How thick are the soles on crocs? How to make a kid grow and inch in 8 weeks?!

[Suellen]

Oddly while in the ToT Merchandise shop and buying snacks (Pez I think) for the girls to enjoy while we rode RnR ~ I was chatting with the cast member how it was a treat for my kids since we don't let them have candy and we figured this would make up for them being too short... yada, yada... trouble using my snack credits....i'll pay cash...yada yada. Some other CM comes up to give me TIPS on making her seem tall enough to ride RnR. I tried to politely say no thanks and walk away ~ but he just kept talking. Finally DD came over to see what was taking so long. He was singing a different tune when he saw she was only like 43inches.

I was shocked!!

 

[SOnotLayuh]

some people are shorter than others, some take longer to grow. Judging by the tone of your post if she is sensative about her height its because you have planted that in her mind. 4 year olds are not sensitive about height unless someone has indicated to them through words or actions that they should be and that person is you. If she isn't tall enough, make other plans and go on other rides, she will be tall enough next time

Some people just seem to want to rain on someone else's parade all of the time

Please don't criticize others' parenting skills in any way. If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all....

 

[MaggieMoo'sMom]

My DD4 measures 42 1/2 inches barefoot and 44 inches in her Nike Shox. Just a thought...You can find them at a semi-reasonable price at www.champssports.com. They are super comfortable, too. I wear them sometimes to teach in on our concrete floors at my elementary school

 

[Cheshire Figment]

CMs are the final authority if a person is tall enough to ride a particular attraction. And if a CM suspects that there is something artifical, such as very thick soles, very thick heels, or an ice cream bar inside the shoe to increase height, they are permitted to ask that the Guest remove their shoes and be measured barefoot or in socks (if wearing them).

This is a safety issue and the managers will back up the CMs in just about all such situations. And we don't like having to call Security on a Guest, but a person can be escorted out of a Park and their tickets cancelled.

 

[campingdawgs]

My DD6 (almost 7) has always been petite. People have always asked is she is ok, because she is so small. In December she was able to ride Space Mountain for the first time! She was finally 44" (with shoes). At the dr. office last week, she was 46" (and finally weighs more than 40 lbs)! Two inches in 3 months! So don't give up on a growth spurt!

 

[larryz]

Gravity boots.

Several weeks of hanging upside down will likely stimulate some bone growth and move 'er on up!

 

[starlionblue]

This is coming from a grown woman who is only 4'11.

My favorite aunt is only 5' and my uncle is 6'1"!I think they look cute together! Their daughter (my cousin) is 5'8" but her husband is 6'! Something must be going on here!

 

[123SA]

I am going to lose it. I just measured my 4.5 year old and she is 39 inches!! That was with no shoes on.

I assume that the height thing of 40 inches presumes that the rider is wearing shoes. I don't plan on going out and buying a pair of Pretty Talls or anything but I am hoping that with crocs, she makes it.

I have been planning on getting all of us crocs for this trip for comfort. How thick are the soles on crocs?

She is very small for her age and sensitive about it. She is going to be somewhere between devastated and pissed if she cannot ride because she is not 40 inches. There are kids that are barely three that are tall enough to ride!!

Why can't she just GROW?!!! I am 5'9' and DH is 5'11", she has been poked and prodded and is totally normal just petite.

Ummmm...NO. I tell her she is perfect.

Maybe it's because she has been sent to an Endocrinologist because of her growth issues and poked and prodded over the last 2 years with everything from blood tests to bone age scans?

Maybe it's because she is the oldest in her preschool class, but the smallest?

Maybe it's because a neighbors kid who will be 3 next month is the same height as her?

Maybe it's because she cannot reach the pedals on some riding toys her friends can ride.

When you are FOUR and and around normal height FOUR year olds you can see the difference. My child is short...not BLIND!

My sympathies. I am in the same boat as you. My DS is 4 1/2 this past week and not quite 39 inches in his sneakers. Yes, he knows he is small. As a matter of fact, we are not allowed to use that word in the house and he refers to himself as medium. I don't tell him he is small, but since he has perfectly normal intelligence, he too has noticed this all on his own. He has been poked and prodded with all the same tests you mentioned. He is also pretty skinny, just 28 lbs, which makes him seem even smaller. He constantly gets lumped in with the 2 year olds.

