DS is 38.5 inches tall. With shoes on will he make the 40 inch height requirement?

[XTinabell]

Wow, in all my DLR trips, I have never experienced this. They measure to the nth degree. They measure at the front of the que, and then if they even question it, they will remeasure at the loading area. If there is any tiny little bit of air between the top of the head and the bar, you won't get on the ride. CM's are VERY serious about this and I have never ever seen anyone slide through if they were under the required height.

Same with me - I have seen people get measured and placed on the ride and then removed from the ride re-measured and then told they couldn't ride. The cm's seem to be very strict as it is in place for their safety.

I will tell you a story - I don't recall how old I was but there is a mall in a city near me that has a rollercoaster in it that all the cool kids were riding but I wasn't tall enough. So I bought some tall shoes and I was barely over the line but I was allowed to ride. BIG MISTAKE! Because I was too short when sitting down I wasn't really held in properly and when we went upside down my head flung foward between my legs and I couldn't lift it up until the ride was over - when I got off my neck was all sprained and I couldn't move my head for a couple of days. I was lucky something worse didn't happen.

 

[Skye00]

We have been in this postion many times and I just tell my older one ahead of time that we are not going to be able to go on every ride. Then I ask him if he still wants to go under those circumstances and he has said YES! every time. Once in the park, I know he does miss the big rides, (me too!) but we remind each other that another time will come when we can do them and at least we are at DL and having a great time anyway. There are just so many other things to do that it is still so worth going even without those few big rides!

I will take this approach. If we are able to do the ride, great, if not, we can find something else. I agree that it is always best to explain the situation to kids, to prepare them.

I think I will still have my son wear his thick-soled sneakers, just in case he is able to measure up Maybe he willl have a growth spurt in the next week. I will remind him to "think big" as the other members have suggested.

 

[Skye00]

I will tell you a story - I don't recall how old I was but there is a mall in a city near me that has a rollercoaster in it that all the cool kids were riding but I wasn't tall enough. So I bought some tall shoes and I was barely over the line but I was allowed to ride. BIG MISTAKE! Because I was too short when sitting down I wasn't really held in properly and when we went upside down my head flung foward between my legs and I couldn't lift it up until the ride was over - when I got off my neck was all sprained and I couldn't move my head for a couple of days. I was lucky something worse didn't happen.

Ouch. I understand what you are saying and I would never cheat the system if I thought my kids might be injured, especially on a roller coaster that went upside down or one in which your body parts are outside the main compartment.

My thought process on Splash Mountain and Space Mountain is that neither go upside down, both you are enclosed (over a young child's head in Space and to the neck in Splash) so unless you stand up, you cannot fall out, and on the big drop on Splash, the momentum actually pushes you against the back of the seat and not up and out like on swing. So I am not concerned about them falling out. (On that note, I am not planning on taking my son on any CA Soaring type ride where his legs dangle. Even that orange swing in CA Disney makes me nervous when my 45 inch daughter goes on it.) I think thrills rides are great, but to a certain degree. I would never let any of my children (even as adults) on that insane roller coaster on the top of the Stratosphere hotel in Las Vegas. Now that is crazy!

 

[robinb]

On that note, I am not planning on taking my son on any CA Soaring type ride where his legs dangle.

That's funny. Soarin' would be the only ride that I would recommend for your young son if he made the 40" mark as there are no G-forces or jerky movements. Soarin' has a strap that goes between the child's legs and loops into the seat belt. I do not think that your son could squirm out even if he tried to.

The reasons why I don't recommend the other rides for your very young son is because Space Mountain at DL has lots of G-forces and really whips you around in the dark. Splash Mountain only has single seats (with no seat belts) in the log and even if you get the back double seat one of your kids will have to sit alone.

 

[Amy&Dan]

Skye00: I hope you have a great trip. My kids are 10 and 12 now and I remember the days when one could ride things the other couldn't etc. And it was sort of funny/sad because my daughter was the dare devil and the younger, shorter one. Lots of things my son could ride he wouldn't and there she was dying to ride but too short! It will all work out and those rides will be there when you son grows a bit. But it is hard for little kids to understand that! And I agree with Robinb, if your son makes the requirement for Soarin, ride it! Its a great ride you would all love and not to be missed. And he will be totally, 100% secure in there. I think personally they need to have "rent a granny" at DL next to the stroller rentals for single parents who are in your situtation! They would come in mighty handy ! Good luck!

 

[DangerMouse]

Ooooh!!! Ooooh! I want to apply for the job of "rent a granny". Who cares that I'm only in my 30's! Of course, I would insist on actually getting to ride the second time during the child swap!

