How do you get your child to ride?

[chaoskids]

Every year we have to talk our kids onto the HM. (We probably look like the mean parents making their kids ride!) But they are always glad they rode. When it's over, they laugh about being afraid. It never sticks though!!!

 

[MECH8T7]

We just went through this on our recent trip. DD4 is the brave one and DD6 is less adventurous. DD would go on anything that her height allowed, though I think the jury's out on whether she would go on Splash Mountain again (Not at all what she expected given non-threatening "It's a Small World"-like theming all the way up to the top). DS was a different story and his courage was not helped by the fact that he was feeling ill (and, thus, intolerant) the whole trip anyways.

We ended up using a combination of techniques. At the start, we didn't force him to go on anything that he was scared to go on...this was easy at first because, initially, we were on touring in Fantasyland and it was easy for him to eventually get up the courage to want to go on those rides on his own. When we headed to Adventureland, it was much more of a challenge. DS is such a big pirate fan and I thought, for sure, he would want to do Pirates of the Caribbean. He backed out at the last minute and a well-intentioned CM who saw this convinced him that it would be just like "It's a Small World" -- I would never be cruel enough to try this on our DS but it worked...sort of. He rode the ride but was pretty scared through it. DS must not have noticed the similarities with "It's a Small World". LOL. Anyways, that ride kind of ruined him for the next couple of days. He didn't want to go on anything or any attractions that he couldn't see from the outside. That same day, we dragged him onto Haunted Mansion. He was both scared and amused by the stretching room but, once we got in the cars, he buried his face in my lap pretty much the whole ride except for the part where you see the ghosts dancing in the ballroom. He didn't cry but he was glad for it to be over. (Oddly enough, when we got home he named Haunted Mansion as one of his top 5 favourite rides!...Who knows what goes in the minds of little kids..)

So, the rest of the way, we pretty much spared him the trauma of going on any more rides he didn't want to with the exception of Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin. DS is such a big Toy Story and Buzz fan and he loves video games. So, I was 99.9% sure he would like the ride if we got him on it. So, we took him kicking and screaming...by the way, less embarassing (and shorter period of anxiety for the child) if you do this at EMH am or any other time when there is a small line-up for the ride. First time through, we was very timid and not really playing with the laser gun. I thinking he was all concerned that some alien would jumped out at him and scare him. I asked him if he wanted to go again and he sternly said "NO". A few hours later, when we were getting ready to leave MK, he said he wanted to ride Buzz Lightyear again. Unfortunately, we had to go but we were back several more times later that week and he loved it more and more each time.

However, our kids have now discovered Disney pins. Before we came home, I bought some pins that correspond to their favourite rides this trip. I've told them that they can only get a pin for a ride if the go on it. I am hoping that this will give DS some incentive to be more adventurous next time.

 

[Jacksmom99]

DS6 has gotten progressively more afraid of rides each trip. It may be our fault for having him try a new ride each year b/c he seemed to do well the year before. Example: at 2 1/2, he rode Barnstormer 3x's in a row, POC, Dumbo, Buzz, Peter Pan, really anything w/o a height restiction that wasn't too loud or scary. He even did HM that trip I thought he was ALL set! At 3 1/2 he added Test Track and LOVED it! Well, MIL decides to take him to AK while I shopped with the baby. She had explicit instructions not to take him to ITTBAB, I knew that would freak him out! So, very well intentioned though she is, she said, "hey, the kid likes dinosaurs"......Do you see where I'm going with this? She was completely scared and freaked out, and so was my 3yo!!
When he was 4 he wanted to go on Atlantis at Sea World. No problem, DH went with him. They were smiling when I saw them come down the slide, but when they got off DS said he wasn't going to go again until he was 5, it giggled his belly TOO MUCH! Later that week, I took him on TMR, thought he would LOVE it since he loved Goofy so much. Bad mom award! He kept chanting through the whole thing, "I don't like this, I don't like this!" Wouldn't do Goofy after that or Test Track. Did do POC on that trip and HM, but only if I was covering his ears and holding onto him.
At 5, he pretty much won't do any remotely scarey rides. He wanted to try Splash, we let him, that ate up the rest of his bravery.