Our trip is in about 6 months, so I have some time. He will be so heartbroken if he isn't tall enough. My biggest concern is if he is pretty close. I hate to break his heart by having him measured and not making it. The inconsistency in measuring at WDW is an issue.

Good luck. If you find a miracle grow for kids, please post so I can try it!

 

[kaytieeldr]

You grab her arms, let Dad grab her ankles, and puuuullllll....

Not arms - armpits, or shoulders. Or walk around carrying her upside down by her ankles.

OP - I don't know if the kids' Crocs are different, but a rough check with my fingers, plus 'shrinkage' between last year's physical and this year's, indicate to me that the adult Crocs are about one inch thick at the heel.

 

[jewjubean]

Just wanted to say that their are REASONS why they have height restrictions. For example Stitch is 40' inches. It's for the harness that comes over the person on the ride. Now when a person who isnt 40 inches gets into the seat the harness comes to the person about mid-way across the face. For children this is a scary ride, and in my opinion I dont think the hight restriction is high enough.

As for the other rides just imagine if someone got hurt when they let their kid on a ride and they wernt tall enough to get on the stink it would cause.

As a castmember I dont pick out the "shorties" but if they arnt tall enough..sorry you cant ride. Its just easier to go around the ones that you child cant go on and use the rider swap.

 

[indimom]

My sympathies. I am in the same boat as you. My DS is 4 1/2 this past week and not quite 39 inches in his sneakers. Yes, he knows he is small. As a matter of fact, we are not allowed to use that word in the house and he refers to himself as medium. I don't tell him he is small, but since he has perfectly normal intelligence, he too has noticed this all on his own. He has been poked and prodded with all the same tests you mentioned. He is also pretty skinny, just 28 lbs, which makes him seem even smaller. He constantly gets lumped in with the 2 year olds.

Our trip is in about 6 months, so I have some time. He will be so heartbroken if he isn't tall enough. My biggest concern is if he is pretty close. I hate to break his heart by having him measured and not making it. The inconsistency in measuring at WDW is an issue.

Good luck. If you find a miracle grow for kids, please post so I can try it!

I know how you both feel and just wanted to give you I am 5'4" (okay, more like 3.75") and DH is 5'6" Our children are simply going to be on the low end of the height spectrum. On our last trip to Disney, DS was five years, four months old and was not tall enough for Space Mt. When we went to Universal, he was 7 years 10 months and was not tall enough for Dueling Dragons or Hulk. He put in his scrapbook "Next time, Hulk, Next Time..."
He was tested for Cystic Fibrosis and every other disease and condition in the book at 13 months old simply because he was sick and he was naturally small. When my pediatrician saw all the tests the children's hospital had run on him, she said "Did they LOOK at you (my husband and I)???"
Sometimes this stuff is funny, and sometimes it's just sad...
When we took his cousins to King's Island with us, he was turned away from the Bumper Cars while they (up to 2.5 years younger) got to ride. He was embarassed and devastated. Silent Tears running down his face.
We are now getting to an age with DS10 where we are having to question whether or not it is safe to allow him to keep playing his favorite sport - football. He has boys on his team who outweigh him by 75-80 pounds. Every year the difference grows and the risk of him getting hurt gets more likely. He is very aware of this and eats and eats and eats, trying to get "bigger."

As far as Disney rides go, if they are questionable, I don't even know if I would try. It is soooo much more upsetting to be turned away. Especially for the famiily with younger yet taller siblings. I hope everyone has a terrific vacation and remind those little ones "Next time, next time......"

