Is 1/4" too much?

[Buzz's_girl]

Hi. DS is 1/4" shy of 40". When we went to WDW in August 04, he was over an inch short of the 40" mark. We leave in 24 days (I think) and he is a quarter in too short. (his shoes dont make any difference...I measured with them on and off.) So...do I hope he grows so he can do new rides, or wait for the next trip? I know the height requirements are for saftey reasons, but he missed out on stuff like Splash, MTMMRR and his sisters could do it. Any info, advice would be appreciated.

 

[RyMickey]

I have a feeling that he'd probably have to wait until next time. Bummer! Disney tends to be pretty strict. They'll probably have someone measure him at the beginning, and, if he gets through and shouldn't have, probably at the loading area as well.

RyMickey

 

[ganggreen4jc]

We got my son on Disneyland's Indiana Jones ride for the first time by taking a handful of napkins from a nearby concession stand, folded them in half, put them in the heel area of his shoes, put his tennis shoes back on and, voila! He was magically 1/4" taller than before.

 

[poutytink]

I bought my son foam inserts for his sneakers. With them in he was about 1/4 to 1/2 inch taller. It worked on all the disney rides for 40" and even on Back to the future and Star Tours.

 

[Bill From PA]

Another vote here for getting lifts, or maybe a baseball cap with some filler in it.

Bill From PA

 

[Tigger&Belle]

If he's 1/4 inch too short in stocking feet he should be ok in sneakers. They always add a little height on to my kids unless you are talking about real thin sandals. I would not do any serious kinds of lifts--the height restrictions are there for the safety of your child! As to the hat, the CM might have a child take a hat off.

I used to tell my son to "stand up tall" and he would stand on his tippies, which is not what I was getting at. It was kind of humorous watching him get measured. He's now waiting to grow so he can go on RnR, but he has 4 inches to go.

T&B

 

[Brendita]

My son has always been the shortest of all the kids his age.
When he was 8 he was watching 5 year olds get on rides he was told that he was to short for.
My husband came up with the idea to put shoe pads inside his shoes.
Best to remove them after the ride as walking around with them all day smashs them down.
Good Luck

 

[WDSearcher]

Another vote here for getting lifts, or maybe a baseball cap with some filler in it.

The attractions CMs are actually smarter than you think. Most will ask kids to remove hats, or they'll smush them downt to get to the actual height of the child, particularly if the kid is really close to the limit. As an FYI, they're also not fooled by big ponytails, hair ornaments, platform sneakers, any type of high-heeled shoe, and most kinds of lifts. (Mostly because kids look uncomfortable wearing them.) Many kids find themselves asked to take their shoes off for a measurement. Remember that if a child does get injured due to sneaking by on a height requirement, it will all come back to the CM who let that child ride.

 

[DisneyAddict_M]

I have a feeling that he'd probably have to wait until next time. Bummer! Disney tends to be pretty strict. They'll probably have someone measure him at the beginning, and, if he gets through and shouldn't have, probably at the loading area as well.

RyMickey

Yep. My dd3 was measured twice at Star Tours. She was just over the mark and was able to ride.

 

[Disney On A Dime!]

To Buzz's_girl:

Okay here goes...my son who is 4, loves to ride the rides! He is short. He was exactly 1 inch short of 40 inches for our trip in December. So...I purchased him some girl sketchers - and painted them blue (in the areas where there were sparkles). These sketchers had about 1 inch to 1 1/4 inch lift to them. They worked perfect! I figured that a lot of the young girl's tennis shoes and sandals out in the stores have at least a 1 inch to 2 inch lift to them, but none of the boys shoes do (not that I would want my son to wear those around town!) Anyhow - we had a great time - the shoes were very comfortable and the CMs never questioned them.

 

[eeyore0062]

Height requirements are there for the safety of the child. The height requirements ensure that the restaint features will work correctly, so the child cannot slip out from beneath them. Castmembers are trained to look for height extending features, such as high ponytails or buns, stuffed hats, uncomfortable looking shoes padded with "whatever", elevated shoes, etc. Also, a child may be measured before entering the ride, at the point when they enter the interior of the ride as well as right before taking a seat in the ride. Some castmembers are a bit more observant than others, but if, at anytime the child is measured and is determined not to be the correct height, he/she will not be allowed to ride. I have seen this happen at RnR. The Child, with lifts in the shoes got past the 1st castmember, and the 2nd up where they check for fastpasses, but while in line got uncomfortable and took the lifts out of the shoes (I don't think that the parents realized he had done that). Got right up there to ride the ride, and guess what? Nope, not tall enough! After standing in line for 45 minutes. Sure, the parents weren't very happy, but they took that chance. One of the parents had to take the child out and get a child swap ticket while the other parent went on with the other kids. Really, it isn't worth it. The ride isn't going anywhere and it will give the child something to look forward to when he/she is indeed tall enough for the ride.

