Fireworks and my 2 yr old

[adventure_woman]

Last month we watched Wishes on the Tomorrowland bridge and the entire time my DD2 sobbed in my neck. Poor thing, I felt bad for her, but besides wanting to watch them, there wasn't much we could do because as you know, it gets packed and you aren't moving until they are over! Well, today we finally got our camcorder back and we had taped the fireworks. Would you believe she was still scared of them! She would watch a little of them hiding behind the recliner, but then she would go and hide. I feel so bad that she was so tramatized! (I may be a mean mom, but I would do it again though!). We didn't do Illuminations or Fantasmic because of this though... I just had to share. Maybe by watching and learning that fireworks just go Boom (like dogs go bark or kitties go meow), she'll get over this fear by August?

 

[RMulieri]

Maybe she will, maybe she won't.My dd was terrified of local fireworks as a toddler and we went to WDW in Sept ( she was 4) and she was still terrified.

 

[MegaDisney]

I feel your pain. The good news is, most likely she WILL get over it.

When my son was 2 we took him to Disney for the first time. We stayed at the Contemporary, and had a wonderful MK view off our balcony (nice surprise from DH!). Needless to say, we could not wait to see the fireworks off our balcony that first night- we had just gotten in that day and decided against going to MK for a few hours, so this was to be our son's first experience with fireworks.

HE HATED THEM! He kept running into the room from the balcony, then poking his head out, then running back in. He wasn't crying, but he was scared. The good news is that he did get over them, and now he is 6 and loves the fireworks. I'll think your daughter will do the same. Good luck!

 

[Manda]

My biggest memory of my first Disney World trip? Sobbing hysterically and begging my Mom to leave during the fireworks. And I still don't like them either. It's not that they "just go boom" - it's the boom that I hate. It's not fun for me to sit there and be startled every 15 seconds for half an hour. And, of course, my Mom was a fireworks, show, and parade fiend. Now that I'm older, of course, I can sit through it, but I don't really want to. My son is the same way, except he's still a little boy and can't just sit through it peacefully. There's no way I'd make him sit there and feel like that, so we always left before the fireworks start. We did both finally go to Fantasmic for the first time last year - we used ear plugs. We won't go again.

I'd really prefer that nothing be very loud in life.

 

[Krissy Marissy]

She will get over it...maybe not by august but eventually as she gets older. If she doesn't want to watch them dont force her to until she's ready, that should help her get over it sooner. Good luck to you!

 

[adventure_woman]

The worst part was, a couple of days later, we were behind/to the side of the castle and she was standing in her stroller watching the show in front of the castle. She was having a wonderful magical moment, watching the princesses dance (favorite is Sleeping Beauty). She was dancing with them with her hands up and then all of a sudden - BOOM! We forgot about them shooting off a couple of fireworks and she hit the deck! (went into a fetal position in her stroller). We felt so bad for her - the poor little thing got scared to death, and she was having so much fun! We probably wouldn't even see the fireworks in August anyway, they are so late and she goes to bed much earlier.

 

[Perditamarie]

My kids don't like fireworks because they are too loud. Consider:

http://earplugstore.stores.yahoo.net/ear-muffs-for-children.html#order

 

[tam626]

My 3 year old has always been petrified of fireworks so for Disney, we took headphones along & here's a picture of him enjoying them.

 

[wrighter]

I wish I knew how to upload photos, because I have an almost identical photo of DD3 wearing her big ol' earmuff headphones. We take them everywhere. They were not only useful during the fireworks, and in the public restrooms - all those loud flushers, you know - but at Rainforest Cafe. (I had no idea it thundered there every 22 minutes. )

Any time something is noisy, she starts to get panicked. As soon as we put those things on her she calms down and enjoys it. She can still hear, it is just really muffled.

Good luck!

 

[mjkacmom]

3 of mine were afraid of fireworks. Ds got over it when he was 8 (peer pressue), ds got over it when he was 5, and dd6 still cries at our local fireworks, and I carry her home sobbing (and we watched Wishes from the Disney bus).

 

[nessz79]

My kids have both been afraid of fireworks with the oldest being the 'worst." We watched Wishes from the Fort Wilderness beach and the oldest was able to handle that fine, even with the music being piped in (there was a part with a witch that scared him a little, but nothing major). The distance really seemed to help.

Your little girl will outgrow it, but it's a question of when My boys are 6 and 4 years old. We're going to Washington DC for 4th of July this year and I plan on bringing ear plugs for them.

 

[mahend0]

Of our 3 children, my oldest, dd 6 usually still hates fireworks. Wife said dd actually almost liked them when she held her hands over her ears on a trip to Disney last week, meaning ear phones might do wonders.