four-year-old on 44 inch rides?

[Heidi K]

So, at a doctor visit for my son today, I measured my daughter and she is just bumping the 44 inch mark. I think she might be exactly 44 inches when we go next month. So now I'm wondering how she'll do on the 44 inch rides--I think that includes Everest and Mission Space, right? She's pretty adventurous and is excited about Mine Train, Tower of Terror, Soarin'. Has anyone taken a four-year-old on the "big" rides? She just seems so little to me, but now I'm wondering how she would do! She'll be five in December.

 

[Calee]

Yes those two are 44 inchers. It's so hard to know. I just went and took my 4 year old (5 in Feb) and 6 year old (7 in Jan). They both did Mine Train, Soarin, Splash and did fine but Soarin was the only one they wanted to do again. I was shocked. I imagined they would be way more adventurous. Younger wasn't tall enough for Mission Space so we didn't do it. Neither would go near TOT. It's just so hard to know with kids how they will do in the moment. I'd start with the milder of the thrill rides and see what she thinks and work up (or not) depending on her response. Have fun!

 

[jvz82]

I think every kid is different. My oldest was 4.5 on our last trip and well over 44 inches. We brought him on Thunder Mountain the morning of our first day and he wasn't crazy about it. He just sat there quietly the whole ride and seemed pretty freaked out! After that, he had no interest in Space mountain or Everest or anything. Going into the trip, he had really been looking forward to Space Mountain and those rides but he just wasn't into it. So I would start with something small, see how she does, and then go from there! You just never know!

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

My youngest was 44" on a trip just before he turned 5 and he went on Space Mtn, Everest, and Mission Space (green side - I don't do the orange side). He loved them all. The first thing I heard him say at the end of Space Mtn and Everest was "I gotta do that again!" He's always been adventurous - rode Splash Mtn, Thunder Mtn, and Tower of Terror at 3. So if it's something she wants to do, there's no reason why she shouldn't or can't, as long as she hits the magic number on the measuring stick.

 

[lillyshula]

When my youngest was 5, she was almost 46". She had no problem on Everest, Mine Train, or Mission: Space, Had no desire to ride Space Mountain or Tower of Terror, and was terrified at the drop on Splash Mountain (it is one of my favorite on ride pictures). I was surprised that Everest was no problem, but Splash Mountain was the one that scared her. I think part of the reason she was alright with most of the rides is because we would watch videos of the rides on YouTube. I think it helped her see what she would like and not like. Now she is getting more adventurous and is excited to ride the things she did not want to ride last time.

 

[3Gsandme]

You know your kid. My daredevil will ride EVERYTHING so long as it's not dark. If it's dark, it's a pass. She can ride Everest but can't handle the Haunted Mansion.

I don't remember what the height requirement is for Space Mountain, but it's a darn rough ride. We've tended to avoid that.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

At 2.5yrs old my niece went on TT, Soarin, and Splash Mountain.
At 3.5yrs she added TOT.
As long as your child is tall enough for the ride and wants to try it then no reason to be worried.

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

My then just 5 daredevil DD did ok on Everest but was quiet and not overly into it. This year when she was just 6, she was thrilled so I think she was a little young the first time to really be comfortable but she was fine.

 

[disnut8]

The only way to know if your daughter is ready for an attraction is to ask her. You said she seems so small but the height restrictions are there for safety reasons so as long as she's 44 inches, she'll be fine. However, I do want to mention that only you have measured her and even at a doctor's office, that's not Disney World measuring her. Also remember that each attraction has its own measuring device so she might make it at one and not at another.

 

[starsweeper]

Only you know if your kid can handle it. My two younger kids were just barely at 40" without shoes last year, but they had no interest in rides like BTMRR, so I decided to wait on the 40" rides for another year. They are about 42" now and more adventurous so we plan to ride more things next year.

 

[#1hoosierfan]

My 4 year old went on everything he could. At the end of ToT he said, "is that it?"

 

[IrishNYC]

If she wants to go on them and she's tall enough, I'd let her go on them. DH and I aren't a huge fan of crazy rides, but no matter where we are, if DD is tall enough for something and she wants to ride, one of us (or our niece) rides with her so that she doesn't start to fear them because we don't like them.

