Is 3 years old too little for "big" rides

[jen-y]

My son just turned 3, and he is exactly 40 inches tall, which is the height requirement for splash mountain, thunder mountain railroad, test track, soarin, and tower of terror. I suppose if 40 inches is the requirement, then it must be safe. Still he seems so little to ride some of those rides. Is there anyone out there who has been in a similar situation?

 

[PollyannaMom]

DS was just over 40 inches (though older) when he did Soarin' for the first time, and I felt size-wise he was fine. - I think it really is the size that matters for safety, as it would determine whether the restraint will fit properly. At 3, I would just worry about scare factor on some things. - But you know your child, and which type of things are likely to scare him and which aren't.

The other thing to remember about being JUST 40 inches is that not all the measuring sticks are perfectly matched, and you are slightly taller in the morning than later in the day. So I wouldn't promise him he could ride something ahead of time, just offer to see if he can. And if anything is really important to him, try that early in the morning.

 

[snowwhitemom]

Once the height requirement is met then I think it is based on each child. When my dd was 3 she rode all the rides you mentioned (except for the ones that were not built )She did very well and always has. My ds just turned 3 and not so much...... he is not tall enough anyway but even if he was, it would not happen yet. Sorry I could not be of more help, but TOT is still one of her favorite rides....... and yes she was still in diapers, LOL. Hope your child has a wonderful time.

 

[jesseiann]

I took my son just after he turned 3 and he was also barely 40 in. with shoes on. We took him on every ride he could go on. He absolutely loved Test Track and Thunder Mountain. We probably rode those about 10 times each and he begged to go again every time we got off. He liked Dinosaur (although I think he was a little scared), Splash, Star Tours and Soarin. He didn't care for Tower of Terror. When I asked him why, he said is was boring because it only went up and down. He might have been scared on that one, but I asked him the other day if he wanted to go on it again and he said yes. He is really an adventurous kid though. I know a lot of kids are terrified of some of those rides, so you may want to start him off slowly (with something like the barnstormer) and see how he does.

 

[MinnieMouse73]

My daughter rode all of those rides at 3 and loved them all

 

[all4fun]

It really depends on the kid but my ds is also on the tall side for his age. Some rides are just a little too intense for younger kids. We found that ToT at DHS was/is a little too intense for him (he didn't want to try it again on our last trip, he was about 5-1/2yrs old, OTOH, he was just 48" tall, and loved RnRC, lol). He loved BTMRR, and did ok on Splash (he always seems to really enjoy it, but I think he hates the big drop at the end because he never wants to do it twice in one trip). We had the same concerns about safety, especially when he was tall enough to ride Space Mtn because he was still only about 33-35lbs at that time, and the seating configuration on that ride is single-file. We actually decided to wait until he was a bit older to ride that, when we were more comfortable that he wouldn't try to do anything crazy, like climb out of his seat during the ride. Plus imo it didn't hurt that he was also a little bit heavier too. He loves Space Mtn. So overall, I do agree with the pp's that as far as safety goes, if he meets the height requirement, as long as he'll stay seated on the ride, he'll be fine. You know his temperament the best though, and may decide to let him wait to try some rides until he's a bit older. It's a judgment call.

 

[brajfamily]

I have twins who are 4 and my son loves the "bid thrill" rides but my daughter wants no part of them. I have not let either of them on TOT because I just think it is too intense for them at their age. Good luck

 

[scottish mum]

My daughter rode all that rides except TOT 6 weeks before she turned 3. She loved them all but I didn't put her on TOT as i think she would have been very frightened of it .

 

[Kickapoo Joie Juice]

My son just turned 3, and he is exactly 40 inches tall, which is the height requirement for splash mountain, thunder mountain railroad, test track, soarin, and tower of terror. I suppose if 40 inches is the requirement, then it must be safe. Still he seems so little to ride some of those rides. Is there anyone out there who has been in a similar situation?

My older DD rode tower of terror when she was 3 and got a huge kick out of it.

