Haunted mansion with toddler question

[marvel]

Why do people have to take such young children on scary rides? Do they need to see coffins and ghosts and be scared at that age?

Just my opinion. But our children didnt get on Haunted Mansion till they were 9 or 10. Seeing freaked out kids screaming and crying in the stretch room is always disturbing, when it's not necessary.

There is no need for toddlers to go on haunted mansion. Let kids have their childhood, save the scary rides when you dont risk petrifying them. If you have to disctract them, then you know they shouldnt be riding.

Our kids enjoyed going on rides now, that they previously would not go on.

 

[Ingrid0382]

Why do people have to take such young children on scary rides? Do they need to see coffins and ghosts and be scared at that age?

They're "Happy Haunts" There's nothing on that ride that frightens our son, who's been going on HM since he was 13 months old. He'll be three in November. The first few times he rode it was with the NBC overlay and he jabbered on about Jack for weeks after each visit. When we ride without the overlay we make sure to point out the silly ghosts or the dancing ghosts or the "puppy" in the graveyard and we don't put any emphasis on how spooky or scary it's going to be.

The only time he's been frightened or upset is when people scream in the stretching room, but the last time we were there he let out the most horrific, blood-curdling scream right before people usually scream and it jumped the group standing in front of us who had been getting ready to scream too. We aren't screamers and I almost dropped him on the floor, it shocked me so badly. He was incredibly proud of himself.

I would never force my kids to ride HM, but I think it's pretty family friendly when approached with the right attitude. We don't focus on the macabre aspect of it and look forward to seeing our favorite characters each time we ride.

Now, the Heffalumps and Woozles room in the Pooh ride? THAT scares my ghoul-loving 2 y/o.

 

[Niebz]

Our kids have all loved haunted mansion! We get them to practice their haunted mansion screams for the stretching room at home so that when we get there they are so excited to show them off that they don't even think about it being scary. Maybe I'm a terrible parent for not sheltering them more but really it's a family favourite ride - one with no height restrictions that we can all do together. Can't imagine our disney trips without it.

 

[smarie82181]

Our kids have all loved haunted mansion! We get them to practice their haunted mansion screams for the stretching room at home so that when we get there they are so excited to show them off that they don't even think about it being scary. Maybe I'm a terrible parent for not sheltering them more but really it's a family favourite ride - one with no height restrictions that we can all do together. Can't imagine our disney trips without it.

I agree. Your not a terrible parent, I dont like to shelter my kid either. It's a family fun ride. If a child doesn't want to go thats one thing, but someone saying young kids shouldn't ride is another. Everyone is entitled to an opinion and what works best for their family.

 

[Aussiedaisy79]

Thanks everyone for your replies! I like the idea of practicing screaming for the stretching room.....he enjoys hearing his little voice echo so thats a good preparation technique! Of course, I definately would not force him on it if he gets upset & one poster said kids shouldnt be exposed to the macabre so young but he has NO idea what a coffin etc is.....it could be a box for all he knows! Kids are probably more damaged from watching the news than going on Haunted Mansion lol Its a pity there isnt a bypass route so you dont have to go in the stretching room with littlies who may be turned off getting on the actual ride because of the darkness of stretching room & screaming.

 

[figment_jii]

I agree. Your not a terrible parent, I dont like to shelter my kid either. It's a family fun ride. If a child doesn't want to go thats one thing, but someone saying young kids shouldn't ride is another. Everyone is entitled to an opinion and what works best for their family.

I think the problem is that a lot of us on this board have seen parents who are so intent on riding a ride (like the Haunted Mansion), that they drag their children on regardless of how the little one reacts. They essentially do force their children on and aren't willing to skip the ride or take the "chicken" exit even if the child is crying and obviously terrified. As long as the kids are fine, I have no problem with children riding the HM. However, if the child isn't emotionally ready, then it's up to the parent to know that and not force them to ride it because they (the parent) want to ride it.

So, if your little one is ready for it (i.e., not scared of the dark, understands that things aren't necessarily "real" and won't be freaked out by skeletons, ghosts, and things that pop-up from behind the grave stones), then go for it. The Holiday version is less scary than the regular because things are over-dressed in a holiday theme. However, some of the basic elements remain the same (such as the person stuck in the coffin trying to escape, the darkness and crashing sounds in the stretching room, etc.). Just be prepared.

 

[Jkpark]

Put us in the group that explains rides as best we can and let our kids decide. Sometimes we sit out. Sometimes we ride and they love it. Sometimes we ride and they say they love it... but don't want to do t again. My DD5 loves the NBC version. Wanted a Zero stuffed animal and everything. We hold them in the elevator - it's dark and being smaller than everyone else they can honestly see better and feel safer if held. We also told then when the lights go out everyone screams to be funny and they can if they want. Similar to a PP, one time DD3 at the time was the only screamer an it cracked me up. We also play "How many Zero's can you count" on the NBC version

Honestly my scariest time on HM was when a foreign tourist jumped in our Doom Buggy with us - that was a weird ride.