In Feb, he was almost 6. He has his list of favorite rides, Figment, SE, Buzz, Peter Pan, Snow White, Stitch. Criteria for him to ride: slow, not loud, and it won't giggle his belly. For months before the trip, I told him I would like him to ride Goofy with me and I knew he could do it, I wouldn't let anything hurt him, and I'd only 'make' him do this one ride with me. It didn't quite work out that way. When I was at Test Track the first day getting FPs, DS grabbed onto me and started quietly crying and stroking my hair. He wouldn't tell me what was wrong. A young CM came over and asked DS what was wrong. I said I think he's scared to let me go one TT. Well, the CM told DS that he had something for him and showed him one of those safety card w/ Timon and Pumba on them, saying to DS that they had personally certified that TT was safe. The CM then asked if it was OK w/ me if DS went on. I said sure, but he's a little scared. The two of them talked some more, then the CM said, I'll tell you waht, you can go on right now. Then he went and got us an immediate FP for 6 and gave DH a child swap pass. Once we got in DS was still scared, but I told him I'd buy him the ride photo if he went on. His cousin and I held his hands, and the only part of the ride when he smiled was when they took the pic. We got off, and he said, "I'm never doing that again!" Needless to say, I didn't make him go on Goofy.

Next trip, he's promised to ride Goofy with me if that's the only ride I make him do. I hope it works out. DD's big enough for that this year and I know she'll love it! I think.....I 'thought' I knew a lot about DS too, but he keeps switching on me, and not liking things he's done in the past. I feel badly, because I keep saying/thinking, just do it and you'll see that you love it, but it never turns out that way.

 

[woody1967]

I have two kids which are 14 and 11 now, but when we first went to Disney 7 years ago you can imagine with a 4 year old he did not get on many of the rides. We have been back many times now and he has graduated into all the major rides at Disney except for RR coaster and TT at MGM. I guess the best advice is DON'T force them to ride anything. They will decide for themselves when they want to ride and once they make that decesion themselves they will see that the ride is not that bad and then they automatically decide the next one won't be that bad either and they just naturally start riding the rides. My son at first would not go on Big Thunder Mt. but once he decided to go on it, we could not keep him off of it. The same thing goes for Space Mt. At first he would not go on it, but now he loves it and looks forward to going on it. What you need to remember is it is a vacation and you and there for fun so "forcing" your child to go on a ride that is suppose to be fun, will not be fun, and you and the child will end up mad and that is silly when you are there to have fun. Bottom line is your child will get over his/her fear soon enough and will eventually make the big bold step of trying a new ride and when they do they will love it and decide for themselves they want to try more new rides.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Being a whimp myself -I don't like drops - I can relate. First thing to remember, I don't mind not going on some rides. ToT just doesn't interest me. It doesn't bother me when others go on it. Bringing different groups of people help me. Like, I don't trust my sister, but when her boyfriend said Space Mtn. had no big drops, that helped. Another thing that really helps me is to start off tame. By day four, I'm much more interested in going on things. With the kids, seeing their cousin go on something might help - not wanting to be left out. It may be easlier to trust a cousin or friend than one's parents.
My mom used to remind me that HM was make believe, but it never scared me that much. Knowing that nothing is ever going to touch them might help some kids.
Taking kids on rides when they are little helps avoid the development of fear. So long as you don't over-do it. The same is true for swimming!!!!