 

[DebbieB]

I've seen them remeasure on the platform of Space Mountain.

 

[NotUrsula]

Not that I will advocate cheating to get a too-short child onto a ride, but if we are talking about 1/4 inch, I think that there is a lot of latitude for it being accounted for just by posture. CM's are strangers, and many kids that age will cower when spoken to by a stranger.

When DS was just at/over 40", we had a terrible time with his height measuring differently every time he was measured. In some cases, he rode and wanted to ride again, and the second time was told he was too small, by the same CM, no less. We learned a couple of things about measurement on that trip.

If there is a ride that is just borderline, be sure to do it first thing in the morning. People of all ages actually get a smidge shorter as the day wears on, partly from gravity over the course of the day, and partly from a certain droop factor caused by fatigue. In a borderline situation, the child will usually measure a little taller in the morning.

Watch the positioning of your child's feet when he is measured, especially against a permanent signpost. DS tended to put his tush against the sign and then balance by putting his feet either too far in front of him, or too far to the side. Make sure the child's feet are centered directly beneath his shoulders, and that he is not putting weight against the post, b/c if he is leaning on the post, he'll be just a little bit shorter.

Lastly, and most important, do not pick up or carry your child in the rideline or as you approach the ride. The CM's may or may not measure a walking child who appears to be tall enough, but they are always going to carefully measure any child that they see being carried. We found that when DS was right at 40" that he was almost never measured if he walked. He is very thin and lanky child, and he gives a visual impression of tallness; we found it worked best to let that work for him, rather than having to cajole him to stand up straight when he was cowering away from the "stranger" who was trying to measure his height.

 

[bethbuchall]

Lastly, and most important, do not pick up or carry your child in the rideline or as you approach the ride. The CM's may or may not measure a walking child who appears to be tall enough, but they are always going to carefully measure any child that they see being carried. We found that when DS was right at 40" that he was almost never measured if he walked. He is very thin and lanky child, and he gives a visual impression of tallness; we found it worked best to let that work for him, rather than having to cajole him to stand up straight when he was cowering away from the "stranger" who was trying to measure his height.

My ds was plenty tall enough to ride Space Mountain on our last trip and wasn't even stopped by the CM's on the way in. I did pick him up and put him on my shoulders in line, and sure enough, he was pulled over to be measured on the platform. We didn't mind, and he was more than tall enough, but you are definitely right about them looking at carried children more carefully.

Beth

 

[Mama2jasminANDcaitie]

I am little nervous about this too! My dd is 42 1/2 inches tall. But some of those height measurements are wonky. The whole point of us going back to wdw THIS year is because she is tall enough to go on splash mountain. (by our pediatrician's measurements in fact)

I dont want to seem freakish.. but I have thought about bringing a certified thingee from our doctor that lists her height! lol I just cant imagaine her being turned down AGAIN! Its been two years of waiting for the shrimp to grow! . She would have a major meltdown!

 

[SoCalKDG]

Most shoes we buy for my daughter add 1/2". Go shopping.

 

[kareneast]

When my DS was younger (18 now), he had long legs and a short torso. After he sat down on a ride they would always have him get back up and measure him again. He was always tall enough, just never looked like it while sitting down. This happened to him for almost 2 years. He finally started just going up to cm and telling them to measure him before he sat down.

 

[WolfpackFan]

I just love these posts - parents trying to get around rules that were put in place for the protection and safety of THEIR children. But then they know their children and know best I guess. Sheesh.

 

[232271]

We had the same thing here just a 1/4 inch off, so we took a tape measure and went shoe shopping, the boys moutain type boots worked great!!
they do not make you take off your shoes to measure and most of us wear shoes that make us taller by this or more.

Dont feel guilty--just go and find some shoes that will work.
good luck and have a ball!!

 

[n2mm]

I just love these posts - parents trying to get around rules that were put in place for the protection and safety of THEIR children. But then they know their children and know best I guess. Sheesh.

Agreed!