Help DS is 39" with shoes on.....

[Disneyhenry]

We leave in a month, and DS is 39" with shoes on. Some of these rides I know my son is ready for like TT, BTM, ST and these are rides were DH and I will be right next to him. He has been growing like crazy, 2 1/4 inches since May so there is still hope. So I am looking for ideas, please, I beg of you.
Thanks!

 

[SheilaHeartsDisney]

Ideas to do what exactly?

 

[ccgirl]

We leave in a month, and DS is 39" with shoes on. Some of these rides I know my son is ready for like TT, BTM, ST and these are rides were DH and I will be right next to him. He has been growing like crazy, 2 1/4 inches since May so there is still hope. So I am looking for ideas, please, I beg of you.
Thanks!

Not sure what kind of help you are looking for?? The heights are there for safety reasons and I wouldn't want to look for ways to get around that, IMHO. My best "idea" would be to prepare your son for not being able to ride if he is not tall enough. It doesn't matter who rides next to him, if he is not tall enough the CM's will not let him ride. I will tell you that they do measure with shoes on. However, if the soles of the shoes look large they may also ask that you remov them.

 

[RMulieri]

Nothing you can do.Hope for a growth spurt,practice standing straight and tall and have him prepared for the fact he might not get to ride.If he is too short, he is too short.They don't care who is riding with him.Height requirements are there for a reason.They measure 2x.Once as you enter and once before boarding.He needs to pass BOTH of them

 

[fan1080]

Best advice has already been given.... prepare him that he may not be able to ride some attractions.

If you are looking for tips to get around Disney's height requirement policy, you'll likely see this thread closed down as posting anything of the sort is against DISboards policy.

 

[LaurenT]

If he's 39 with the shoes on, then he's really 38 or 38 1/2 ...that's just not going to cut it. Maybe he'll grow a bit more, but I doubt it'll be enough. So, make a big deal out of the rides he CAN go on, play down the other ones, and plan another trip for next year!

 

[beautyqueen]

I agree with everyone else, the height requirments are there to keep your ds safe on the rides. Make sure you talk with him before the trip about what he can and can't ride.

 

[joe1946]

Supposedly people are slightly taller in the morning, so that would be the best time to try for those rides.

 

[brymolmom]

My advice would be to prepare for the worst and then be pleasantly surprised if he DOES, in fact, make the height requirement. My experience has been that they are VERY strict and even tho dd was 40'' (by my own calculations) in shoes at home before our trip - the CM put a piece of PAPER in between her head and the top of the "L" bar and declared her too short (you couldn't SEE any space). So, tell your ds that he likely will not be able to do those rides and that you can TRY but if not, then we'll do extra (insert whatever ride he loves best that he can ride). Then if he does make it - it'll be a nice surprise, but not a disappointment if he doesn't make it.

 

[Disneyhenry]

Supposedly people are slightly taller in the morning, so that would be the best time to try for those rides.

Oh thats a good idea.

My DD was too short the 1st time we went, I didn't even know about the height requirements. I happen to put a pony tail on the top of her head and she made the cut

 

[toxa]

I'll just leave it there:

http://www.popeater.com/2010/09/30/cameron-diaz-tom-cruise-height/

 

[Chee Chick]

My advice would be to prepare for the worst and then be pleasantly surprised if he DOES, in fact, make the height requirement. My experience has been that they are VERY strict and even tho dd was 40'' (by my own calculations) in shoes at home before our trip - the CM put a piece of PAPER in between her head and the top of the "L" bar and declared her too short (you couldn't SEE any space). So, tell your ds that he likely will not be able to do those rides and that you can TRY but if not, then we'll do extra (insert whatever ride he loves best that he can ride). Then if he does make it - it'll be a nice surprise, but not a disappointment if he doesn't make it.

We had the exact same experience. DS was not allowed to ride, so we just moved on to the next thing. I had prepared him in advance that he might not be tall enough for some things. It was no big deal at the time.

 

[Wadecool]

Feed him lots and lots of protein.

 

[SuperRob]

Disney has height requirements for a good reason: SAFETY. That said, their requirements are also on the upper-end of conservative for that same reason. Plus, overall height isn't really what's important in most of those cases ... it's torso height, but that's hard to measure, so they go with the generic "height" as a rule of thumb. Two kids of the same height might have different proportions, so one may be more safe on a ride with particular harness types than others. That said, Disney likely took those proportional differences into account when setting their conservative height requirements.

A little fudging the height would probably be fine, though I would certainly never risk it with MY kid (I don't have any). However, make sure to keep hold of your kids on any of those rides you know they wouldn't qualify for on their own.

My FW's father put styrofoam wedges in their youngest daughter's shoes to get her the inch she needed to go on the rides at Disneyland many years ago. Worked like a charm in their case, but you have to ask yourself ... is it worth the risk. I don't think so.

 

[chartle]

My FW's father put styrofoam wedges in their youngest daughter's shoes to get her the inch she needed to go on the rides. Worked like a charm.

Yes, Disney has height requirements for a good reason: SAFETY. That said, their requirements are also on the upper-end of conservative for that same reason. Plus, overall height isn't really what's important in most cases ... it's torso height, but that's hard to measure, so they go with the generic "height" as a rule of thumb. A little fudging the height will probably be fine. However, make sure to keep hold of your kids on any of those rides you know they wouldn't qualify for on their own.

I'm giving this thread 3 pages before the LOCK.

 

[GingerJay]

Before our trip last March, we measured our son like crazy; almost once a week and he measured in at 38 inches before we left (no shoes). At Disney he was able to ride everything with the 40 inch requirement. And no, I didn't put him in platforms-just regular sneakers and didn't shove napkins, lifts, or thick inserts in his shoes.

Take that for what you will- I know that some people measure their kids and their definitely at 40 inches before they leave and get to Disney only to find they are too short. BUT that did not happen for us.

Just prep him-take him up to be measured before your family ever gets in line. If he doesn't cut it, just leave and ride somewhere else. If he makes the first measurement, he'll usually make the second, too. Have fun!!

 

[mesaboy2]

 

[Brian Noble]

We went through this, several times with a daughter who was (and is) a thrill seeker. Unfortunately, there just isn't anything for it---if you don't measure up, you don't measure up. What's more, there aren't many things that can get a CM fired on the spot, but letting in an under-height guest is one of them.

 

[KimK2006]

We would put my daughter in the high platform flip flops. For boys, the only thing you can really do is try to find sneakers with the thickest soles you can find and hope for the best.

As others have said, be prepared for him not to be able to ride. Oh, and practice standing up straight at home. Even some kids over 40" fall short due to slouching, etc.

 

[mom2rtk]

I absolutely agree with everyone who said prepare him for the fact that he might not get to do some of the rides the older people in your group do. Explain to him that they will measure him twice, once at the beginning of the ride and once at the end, and that getting through the first one is not a guarantee he will ride, just an opportunity to get in line with the big kids and get measured again.

Then teach him that life is full of disappointments and that not getting to do an amusement park ride isn't one of them. Explain that rules are there for an important reason, his safety, and not to question the authority of the CM's there to look out for him.

Remember........ you set the tone here. You show anger or frustration and so will he. You show understnading and an ability to deal with it, so will he.

No go put him on the stretching rack in your basement.