I was determined to go on Space (Epcot) last year, now that I have been on it, I'll do it again. Letting your child mentally prepare for one new ride each visit helps. Maybe ask what one new ride they are thinking about going on this time, and then encouraging them would help.
Last, one of the things that helped me the most was an allergic reaction I had one night. I ate, got sick, but then I knew I'd feel better since I'd gotten sick already. After dinner, my mom (and my sister's boyfriend) were going back to the room for the night, and the rest of my family was going back to a park. I didn't want to be lame, so I opted to go to the MK. I was overly optimistic in my predictions, and was still feeling a bit green when we got to the MK. Enduring Small World without losing it again was a challenge. Again, I thought I had recovered, and went on PotC. Again, enduring the ride was a challenge. I decided I was done with rides for the night. But my ego was damaged, how could Small World - the tamest ride in the park - be too much for me?!?!? The next day, something clicked, and my resolve was very strong. I did Space Mtn. and Splash Mtn.

 

[qtwns]

Don't y'all know the secret "Mommy to CM" hand signals?? ?My kids know that I know them all If they want the ride to go slower, they ask me to signal the CM to put the ride on slow. After a brief secret hand signal and one confused look from a CM, we're off!! After the ride, my kids ask me to use the "speed it up" hand signal the next timewe ride b/c "slow was fun so fast must be great!" With my kids, it is all in their heads and this method proves it. They can get their pay back when I'm old and they get to choose my nursing home!

 

[catwub]

Okay, some of those are hysterical, I love the hand signal to the cm!!! First, aside from physically dragging her, which I would NEVER consider, there is no forcing this child to do anything. Ever read the strong-willed child???? triple it. So, as much as I hope she will change her mind and ride some new rides, if she doesn't, well, hey! it's just a great excuse (like I need one) to go back again, (and again), until she rides I must admit, I am a chicken about some of the rides, but she doesn't know that. If she wanted to try it, I would, but I don't hink ToT will EVER be on my list. More power to those of you who are brave enough to endure!!! I am going to put some of the suggestions to use, but ultimately, she decides. She didn't ride much last time, but we had a blast!!!

Thanks!!!!

 

[bigbabyblues]

We took my 4-yo on Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Star Tours, and I don't remember what else last fall and he was ok. We told him it was all just pretend, and if he wanted to he could close his eyes. It worked fine, he enjoyed all the rides, but he when we got in line for the Barnstormer, he started to cry and said he really, really didn't want to, so we walked back out and didn't force it. I wouldn't force him on anything, but unless he outright said "I don't want to", we just walked up and got on the ride.

 

[bavaria]

I went to DL first time at age 5, and closed my eyes on EVERY ride except Peter Pan - my mother was soooooooo angry with me. Went again at 12 and we didn't do the 'big' rides - I remember being in awe of my father that he was brave enough to ride the Matterhorn.

Most kids start to get an imagination around age 4, so often the under 4's are not worried on rides. Last fall I went with some smaller kids, one 4yo's mother was very very fearful (when we were mid 20's mother would not let me make Dumbo fly high....) This carried over to the little girl. We ended up riding Pooh over and over and over and over and over.

We did get her on Living with the Land, which was well received, but Figment was a little scary. Maelstrom just did her in, so it was back to Pooh.

We also convinced her to try Haunted Mansion; she and her DM were in the doombuggy ahead of us, dear uncle and I were riding behind. Well, uncle kept making noises and calling her in an evil voice - this was just the end of her, and we ended up just riding Pooh until the end of the trip!!!

I agree about showing them things beforehand, and stressing the 'fun factor'. Parents who are a little fearful should avoid passing on fear to their kids - kids are sensitive and will notice.

Personally, I don't like to see kids being forced onto rides - if they melt after the stretch room in Haunted Mansion, then I don't think that they should be forced to ride....

 

[Miranda Danda]

The Unofficial Guide has a lot of really good ideas about how to get kids to ride rides (without forcing them). Some of them include making sure they know it is just a ride and saying stuff to the effect of, "Mickey would never want to scare you and it is just a ride for fun." Whatever you do, don't force your kids. My mom forced me to ride "The Scorpion" at Busch Gardens when I was about 8. The whole way down to Tampa I was like, "I wanna ride it! I wanna ride it!" and so when we got there and I changed my mind, my mom was like, "No, that's all I have heard about. You are going on it!" The funny thing is she had to ride with me and that was funnier than anything else!