The funniest part was when we were riding it for the second time in a row (thank goodness I hadn't eaten lately ) some officious woman in the elevator said "I don't think it's appropriate that you're taking a child that age on this ride."

To which my daughter replied "Why? I just got off! It's really not that scary!"

It was AWESOME, the biddy was completely non plussed.

FWIW, at around age 7, they made TOT scarier and got rid of the bar and she won't ride it anymore. Space mountain till I'm green in the face, yeah, but not TOT anymore.

 

[Rob B 922]

I took my 3 1/2 year old on test track, he was scared when we were in line, than after he wanted to go again.

 

[MickeyMomOfThree]

When our girls were 3 they rode everything from ToT to the Mountians. They are riders! You have to know the kid and decide!

 

[brymolmom]

Been there - done that.

When my little ones were in that age/size range I only brought them on things that I could physically hold onto them on. For example, on Splash Mtn I would loop an arm around my child and then onto the bar in front - literally 'holding him/her down'. I'm sure its safe without...but it made me feel so much better!

But they loved Splash, TT and Soarin. Neither one liked TOT at this age (actually - still don't at 5 and 6).

 

[crisi]

There is another issue..

There is height, he is tall enough

There is your kids "thrill" factor - lots of three year olds ride these rides, others don't. Play that one by ear.

The third one you might want to consider if you plan on returning to Disney regularly is letting Disney grow with your kids. Something saved to be new next trip is a treat (and few people have time to do it all anyway, particularly with young kids). My kids have gotten as much enjoyment over the years looking forward to "next time I'll ride" and they have actually riding it (and three trips of 'next time I'll ride Tower of Terror' and my daughter has yet to get on it).

 

[ash-n-brensmom]

My 8yo cried while walking off TOT!!! My cousin's 4yo was laughing and yelling woo hoo the whole time!! Just goes to show, it depends on the kid!!

 

[Later_Mater2009]

when my DS was 4 he was 48in i think thats the requirement for Space mountain, he wanted to go and he is a big boy, now i didnt know it was seperate seats, lol, and i was worried about his little head so i reached around the seat in front of me where he was and held his head with my hands the whole ride, we LOL about it now, im laughing just typing it, but my children are big for their age and i thinkit depends on your child and their sturdiness and the ride.. good luck

 

[clutter]

My dd rode most of the rides right after her 3rd birthday. Except Splash. Mom didn't want to do that one. (Had to wait until she was 3 1/2. )

But I know 9 year olds that won't ride some of the rides. It just depends on the child. At 9 months old, I was pushing my dd in an infant seat on a swing at our playground. There was no such thing as 'high enough' or 'fast enough'. She was a speed junkie at birth!

 

[TxTink :)]

As soon as my nephew was tall enough, he rode everything- even Tower of Terror. I had to get him the "I survived" shirt for that one- he loved it!

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

My DD did all those rides at 3. At 4 she was able to add on Space Mountain and EE.

I will mention though that my DD is tall for her age BUT is always "shorter" at Disney than she is at home. Her yearly drs appts are always around our Disney trips and the dr measures her almost an inch taller than Disney does. We have had major disappointments because of this. We learned that lesson the hard way. DO not tell your kiddo what rides they "can ride" until you get here.

DD will most definitely be 48 inches this trip which basically means she can go on anything. But we won't tell her that until we get there and measure her Disney style

 

[here757]

hee heee .. i suckered my 3 year old on the tower of terror.
he seemed to like it.. laughed at the decor on the way up... we got off the ride. he was snowflake white.. then i asked... wanna go again..
he replied " no i dont think so.. maybe another time" LOL

i didnt do it on any other ride.. we always offered but if he didnt wanna ride i dint make him.
he loved that goofy coaster in toon town.. i couldnt get him off!
lucky for me there was no line and the cm let him ride and ride

 

[ryanshana]

wanna go again..
he replied " no i dont think so.. maybe another time" LOL