 

[Kitsune]

I had a similar situation with my son (7) this past trip. In his case he's 46 1/2" tall and needed a little boost to make the 48" barrier in order to ride California Screamin'. Our attempted solution was a pair of Heely's (with the wheels removed and inserts in place). Also added some gel inserts (doubles as cushioning for the long day of walking). We measured him before the trip and he achieved the 48" with this set-up.

However...when we got to the ride and had him measured, he couldn't stand up quite straight enough under the measuring bar to catch the very top of his skull. (CM used a card to check the distance between his head and the bar and it was off by a fraction.) Needless to say, he was disappointed since he missed the ride last year.

But we had a plan...(I know some of you are going to give me a lot of flak for what we did) .

The next day we tried again. This time, prior to getting in line we padded his heels with rolled up paper towels, just enough to compensate in case he slouched and went up to measure. This time there was no problems making the bar and he got to finally ride. I triple checked the shoulder restraints on his body to make sure that it wasn't too loose and he was locked in pretty snugly so I wasn't concerned that he might fly out of his seat.

Needless to say he enjoyed the ride (it's now his favorite) and rode it a couple of more times during our stay.

Funniest thing about the whole thing was that initially, he felt a little torn about having to use such "augmentation" in order to pass the height requirement in order to ride. But as soon as he finished the ride the first time, he leaned over to me an whispered; "Daddy, don't throw away the paper towels in my shoes yet. I think we're going to need them later."

 

[rentayenta]

My son who was 39" did not make the SM height requirement. They seem to be very consistent with that ride.


When I took all three of my kidlets a few years ago my girls, 7 and 6 at the time, wanted to ride BTMRR. The 7 y/o was not old enough to be in charge of her sister and a CM volunteered to ride with them. That was a few years before the "official" dreams began.

Same trip, the girls wanted to ride Star Tours and the CM said fine and allowed my DS, 3 at the time, and me to walk through the line with them and wait outside the exit.

We must have been lucky that trip.

 

[bumbershoot]

1.5 inches seems quite a lot to make up for in shoes...

My kiddo isn't quite that tall (at least not at last measurement), but he's in around the 75th percentile (he'll be 3 in late May), and I'm still reeling over the concept that he could actually ride Matterhorn! I even had to make a post on another board in shock that they allow such little ones to ride coasters...(I know it's not like a "real" rollercoaster to me, but still)

I can't even come close to imagining taking my kiddo (he'll be solidly 3 on our next trip) on Space Mountain or Splash...even if he were honestly 40" tall. I'm a (retired) chiropractor, and just the knowledge of how relatively unformed the body is at that age...can't imagine purposely putting the forces on his body. After all, I'd be the one "fixing" him!

I mean, I protect him so much from things like that that I made sure he was rear-facing in his carseat until he hit the rf weight limit for his Roundabout...I just don't want his spine to be harmed!


But still, it goes back to 1.5 inches. Half an inch? I could think about it (for another person's kid). But 3 times that? If he were a girl he could wear heels, but I doubt that would be overlooked by the CMs. But a boy? Without being obvious? That Heelies post above made me think that maybe the CMs just weren't paying much attention that day...

Then again, I really really REALLY hate getting "in trouble", and having my kiddo yanked from riding a ride we were trying to ride = "getting in trouble" in my book!



Oh...I can't speak to having two kids yet, but I know that when I have to prepare Eamon for a disappointment (like you might with your daughter), I just talk up up UP all the other things we CAN do, and then try really hard to avoid the thing we can't do. Of course, that would be tricky with Splash and impossible with Space Mtn, but I wonder if you could just come up with SO MANY other things to do that there just won't be time for the others?

That is if you change your mind.
!

 

[Skye00]

Well, I booked the flights tonight! We are going, 38.55 inch son and all. (He grew .05 since this morning! I'm being optimistic.)

The story about the heely shoes made me laugh. You were certainly committed to the "cause" with your use of paper towels. I don't think I will go to such measures though.

I appreciate the comments about the G-force and jerking on Space Mountain. I rode with my daughter in November '06 and didn't feel like it was any worse that the roller coaster they have for the smaller kids in Toon Town, or any of the coaster for toddlers you can find at Six Flags or other theme parks. But, I am not a chiropracter, so the unforeseen effects of the rides are unknown to me. I think my son's joints are made of rubber because he can run, jump, bang, slide and ski hard and he just bounces right up, even though watching makes my joints ache.

I like the "rent a granny" idea. I did ask two of our babysitters if they wanted to come to help, but both were unavailable, although the idea of leaving my child with a stranger, even a Disney "granny" of sorts would make me nervous. I will just hope for the best and if we get to ride great!