 

[dismom9761]

My DS7 was reading this thread w/ me(we are all addicted) and he wanted me to tell everyone"tell your kids that if they are scared to remember that Mickey Mouse won't let them fall and get hurt.And to always close their eyes and cover their eyes if they get scared." My timid DS7 conquered every ride there.

 

[SuperGurl]

I first went to WDW (I think I was about 7 yo) I was so afraid of Mr. Toads Wild Ride. (I think it's Pooh's Big Adventure now) I was terrified of the little devils that jumped out at the end. I could see this before I got on the ride so I covered my eyes the whole ride. That same day I got on all the "mountain" roller coaters and HM and I was not scared at all! I guess every kid is different and it is kind of hard to predict what they might be afraid of.

I am 27 yo now and planning my own family's first trip (July 2006). My two DS will be 8 and 9 yo and my DD will be almost 5 yo. My DH and I let them watch the WDW vacation planning video and view some websites so they'd have an idea what kinds of attractions are there. They all are so excited! Every other day my DD4 keeps asking me: "Mommy are we going to Disney World today?"

 

[Deb & Bill]

I admit, I bribed my son to go on RnRC with his dad. He loved Goofy's Barnstormer, Space Mt and BTMRR, but he wouldn't do RnRC because I can't do coasters. So I told him I would buy him something that he wanted badly and I had already told him I would not buy it. He rode. I bought him his gift.

 

[tjkraz]

Didn't read many of the replies, but here is my contribution.

On our last trip, our (almost) 4yo son did Test Track and Star Tours without a problem, but he was waffling on Splash Mountain. We had talked about it ahead of time, an he's seen pictures and videos. But when I came right down to it, as we got closer to the ride, he kept insisting (albeit not very forcefully) that he didn't want to ride.

As DW and I started walking toward the queue, we gave him one last shot. He answered no. I looked at my mother who had joined us on the trip, and she said "oh, just take him."

We all went together and he had a blast. Just needed a little push in the right direction, I guess.

I don't think I'll be using this method for Tower of Terror, though.

 

[*Fantasia*]

You mean... How does my children get me to ride! I am such a chicken when it comes to any roller coaster. I just finally rode Barnstormer on our last visit! And we have been to Disney many times. I let down my son once on this ride last visit before last, so I promised him this time I would ride it, so I did and....I love it! My son loved the ride. My daugther... well... she made it. she's fine. I was the only one who was screaming on that ride.

 

[Lizzybee]

My (then 6) yr old daughter decided to go on her first "big" roller coaster at our local Six Flags last Mother's Day. She said she "loved" it afterwards, but she seemed a bit unsure. The next time we went, my son (then 9) decided to try it to so we went on as a family, the 3 of us. One would have to sit alone, so I sat right behind the two of them and I could touch them. Well...we got stuck! There are no upside down parts, it's pretty tame for a coaster IMO. We weren't that hight up when we got stuck, but my daughter freaked out and started insisting they take her off the ride, but they can't do that. 5 grown people put on a little song and dance show for her while we waited to get unstuck and finish the ride. It was quite the drama. So, I didn't bother with any convincing tactics at Disney.

 

[julia & nicks mom]

I know most people tell how they hate when parents force a child on a ride and they cry through it -

Julia loves the "Beastie" at Kings Island in Cincinnati - it is probably a step above Goofy's Barnstormer but still a good intro coaster - but the whole time we ride (not in line) she buries her head in my shoulder and screams - but as soon as it is over - "LET"S GO AGAIN" - I am sure people who saw her on the ride think I am a monster - but she really is begging!! sometimes a child might be scared and still want to go - or the crying thing gets mom or dad's undivided attention

things are not always what they seem