 

[RMulieri]

The only thing you can do is pray for a growth spurt..My daughter was under 40" at 4 yrs old.This past disney trip( she turned 6) She Finally was tall enough, but not by much she was just over 41".She is the oldest in her class and the tiniest.She has NO chance of being tall( I am 5ft and DH is BARELY 5'6 both sides of family are under 5'5))I understand the frustration and heartbreak, I dealt with it her first trip,but you know .. she got over it pretty quickly .There was so many other things to focus her attention on.The Cms are pretty strict with the heights and do glance at the childs shoes, and will not allow them on if it is obvious the height is fudged.I hope she grows enough for your trip!

 

[eeyorethegreat]

I am 5'2 my Dh 6'1. My girls have always been average height my boys not so much. The law was 4'9 before a child could get out of his booster seat. My eldest was in 6th grade before he could ride without his booster. The law has changed since then and once a child is 8 they can ride with out a booster. He was not a happy camper being in sixth and still in a booster. He is 15 now and though I haven't weighed him he is lucky to be 100 pounds soaking wet though he is now taller than me at 5'5 My younger son is small too. 12 and 4'5 last time I measured him. He hasn't hit 70 pounds yet. My eldest was tested for everything too because something must be wrong because he is so small. Nope nothing. He is a healthy kid. I always dread Dr visits with my younger son when it comes time for the measurement becasue it is inevitable that his growth issues come up. I keep reminding the Dr that we went down this road with my eldest- my boys are just small. Incidently my dad is only 5'6 but people look at my husband and figure my boys ought to be bigger. Seems that they take after my side not his.

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

Maybe it's because she has been sent to an Endocrinologist because of her growth issues and poked and prodded over the last 2 years with everything from blood tests to bone age scans? Poor thing! I can't imagine what that's been like for her!

Maybe it's because she is the oldest in her preschool class, but the smallest? Just remind her when all the other kids are huge (Amazon-ish) she'll still get to wear all the cute clothes and shoes and they'll struggle to find anything nice.

Maybe it's because a neighbors kid who will be 3 next month is the same height as her? So you neighbor's kid is a monster...

Maybe it's because she cannot reach the pedals on some riding toys her friends can ride. Ever try bolting wood blocks on them so she can??

When you are FOUR and and around normal height FOUR year olds you can see the difference. My child is short...not BLIND! It makes me sad to read that you said that! Blind people have a sense of height too! My (blind) students compare their heights regularly, and they're in high school!

Try not to stress, like PPs have said, you've got a couple of months still, you never know what will happen. I think DS measured right at 40" with regular Stride Rites when he was just under 40" barefoot. He made some rides, not all.

Have a back-up plan in case she doesn't make it. I've read other posters suggest going on the 40" rides first thing in the morning when we are at our tallest. And again, there is always next time (I hate to hear that one too).

I doubt Crocs will get you a full inch from the sole, maybe a 1/2" at the most. I have also heard that some CMs will give a special pass to kids who don't quite cut it and are really upset about it.

Believe me, I can commiserate. All I've heard for the last 6 months is, "Mommy, I wasn't big enough to ride Stitch and I'm really sad about it!" A) If he ONLY knew what he didn't miss B) I felt SO BAD when I found out my dad took Dneph on it and left DS behind. Now that we are going back this fall, DS keeps reminding me he didn't get to ride Stitch last time. He's tall enough now, and has no idea what new rides he can do this time. Now I worry for DD(1.5), she may clear height for Barnstormer, but there is a chance it won't be open when we get there, and the cycle starts again.

 

[goofy4tink]

Just wanted to say that their are REASONS why they have height restrictions. For example Stitch is 40' inches. It's for the harness that comes over the person on the ride. Now when a person who isnt 40 inches gets into the seat the harness comes to the person about mid-way across the face. For children this is a scary ride, and in my opinion I dont think the hight restriction is high enough.

As for the other rides just imagine if someone got hurt when they let their kid on a ride and they wernt tall enough to get on the stink it would cause.

As a castmember I dont pick out the "shorties" but if they arnt tall enough..sorry you cant ride. Its just easier to go around the ones that you child cant go on and use the rider swap.

True. Those restrictions are there for safety reasons. If your child isn't tall enough, the safety restraints are not going to work correctly...so putting anything in the shoes or getting thicker soled shoes is only putting your child in a precarious position. Will anything bad happen? Probably not.