 

[Skye00]

I mean, I protect him so much from things like that that I made sure he was rear-facing in his carseat until he hit the rf weight limit for his Roundabout...I just don't want his spine to be harmed!

Your son is so little in your pic. It's hard to believe how quickly they grow up.

I can completely relate to all the preventative measures you are taking with your son. This coming from a mother who with her first child, only used the AC, because I didn't want the harmful toxins outside the car coming in for her to breathe. A mother who wouldn't let my daughter crawl on any floors outside our home, because they were "germ infested." A mother who sterilized everything - toys, carseat, etc and would never feed her fast food. She didn't know what a french fry was until age 4. I know a little intense. But the second was so different. My son loved to explore on the floors at Target, roll in the dirt at the park and the 5 second rule is often used. It's just different.

I realize that there is a huge difference between protecting your children (with the proper car seats and smart parenting), but I can assure you that with each child, you relax a little more and realize just how resiliant they are.

I see you will be coming to DL soon. How fun!

 

[Kitsune]

Well, I booked the flights tonight! We are going, 38.55 inch son and all. (He grew .05 since this morning! I'm being optimistic.)

The story about the heely shoes made me laugh. You were certainly committed to the "cause" with your use of paper towels. I don't think I will go to such measures though.

He really did made the 48" mark without it...when standing ABSOLUTELY straight up (w/heels and back flat against a wall). He just needed a "buffer" (about 1/4") to make up for poor posture. The problem was the way that the measuring signs are designed there was no place for him to stand flat up against it (and slouching didn't help either).

Now if he were a girl, simply having "her" wear 2" to 2 1/2" high shoes would have been the easiest solution. Boys however need to be less obvious... Hmmm, I wonder if they make Gene Simmons boots in kids sizes?

 

[MATTERHORN]

I agree that he seems little for those rides, but wanted to add that if you are going to try, do it early!! We are tallest in the morning, our spine compresses during the day and some rides you may get on in the AM, you may not be able to in the evening!!

Andrea

 

[MATTERHORN]

Your son is so little in your pic. It's hard to believe how quickly they grow up.

I can completely relate to all the preventative measures you are taking with your son. This coming from a mother who with her first child, only used the AC, because I didn't want the harmful toxins outside the car coming in for her to breathe. A mother who wouldn't let my daughter crawl on any floors outside our home, because they were "germ infested." A mother who sterilized everything - toys, carseat, etc and would never feed her fast food. She didn't know what a french fry was until age 4. I know a little intense. But the second was so different. My son loved to explore on the floors at Target, roll in the dirt at the park and the 5 second rule is often used. It's just different.

I realize that there is a huge difference between protecting your children (with the proper car seats and smart parenting), but I can assure you that with each child, you relax a little more and realize just how resiliant they are.

I see you will be coming to DL soon. How fun!

Just read this (somehow I missed it) and it took me to my third to get like that! But I am still weird about crawling in public places hence our Disney trip when he was 7-8 months old was extra hard!!

Andrea

 

[bumbershoot]

Your son is so little in your pic. It's hard to believe how quickly they grow up.

I can completely relate to all the preventative measures you are taking with your son. This coming from a mother who with her first child, only used the AC, because I didn't want the harmful toxins outside the car coming in for her to breathe. A mother who wouldn't let my daughter crawl on any floors outside our home, because they were "germ infested." A mother who sterilized everything - toys, carseat, etc and would never feed her fast food. She didn't know what a french fry was until age 4. I know a little intense. But the second was so different. My son loved to explore on the floors at Target, roll in the dirt at the park and the 5 second rule is often used. It's just different.

I realize that there is a huge difference between protecting your children (with the proper car seats and smart parenting), but I can assure you that with each child, you relax a little more and realize just how resiliant they are.

I see you will be coming to DL soon. How fun!

My userpic was taken at Bumbershoot festival in Seattle, the colors of my wrap matched my countdown, and we have no other cute *just the 3 of us* pix. That's why he's so itty bitty, instead of showing the almost 3 year old he is now.

I know that people tend to get more relaxed. I'm the oldest of 5! The youngest is 25 years younger than me. And almost all my friends have had kids already, some are in HS, others in at least 3rd grade. So in a way I've felt like I'm already on my 5th. Just tonight he turned his Ikea highchair over to use as a stepstool, it started tipping, he VAULTED off of it, pushed off on the rocking chair arm-rest, and landed on the seat. And all I did was applaud, and wish that men's gymnastics had the same events as women's, because he'd be AWESOME at some of those girl gymnastics events!

That has nothing to do with anything, I just wanted to say that I know that people tend to relax, and it's why my goal from the beginning (even during pregnancy) was to try to act like he was my 5th.