around there rather than want to explore the whole thing.

 

[Mousemommy1]

I was just saying to our daughters that their little brother is going to LOVE the boneyard (he will be 15 months next trip). We have done the boneyard
many times, and have never had an issue with rough kids and not being able to keep an eye on the little ones.

 

[ajwolfe]

If you stay right with him in HISTK then I think he will be fine. It is a crowded play place and easy to lose older kids. But when my kids were in the toddler stage we just stayed right with them while they played on one or two things and there were fine. We've never really encountered kids in either area that are any more rough at play then at our local playgrounds - just all depends on the kids/parents there that day.

 

[mcjaco]

My 2 1/2 year olds (at time of the visit) loved both the HISTA and the Boneyard. We just kept them to the more age appropriate areas, and helped them through others if they insisted on trying them.

 

[TravelingTotMom]

My DS at 12 months loved the Boneyard. He actually started walking on his own there!

We had absolutely no issues with rough kids or losing him, but we did have to follow him in and out of some caves (might have had to duck). It is a fantastic place for toddlers.

No experience with HISTK yet, but we are going to take him there later this month (he will be 18 months).

 

[DopeyDame]

Both playgrounds have toddler areas that will be perfect for your son. My son was 18 months his first time in the HISTK area - I didn't let him go up the big kid slides, but other than that we had a great time and no risk of losing him. (It's when they're old enough to do the larger climbing and bigger slides that you stop being able to see them the whole time.) And the boneyard is just awesome for little ones - both the sand digging area and the little playground area.

 

[annadreamsofdisneyworld]

What does HISTK stand for, and where is it?

 

[pjacobi]

In the HISTK area, there are small and cramped spaces that are difficult for an adult to follow a small child. It made me worry when I could no longer follow or see my child. You must trust that your child will eventually pop into view at the top of the slide. Access to HISTK playground is strictly controlled via one-way in/one-way out, so I knew that my child could not easily leave the area.

Another child or mother brought out my 2yr+11month daughter crying, for some reason. I can't remember exactly what happened. We took a rest and dried her tears and she was ready to run off again.

The Boneyard is more open and may be more suitable for smaller children. Much less for a parent to worry since kids are in full view.

Both places are excellent to give kids some freedom after being so controlled for most of the day.

Please don't leave kids there unattended!


-Paul

 

[ny0090]

What does HISTK stand for, and where is it?

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and it's at Hollywood Studios.

 

[ScarletBegonias]

We just went at the end of September, and my 15mo DD loved the boneyard. Granted, I didn't really leave her side, It was not that busy. She loved being able to burn off some energy from being in the stroller. We'd do it again next time! We never made it HISTA

 

[branv]

Great news! Thanks so much! My little one may be slow in the climbing, but he's a runner of the first degree. And seldom stays at one thing for long. We will give these places a try, reinforce/repearrepeatrepeat rules of staying within view of us (though, yeah, I know, toddler memory span... but, m'eh, it's worth a shot. He seems to hear the word "stop" about 20% of the time, lol. Maybe we'll catch him on a good day). But it's good to know if he does somehow outpace us, there aren't multiple ways to get past us and into general park population.

 

[patdoc98]

With a 2 year old, I would literally recommend rope-dropping HISTK if you want to do it, or at least do it before 10 am. It is really amazing when it is empty. But once it gets crowded, even 3 and 4 year olds could have a really hard time in there. And it can be harrowing as a parent trying to keep an eye on your kid.

Boneyard is also better for the little ones when less crowded, but there are still areas where a 2-year-old could play happily and be watched/tracked, after it starts to fill up. We went to the Boneyard in the late afternoon / early evening last November, and I was tracking our two sons (aged 8 months and 3.5 years) while the other adults in our group rode Everest (twice), and it was not a problem. Actually, there was one problem -- our 3.5-year-old, who had been potty-trained for a long time at that point, actually peed his pants on the bridge to the dig site, which was his only accident our entire trip. He was having so much fun, he didn't want to tell me he had to pee.