 

[marvel]

I think the problem is that a lot of us on this board have seen parents who are so intent on riding a ride (like the Haunted Mansion), that they drag their children on regardless of how the little one reacts. They essentially do force their children on and aren't willing to skip the ride or take the "chicken" exit even if the child is crying and obviously terrified. As long as the kids are fine, I have no problem with children riding the HM. However, if the child isn't emotionally ready, then it's up to the parent to know that and not force them to ride it because they (the parent) want to ride it.

So, if your little one is ready for it (i.e., not scared of the dark, understands that things aren't necessarily "real" and won't be freaked out by skeletons, ghosts, and things that pop-up from behind the grave stones), then go for it. The Holiday version is less scary than the regular because things are over-dressed in a holiday theme. However, some of the basic elements remain the same (such as the person stuck in the coffin trying to escape, the darkness and crashing sounds in the stretching room, etc.). Just be prepared.

Exactly, the ones where the kids are so freaked out that they are begging to leave but the parents force them on. Of course, each to their own, but I think there is too much pressure on kids to ride everything asap, I just dont see the need.

And you also wont know if they are having a reaction inernally just because they don't scream at the time. If they ride was down, hey wouldnt go so its not the end of the world if they don't ride it right away. IMHO.

 

[5ofus]

He was about 2.5 years old at the time, and he had just started noticing "scary" things around him. At 17 months old there was none of that.

This is a good point and shouldn't be overlooked. I've noticed that my two older boys went through a 'fearful' stage between about 2.5 and 4ish. They were old enough to kinda get that they should be scared of some things, but not old enough to determine what things were actually scary. Before 2.5 they didn't really notice scary things and between 4 and 5 seemed to be able to start to assess things a bit better. My youngest will be almost three when we go, but so far he's the most fearless of the three (you know the climbing and jumping off things sort of kid ) so I'll be interested to see if he goes through the same fearful stage.

 

[beachdreamr1229]

It totally depends on the kid. I was a wimp as a toddler and wouldn't go on it until I was around 6. I was scared to death to take my son on HM, especially the stretching room. We went a few months ago for the first time when he was 2 1/2 years old. He loved it! Since then, we've been back twice. He now screams in the stretching room the way teenagers do, just for the fun of it. I genuinely think it helped to show Disney vacation planning videos and youtube videos. He knew exactly what to expect before we went in.

 

[ImarriedGrumpy]

DS loved it at 14m, liked everything except the dark part of the stretching room at 26m, and absolutely freaked out in the stretching room and was sobbing with terror at 3.5yrs (just 3 months shy of turning 4) - and that was during Halloween season with the overlay. I took him out the chicken exit that time, and he completely refuses to go back on Haunted Mansion again. He knows that he liked it when he was little, and he's seen pictures and videos of it, but his imagination is different now, and now it scares him. Didn't used to - he thought most of it was hysterical as a 1 & 2 yr old.

Our friends' DD hated HM until she was 6, and now she says it's her favorite ride and she wants to ride it over and over again.

It really does depend on the kid. DS is fine with almost anything, as long as he knows what's going to happen. I don't say "it's going to be scary and spooky", I say "they want to make it seem like it's scary, and people will pretend to be scared, but it's just a show." And that worked great when he was younger. Now his imagination feels as real as to him as the toys he plays with, so even though he might know it's not real, that's not how it feels to him.

He likes to know what to expect. Other kids we know like to be surprised, and think the surprise is funny. DS isn't like that (neither is DH, so it's pretty clear where he gets it from! ). I think it comes down to knowing your own kid, and doing what you need to do for your kid.

 

[Melidef3405]

My goddaughter loves HM whether it's regular or Holiday but she's scared to death of the Queen of Hearts & exploding cake on Alice in Wonderland. Go figure!

 

[Dot2Vegas]

Hello! We are visiting Disneyland this Oct from Australia. We have already been to DL & WDW 5 times but this is the first trip with our toddlers! My son will be 2.5 & my niece 22 months. I was wondering how other peoples toddlers go on the haunted mansion ride? I can imagine the stretching room could be quite overwhelming & frightening for a little one....is there a way to avoid that part of the ride & go straight into the doom buggy loading area? Any other tips for toddlers & rides would be much appreciated! Thanks

My little ones were terrified of HM from about age 2-4. DH and I, and my older daughter all LOVED it.
My girls held onto daddy for dear life in the stretching room! They hated it. But we told them ahead of time what to expect and assured them that it's all make believe. They also rode the entire ride with their eyes closed for two years!
I don't believe there is a way to bypass the stretching room but it wouldn't hurt to ask a CM.
Maybe have your little one focus on the ride music (after the stretching room)? I always sang along and made a show about the music being happy and fun. I also would talk them through (quietly) the ride and explain everything as it happened.