 

[kyleandconnorsmom]

My youngest had turned 4 less than a week before our July trip and he was just barely 40 inches. He did all of the 40 inch rides and loved them! He was terribly disappointed that he couldn't go on Space Mt or EE with his brothers and me. He also wanted to ride all the big rides again, even ToT, which he seemed terrified of before going on it. I think it really just depends on the child, especially if they have older siblings that they witness going on the big rides without fear.

 

[nfouey]

I have a tall kid so I feel ya on this. Height does not always equal ready for a ride. My 3yo is 43 inches on our last trip. I had no clue how he would do on "big kid" rides. So we stared out slow and ramped him up. Barnstormer was first and he loved it so much he made me go twice in a row and ride the front seat the second time. From there I could gague he was ready for 7DMT. After he came off that and said it was too slow so we went to BTMR. I did my best to take him to the viewing areas and let him watch YouTube videos before our trip of all these rides so he was prepared. He did great and turned out to be a big roller coaster fan!

I was surprised however that even though he exceeded the height requirement by a bit on some rides, I personally noticed as a 3 yo he was still getting "rocked" around a bit. He is a large kid, 42+lbs as well and still managed to get bumped around a little to much for my comfort on Star Tours. I had my arm on him the entire ride an was not a fan of how much his body was jerked around. He didn't seem to mind, but we will skip that one till he's a little older.

Best of luck! Enjoy.

 

[Heidi K]

Interesting point about Star Tours. She's already excited about Tower of Terror, which we know she's tall enough for, and then we'll go from there! And I already know I don't plan to put her on Space Mountain--there's something about being single file on the ride that makes me nervous. She wouldn't be able to see me.

 

[notrub98]

My daughter did rides without even blinking at age 4 on the nose (it was literally her birthday ) and then all of a sudden, she developed an unexpected fear of just about everything with speed a year later. I would say start small - maybe Barnstormer? And go from there...

 

[Ava]

Interesting point about Star Tours. She's already excited about Tower of Terror, which we know she's tall enough for, and then we'll go from there! And I already know I don't plan to put her on Space Mountain--there's something about being single file on the ride that makes me nervous. She wouldn't be able to see me.

Be prepared that she will most likely "catch some air" on Tower of Terror when it drops. The seat belt will hold her in but if you think that will scare her keep a hand on her leg to hold her down. My DD was 6 when she went on it last year and her whole butt was off the seat! She loved it though.

 

[DreamIsaWish]

I was surprised however that even though he exceeded the height requirement by a bit on some rides, I personally noticed as a 3 yo he was still getting "rocked" around a bit. He is a large kid, 42+lbs as well and still managed to get bumped around a little to much for my comfort on Star Tours. I had my arm on him the entire ride an was not a fan of how much his body was jerked around. He didn't seem to mind, but we will skip that one till he's a little older.

The one that makes me nervous like that is Thunder Mountain. I feel like a kid could slip out the side, especially if a larger parent is riding such that the bar doesn't go all the way down. I always hold on to my 6-year-old on that one. She loves it, but has to have Mom holding on.

 

[Baklava]

When my youngest was 5, she was almost 46". She had no problem on Everest, Mine Train, or Mission: Space, Had no desire to ride Space Mountain or Tower of Terror, and was terrified at the drop on Splash Mountain (it is one of my favorite on ride pictures). I was surprised that Everest was no problem, but Splash Mountain was the one that scared her. I think part of the reason she was alright with most of the rides is because we would watch videos of the rides on YouTube. I think it helped her see what she would like and not like. Now she is getting more adventurous and is excited to ride the things she did not want to ride last time.

Kids are just do different it's hard to predict. My adventurous kid adored Splash but was pretty upset by Everest. (Not as upset as her 18 year old brother- he would literally not even SPEAK to me for a solid hour.) She love M:S Orange but not Space Mountain. She'd rather do Space Mountain than the Haunted Mansion, though.

I think with an adventurous kid it's best to give them their head and let them lead. Allow for graceful use of the chicken exits but let them try.

 

[Grand Admiral]

Does anyone know how strict they are on the height? I understand the height requirement is 44" for safety concerns, but we just measured my son at 43 5/8" this past weekend. With normal shoes, he's easily at 44". He loves all things space, so it would be great if he could ride Space Mountain.

I suppose it's possible he could grow another 3/8" in a month. He's grown 6" since his birthday in December.