has anyone done this ??

[cyndibelle]

so you child is almost tall enough to ride a ride but he needs a bit of help...have you ever done anything to make them tall enough to ride...like getting shoes with thick soles.....or anything ??

 

[AnaheimGirl]

No, I've never done it. I figure the height requirements are there for a reason, and I'd be too worried about my child's safety to put her on a ride she's too short for.

I know other people do, though.

 

[cleo]

While I am sure some people have done this I really hope you don't. Disney has ride restrictions for a reason and one reason is the safety of your child. By trying to 'trick' the CM measuring your child, you are putting your child at risk. Is it worth it for a ride?

Hopefully the CM's are all doing their job and won't let people get away with a bad decision. Hopefully you will also decide Disney will still be there when your child is taller and it isn't worth even a small injury just for a theme park ride.

 

[cinder1]

I know people have done it, but the CMs are pretty good about spotting such things. Also the height restrictions are there for a reason. It just isn't safe to put a kid on a ride if he/she doesn't meet the height requirements. All of my kids have had this issue through the years and they had a great time anyway.

 

[cyndibelle]

yea i worry about my childs safety too..but we are talking a half a inch here..its not like i am trying to pack on 4 inches or so....

 

[sweetinmaine]

No, I never did that for my children when they were growing up. I now have 2 grandsons and one of them (3 yrs old) so badly wants to go on Splash Mountain. I've explained that the rules are there to keep him safe and that as he becomes a bigger boy, he'll get to go on the bigger rides. With those few tragic deaths and all the injuries that occur at amusement parks, I'm not sure why any adult would "help" a child get on a ride that they shouldn't be on. Children need to learn from an early age that they don't get everything they ask for and that rules are meant to be obeyed. What are we teaching our kids when we as adults know better and still compromise the kids safety. Love them enough to say no. (Off the soapbox now..)

 

[cyndibelle]

thanks for the replys but i really didnt need to be told what the rules are..i am quite aware of the rules and why the height restrictions are there....i am just asking if anyone has done this...in no way do i plan to put my child at risk for any injuries....a ride is a ride and it will always be there....i was just curious as to what people have done..cause i have seen many while at disney and i was just wondering ....

 

[cleo]

To answer the question of whether or not people have done it, yes, there are certainly people who have tried. Hopefully none of them get away with it.

This topic often gets ugly. Do the above replies answer your question? If so, would you like to have the tread closed before it gets nasty? If not, I'll leave it open to futher replies.

 

[cyndibelle]

no its ok cleo...we shouldnt have to close a thread...i dont understand why anything has to get nasty...thanks though..

 

[cyndibelle]

thanks for the info puritan...

 

[VSL]

Also, I think that some people have found that by Disney's standards their children still aren't tall enough if they are borderline.

 

[cleo]

I hate to do it, but the DIS does not allow posts that give specific information on how to break Disney's rules. My apologies, but I did have to remove the post that gave that information.

The OP asked if anyone has done this. They did not ask for specific information on HOW to do it (which the DIS does not allow).

 

[jultomzach]

I understand the importance to enforce rules and not teach children to "cheat". The challenge as a parent is that height does not always reflect age. My son is short for his age, so while other kids his age could go on rides with heigth restrictions, he could not. I think it is wise to be proactive and figure how to tackle this before you are standing in front of the attraction. It can also be complicated by who you are traveling with. Are there other kids that will be tall enough? Maybe to avoid the nastiness of these type of threads, we can share how parents have helped the shorter kids in these situations. Yes, I want Zach to understand rules but the fact that he is shorter than other kids his age is not necessarily "fair" (especially from a young child's perspective) I can talk to Zach about safety and following rules. I can be the adult but I don't want to be heartless with him. Anyway, I am not into making Disney a "reality check" for him....I want to make it as enjoyable as possible and still follow the rules. What ideas do parents have?

 

[snowbunny]

My son just made the required height for Big Thunder Mountain, he had just turned 6 (he's little). That should have told me we were pushing it. He could not see much of anything but directly over his head and inside the car, he was scared to death. He is 8 now and still says he never wants to go on that ride again.

 

[beattyfamily]

The only thing I've done is when my DD was EXACTLY 48 inches and really wanted to be sure she would be able to ride RnR, I bought her sneakers for school and Disney that did have some of a heal.

We just wanted to be positive and sure there'd be no doubt she was tall enough because we've learned that depending on the ride and the CM, a kid could be tall enough one minute and not tall enough the next.

But I would not do anything to make them 48 inches when they are 46 or 47.

 

[FayeW]

Why does everybody assume that the height restriction is based on your height in barefeet? Does it say somewhere that a child must be a certain height WITHOUT their shoes on? If so, please tell me where to find that info! I would really like to know if the stick, or whatever is used to measure, is set at 54" exactly, or more than that to allow for shoes. It would seem unfair to me to set it higher, because then you might have a child who is exactly the right height, but wearing thin soled sandals, and not be able to ride, while a child who is 53.5", but wearing sneakers, is allowed on.

As far as I understand it, children are measured with their shoes ON, therefore, common sense would tell me that the thickness of the soles of the shoes would already be factored in to the measuring standards. I can't imagine any company setting their safety standards at exactly the manufactures guidelines, and risk injury because somebody's shoes were a 1/4" thicker than somebody elses.

 

[cleo]

The CM's are aware enough to check for the thickness of the child's shoes. I have seen CM's ask a child to remove thick-soled shoes and be measured in their bare feet. Most parents seem to purchase shoes for their children that will be comfortable to walk in (trainers or sandals), which are not typically 'thick soled' shoes, so it seems the stick is designed with regular soles in mind.

We all know Disney's rules. I never quite understand trying to find a way to justify 'bending' them when a child's safety is involved.

 

[VSL]

We all know Disney's rules. I never quite understand trying to find a way to justify 'bending' them when a child's safety is involved.

ITA.

Also, a previous poster was talking about age and it not being fair if you're a bit shorter than your peers, but if an adult wasn't tall enough they wouldn't be allowed to ride either.
It's just one of those things.

I mean, these really are just rides.

 

[FayeW]

.

We all know Disney's rules. I never quite understand trying to find a way to justify 'bending' them when a child's safety is involved.

Actually, I don't know the rules, which is why I asked! Does anybody know at what height EXACTLY the measuring device, etc is set at? If it is 54", then kids measuring at the line with their shoes on ar clearly NOT 54" in their barefeet, and we can make the assumption that the thickness of the sole is already factored in to the 54" height requirement, and the actual required height for the child for safety is less than 54". People get all bent out of shape about breaking rules, when we don't even know for sure what the rule is!

Has anybody recently had a child who they knew to be less than the "posted" height requirement, but the CM allowed them to ride because they measured the right height at the stick?

 

[sweetinmaine]

...i dont understand why anything has to get nasty.....

cyndibelle: I don't think anyone is intentionally getting nasty. I also don't think anyone is accusing you of contemplating doing that. I do think that we answered your question. "Would we do it". In your original post, you didn't say that you were going to do anything. You just asked the question and folks answered. Apparently most of us wouldn't and we gave the reasons why. I'm sure that no lectures were intended.