Here's my issue...my dh is 6'4" tall. My ds is just 6'. If they stand next to each other there is an obvious difference. But....seat them and they are eyeball to eyeball!!! My dh has very long legs, ds...well, they called him 'stump' in school...has short legs but a longish torso. So...obviously the restraints would fit them exactly the same. That is my issue with 'restrictions' based on height. Perhaps rather than having a height restriction, they need to put a seat at the front of the attraction. If your shoulders hit the 'mark' then you're good to go. Makes more sense.

 

[Suellen]

Just remind her when all the other kids are huge (Amazon-ish) she'll still get to wear all the cute clothes and shoes and they'll struggle to find anything nice.

So you neighbor's kid is a monster...

I really, really hope you are just joking about this. Saying these kinds of things to kids is what turns them into "mean girls" ~ and yeah girls are much meaner than boys around junior high.

I would have a serious problem with some calling my child an amazon, monster who can't wear cute clothes.

I don't get trying to make one child feel better by making fun of another.

 

[Andrea73]

When you are FOUR and and around normal height FOUR year olds you can see the difference. My child is short...not BLIND! It makes me sad to read that you said that! Blind people have a sense of height too! My (blind) students compare their heights regularly, and they're in high school!



I am sorry about that comment. I meant no offense to blind people. The PP implied that I was the cause of her size distress as if she could not see that kids her age tower over her and some kids who are still in diapers are the same height.

Thanks to everyone for the encouragement. It is what it is. She is who she is. I will measure her in her shoes before we go and see where she is at. She will still get to ride plenty no matter what.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Sometimes this stuff is funny, and sometimes it's just sad...
When we took his cousins to King's Island with us, he was turned away from the Bumper Cars while they (up to 2.5 years younger) got to ride. He was embarassed and devastated. Silent Tears running down his face.

We were older, so it wasn't funny or sad - it just wasn't fair (yeah, I know - life's not fair ). There was a small amusement park a couple of cities over when we were growing up. My parents were 5'4" and 5'7"; and the parents across the street were 5'9" and 6'1". Even though I was the oldest of the eight kids allowed to go roaming the park while the moms sat somewhere, I missed out on a LOT of rides that the younger kids enjoyed - including two of my siblings! In fact, come to think of it... by the time I was tall enough to ride - the park had closed! Wahhhh! Unfair!! Get me a lawyer!!!!

Note to Esteemed Moderator: If you grew up here, I'm referring to the original Pleasure Island

 

[kaytieeldr]

Maybe it's because she is the oldest in her preschool class, but the smallest? Just remind her when all the other kids are huge (Amazon-ish) she'll still get to wear all the cute clothes and shoes and they'll struggle to find anything nice.

I accidentally - but gladly - met someone at Downtown Disney a few years ago I'd only known online until then. We were talking, and I noticed she was wearing fuschia Mickey Crocs when all I could find were the four basic colors (black/red, red/black, pink/pearl, pearl/pink). No, Crocs hadn't expanded their color choices at that time. This woman was lucky enough to fit into girls' Crocs! Life's not fair! Get me my lawyer!

What do you mean, I don't have a lawyer?

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

Ummmm...NO. I tell her she is perfect.

Maybe it's because she has been sent to an Endocrinologist because of her growth issues and poked and prodded over the last 2 years with everything from blood tests to bone age scans?

Maybe it's because she is the oldest in her preschool class, but the smallest?

Maybe it's because a neighbors kid who will be 3 next month is the same height as her?

Maybe it's because she cannot reach the pedals on some riding toys her friends can ride.

When you are FOUR and and around normal height FOUR year olds you can see the difference. My child is short...not BLIND!

Hey OP,

I was always the smallest in my class, and my parents dragged me to the endocrinologist and a slew of other doctors... I was only 4'1" in 7th grade.

Then, over the summer of 7th grade, I started growing, QUICKLY, naturally.

I'm 5'4" now. Petite but not too short. Just anecdotal evidence. If the doctors say everything's okay, your daughter will be fine!