Height Restrictions Accuracy

[Malcon10t]

Didn't they used to have a system at the park where the kids were measured near the hub and a wrist band was put on based on their measurement?

I thought I remember seeing something like that a dozen years ago.

Yes, but parents would take the band off a tall enough child and place it on a "not quite tall enough" child. It did not work out. I think it was in 2002 or 2003.

 

[mamaCta]

Yes, but parents would take the band off a tall enough child and place it on a "not quite tall enough" child. It did not work out. I think it was in 2002 or 2003.

And this is why we can't have nice things!

 

[Disney Dreams]

Didn't they used to have a system at the park where the kids were measured near the hub and a wrist band was put on based on their measurement?

I thought I remember seeing something like that a dozen years ago.

Yes. And parents became experts at slipping them off of the wrist of one child and onto the wrist of the shorter child who did not measure up. So now that's gone.

- Dreams

ETA - too slow LOL

 

[Baliezer]

So, today, my measuring tape and I visited the parks. I haven't made it to Jumping Jellyfish, as that was one I seriously wanted to check, so maybe will get it tonight or tomorrow AM. HOWEVER, what I did find was Mater's and Luigis measured exactly 32", RSR measured 40" at the measuring bar at the handicap loading area, Grizzly measured 42", TOT measured 40", Soaring was exactly 40", Space was 40", Star Tours was 40", and Matterhorn was 42". I didn't find even a 1/4 inch difference, using my Lufkin L506 6' measure.

The funny part, CMs didn't even blink as I was measuring. They even helped by holding the tape to the ground. A couple even commented they hear all the time how their doctor said their child was 40", when they clearly have another inch to go.

Thanks for doing this. I always wondered how accurate the measurements were.

 

[ktlm]

The measuring sticks don't change, so it really surprises me when one person says "My child was 42" and didn't make the 40" rides, yet another one says "My child was barely 40" and made it."

BTW- My granddaughter went to 2 doctors on Monday. At one she is 36.25" and at the other is 37.5". Both barefoot, within 2 hours of each other. (She is 2 years 3 mos.) She is a big kid, but she didn't grow an inch and a quarter in 2 hours!!

That's funny! I wonder if she snuck her heels up on one and they didn't catch her!

It used to surprise me when people said their kids were over 40" and didn't make it, because DD easily made it with shoes on when she was right at 40. It wasn't even questionable. Then I got a soft tape measure that was WAY off. We put it up against our other tape measure and the two weren't even close! DH and I were shocked! I think we got out 2 other rulers to check, before we pitched the thing in the trash. My guess is that some people have tape measures that aren't completely accurate, and others have kids that sneak their heels up a little and their parents didn't notice!

 

[DJJimmy9]

We are so worried about this for our trip next month. My son is 39.25 barefoot. I'm going to buy shoes that give him an inch lift and we will be practicing bumping his head on my home made stick. If he can't ride RSR we will all be devastated. We live on east coast so very rare we are in SoCal.

Also worried that my nephew who is approx 1/2 inch taller will get on and my son will not. That will make for a fun conversation.

Now I'm wishing we didn't plan this trip...maybe we should have waited another few months.

We are obviously gonna do RSR 1st thing in AM. Just curious how closely the average CM looks at shoes or inserts.

 

[Freesia123]

I hate to be a downer, but the rules are there for a reason! How would you feel if there was an emergency stop and your child was ejected or had internal injuries from a bar because you put him in taller shoes? Have some common sense! All I hear is people upset because others chest the GAC or how upset others get because they try to ride together in a single rider line. This is no different. It's a rule! And this is even more serious. You wouldn't put your little one without a carseat until they were the proper height and weight, why would you risk your child just so they can ride a roller coaster? I don't get it, sorry.

 

[Sydnie]

I have found them to be very accurate

 

[DJJimmy9]

I hate to be a downer, but the rules are there for a reason! How would you feel if there was an emergency stop and your child was ejected or had internal injuries from a bar because you put him in taller shoes? Have some common sense! All I hear is people upset because others chest the GAC or how upset others get because they try to ride together in a single rider line. This is no different. It's a rule! And this is even more serious. You wouldn't put your little one without a carseat until they were the proper height and weight, why would you risk your child just so they can ride a roller coaster? I don't get it, sorry.

Sorry. In his regular shoes he is a hair under 40 inches. If an accident happened I wouldn't think 1/8 of an inch was the cause. I'm not putting platform shoes on...just standard kids sneakers that have a thicker sole than his current ones. But thanks for the lecture.

 

[trill]

I just posted another thread about kids height for rides. I measured my daughter in the morning and found she was over 1/2in taller!

This means she is 46.5in in the morning and can ride Indy, but in the afternoon she wouldnt make the cut. (she didn't last time just a few weeks ago).

She is still 4 and perhaps too young to ride it but I was pretty amazed at the difference a few hours can make!

And with her little pink clogs on she could ride California Screamin'.

As for safety, I would worry if my kid had a short torso compared to her legs as that is what really matters, isnt it? Otherwise the safety margin is pretty generous to allow for all types of bodies.

 

[Malcon10t]

It is official. The only stick I found off was Jumping Jelly Fish.... 41". CM helped me measure it too.

 

[trill]

It is official. The only stick I found off was Jumping Jelly Fish.... 41". CM helped me measure it too.

Do they know it's off by a whole inch? I imagine they hear about it quite a bit when kids suddenly are too short!