 

[nana50]

NO!! I am tired of people thinking only of themselves. It is NOT an appropriate ride for a toddler. Either do a switch out or wait. Some kids can handle most cannot. It is scary, especially the first part. If you have to cover their eyes and ears they have no business being on it.

 

[5ofus]

NO!! I am tired of people thinking only of themselves. It is NOT an appropriate ride for a toddler. Either do a switch out or wait. Some kids can handle most cannot. It is scary, especially the first part. If you have to cover their eyes and ears they have no business being on it.

Awesome, love the rudeness in your post! Also love how you know everything about every toddler on Earth and therefore can judge every parent! Each kid is different, some toddlers love it, some hate it - as evidenced in this thread. Sure, some parents can and will make the wrong call with this attraction, but some kids are terrified of characters as well. Are their parents thinking only of themselves when they want their kids to meet Mickey, who the kid loves on TV, but gets freaked out when meeting him in person? No. Most parents want their kids to experience and love Disney and see the magic.

 

[GameSeven]

I can imagine the stretching room could be quite overwhelming & frightening for a little one....is there a way to avoid that part of the ride & go straight into the doom buggy loading area?

This is exactly what we did with DS, when he was little, at WDW's Haunted Mansion. Lines for the ride may have been short (like 5-10 minutes) at the time, but a CM happily took us through the exit area straight to the Doom Buggy line. I suppose it depends on how busy things are, but it never hurts to ask.

 

[clarkshel]

NO!! I am tired of people thinking only of themselves. It is NOT an appropriate ride for a toddler. Either do a switch out or wait. Some kids can handle most cannot. It is scary, especially the first part. If you have to cover their eyes and ears they have no business being on it.

WOW, I think you need to chill out. Some kids might like it and some might not. It is up to the parents of those said kids to decide. Not for you to decide. This is one of my 4yr's favorite rides. When we went to WDW last November, he went on it about 5 times one day. He loved it. The stretching room scared him a little the first time, but not the other times.

 

[mommamonster]

My son was 2 when he went on HM for the first time and he wanted his ears covered in the stretching room before any screaming happened because it was just incredibly loud in there (plus his Dad and big brother both have very sensitive hearing who were covering in anticipation of the screaming and he loves to imitate them). I had also told my kids in advance of the enthusiastic screamers, and we watched youtube videos (of just about every ride, ha!). My youngest was not scared on HM at all, he loved the graveyard part and "danced" and wiggled to the music in his seat even.

My son freaked out and had a terrible time on Dumbo, however. Every toddler is different I second the poster who suggested asking a CM to bypass the stretching room, it doesn't hurt to ask! Good luck to you!

 

[summerw]

Why do people have to take such young children on scary rides? Do they need to see coffins and ghosts and be scared at that age?


There is no need for toddlers to go on haunted mansion. Let kids have their childhood, save the scary rides when you dont risk petrifying them.

So if we let our small children ride HM we are stealing their childhoods? WOW.

So should we not let them outside on Halloween? There's nothing on HM that can't be found in front of people's houses on Halloween, except the dark part, and that happens every night.

NO!! I am tired of people thinking only of themselves. It is NOT an appropriate ride for a toddler. Either do a switch out or wait. Some kids can handle most cannot. It is scary, especially the first part. If you have to cover their eyes and ears they have no business being on it.

I think my post on the other thread may have riled you up because this is rude. I apologize if I did. I wonder what you would have felt when you were the parent, not the grandparent, if someone questioned your judgement this way.

 

[nana50]

Awesome, love the rudeness in your post! Also love how you know everything about every toddler on Earth and therefore can judge every parent! Each kid is different, some toddlers love it, some hate it - as evidenced in this thread. Sure, some parents can and will make the wrong call with this attraction, but some kids are terrified of characters as well. Are their parents thinking only of themselves when they want their kids to meet Mickey, who the kid loves on TV, but gets freaked out when meeting him in person? No. Most parents want their kids to experience and love Disney and see the magic.

Yes, but if they don't want to meet Mickey, parents usually give up. I am 62, have been a teacher for over 30 years and actually know quite a bit about kids. I would never presume to know ALL toddlers, nor did I say I did. I just find a lot, (not all) parents today don't want to miss out on anything so take their little ones everywhere, including inappropriate movies, and on everything. I just find it strange that we wonder why our young people are becoming so violent then we take them to violent movies, scary rides, and let them play violent video games. I will get off my soapbox now and leave the thread.