 

[starshine514]

We are so worried about this for our trip next month. My son is 39.25 barefoot. I'm going to buy shoes that give him an inch lift and we will be practicing bumping his head on my home made stick. If he can't ride RSR we will all be devastated. We live on east coast so very rare we are in SoCal.

Also worried that my nephew who is approx 1/2 inch taller will get on and my son will not. That will make for a fun conversation.

Now I'm wishing we didn't plan this trip...maybe we should have waited another few months.

We are obviously gonna do RSR 1st thing in AM. Just curious how closely the average CM looks at shoes or inserts.

We've never been questioned about shoes. My daughters LOVE boots (my youngest started the obsession at 2 - she would not wear anything except boots or crocs). When we made our first trip to DLR, she was measuring about 39.5" barefoot and her boots had approximately a 1.5" heel. She easily cleared every measuring stick, though she was measured at every ride (we did not attempt Jumpin' Jellyfish or TOT that trip).

 

[LisaT91403]

It is official. The only stick I found off was Jumping Jelly Fish.... 41". CM helped me measure it too.

Thanks for doing this -- I LOVE that you took your tape measure to the parks! JJ was the only ride my son didn't get to ride on when he finally (and barely) hit the 40" mark. And now I know why

 

[bumbershoot]

And this is why we can't have nice things!

I hate to be a downer, but the rules are there for a reason! How would you feel if there was an emergency stop and your child was ejected or had internal injuries from a bar because you put him in taller shoes? Have some common sense! All I hear is people upset because others chest the GAC or how upset others get because they try to ride together in a single rider line. This is no different. It's a rule! And this is even more serious. You wouldn't put your little one without a carseat until they were the proper height and weight, why would you risk your child just so they can ride a roller coaster? I don't get it, sorry.

The only important measurement is IN shoes. So to measure a child without shoes is pointless for Disney rides. It only makes sense to do it in shoes. The previous poster should buy shoes that her son will be comfy in, not trip in, etc, and if those shoes bring his height up a bit, then that child fits the ride.

(and my statement isn't to condone buying really supertall shoes, but to just say that they measure kids IN shoes, so we would measure kids IN shoes to estimate for rides...)

 

[trill]

This is a pair of my daughter favorite shoes. They are hand-me-downs from her cousin and she would wear them to bed if she could. They add a full 2 inches.



I wonder if they would take shoes like this into account? I would think this is about the highest lift a little kid could get without it looking inappropriate on them. Cowboy boots would be about the same.

If my 4yo wore these, she could get onto Screamin'...and she would want to ride it too! We are local so there is no rush. Just throwing it out there!

 

[sherilaine]

This is a pair of my daughter favorite shoes. They are hand-me-downs from her cousin and she would wear them to bed if she could. They add a full 2 inches.



I wonder if they would take shoes like this into account? I would think this is about the highest lift a little kid could get without it looking inappropriate on them. Cowboy boots would be about the same.

If my 4yo wore these, she could get onto Screamin'...and she would want to ride it too! We are local so there is no rush. Just throwing it out there!

There is a reason kids are supposed to be a certain height to ride, and most of the rides that require a certain height are seated rides - adding those shoes is not going to make her taller in the seat for a ride, it might get her into the ride as the CM might not notice her shoes but I would not take my kid on a ride unless they were tall enough for that ride in bare feet - because some kids are long waisted and some are short - so it is just the laws of average I guess where they determine the heights as they are measured standing, not seated.

I am in insurance so perhaps I am a bit more careful than some, but I'd never want to take a chance on something I guess...if she is tall enough though and you are just wanting to make sure that she gets on, as so many people measure their kids and then get to the line and the stick measures them differently, well that is entirely different - but I just don't think it's a good idea to try to make a kid taller just to get on a ride.

I am sure this happens all the time though, we have friends who used to put kleenex in the heels of their daughters sneakers of all things! She was always fine too.

They are cute shoes though.

 

[Baliezer]

There is a reason kids are supposed to be a certain height to ride, and most of the rides that require a certain height are seated rides - adding those shoes is not going to make her taller in the seat for a ride, it might get her into the ride as the CM might not notice her shoes but I would not take my kid on a ride unless they were tall enough for that ride in bare feet - because some kids are long waisted and some are short - so it is just the laws of average I guess where they determine the heights as they are measured standing, not seated.

I am in insurance so perhaps I am a bit more careful than some, but I'd never want to take a chance on something I guess...if she is tall enough though and you are just wanting to make sure that she gets on, as so many people measure their kids and then get to the line and the stick measures them differently, well that is entirely different - but I just don't think it's a good idea to try to make a kid taller just to get on a ride.

I am sure this happens all the time though, we have friends who used to put kleenex in the heels of their daughters sneakers of all things! She was always fine too.

They are cute shoes though.

I agree!

Here is a great article on why rides have height restrictions and why it is so dangerous to try to get around them. My child's safety matters more to me than a three minute theme park ride.

http://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/201008/2049/

 

[trill]

Like I said, we are local so no rush!

I'm just wondering if they take shoes like those already into account for their safety margins, you know? I wouldnt compromise her safety to get on a ride. I'm sure there is a little girl at the park right now with similar shoes that doesnt think twice that it is a factor at all.

I'm thinking she can do Screamin' when she is 6 and likely to better remember "the first time I rode it!"

 

[sherilaine]

I can't imagine shoes like that getting by - especially if the child is just tall enough to ride - it does not take much effort to look down and see the height of the heel as it's very obvious.

After reading that article just posted by Baliezer, if it were my job to keep kids who are too short from riding, I'd be checking shoes...