No Characters Please

[Aliceacc]

I think we'll have to agree to disagree. Best wishes. I hope you have a wonderful trip.

 

[bratmomma]

When we went in 05 my DS became scared of characters on our first night at Chef Mickey's. Every meal after that we let the server know and they suggested we move him as far away from the accessible side of the table as possible. The characters were great about skipping over him and would only wave, etc, if he initiated.

The trip we just returned from I was worried about my DD3. She LOVED the characters. She was hugging and kissing them all. I guess it depends on the child. Some outgrow the fear quickly and others hold onto it for a long time.

 

[PA Princess]

OK, so maybe the peanut allergy reference wasn't a good one.

But I still say that no one, not even a toddler, should have to be "terrified"-- your word-- to make others happy. If someone wanted me to do something that frightened me that much for someone else's entertainment, they would be sorely disappointed. I don't think it's fair, or kind, or anything else positive, to put a toddler into a situation where you are fairly sure they'll be terrified simply because others want to do it.

Not attacking or flaming, but simply entering a general discussion on parenting...

Parenting toddlers is an interesting obstacle course to say the least...what scares them one minute does not the next and vive versa.

As the mom of 4 I have been down that road several times, but even still I am sometimes surprised when it happens with our youngest dd.

I had one child at 2 who developed a sudden terror to all red lights (specifically after dark)...just totally freaked him out. No way to always avoid those, but we worked through it with limited exposure, constant discussion, and respect towards his feelings while being realistic about what we could do to make him more at ease and what we could not. We also worked with him on what he could do to alleviate his discomfort when he was afraid.

We took a similar approach to our dd who was afraid of characters from like 2 1/2 to 5.

 

[bgohre]

Same problem here. My DD2 could scale Mt. Everest if Pluto was behind her.

Whenever the characters came by I would put her on my lap and hold her real tight. Then we would watch everybody at our table take a picture with Pooh or Tigger and tell her how much fun it was. We eventually got her to get in the picture by holding her as far away from the character as possible.

Once we were able to do that I would whisper in her ear "should I pinch Tiggers ear?" Of course she said yes, so I did. She would laugh and by the end of breakfast she would pinch their ear or nose as long as I was holding her. We have pictures of a terrified little girl and pictures of a little girl who had a smile from ear to ear...all at the same breakfast.

Good luck.

 

[wewantmore]

When we took Kayla when she was 3 she hated any and all characters but the minute she walked into MK she literally went RUNNING up to a character from the Jungle Book (a movie she had never seen) and hugged him. We had to pull her off and wait in line.

My point is that she was afraid of characters outside of Disney (Chuck E Cheese, a big space man at a baseball game, the baseball team mascot etc) but at Disney she greeted any and all of them, giving hugs, high fives etc.

So you never know what will happen once you get there.

I do agree with the suggestion of watching videos of people meeting the characters either online or via the Disney Vacation planning video to prepare her.

Good luck and you have plenty of time to prepare her for this.

Michelle

 

[Kae]

Ok I have to tell a little story. Before DH & I had kids we were doing the Char Breakfast at Artist point Chip, & Dale with Goofy. Later breakfast. there was a little boy about 24 - 28 months. Goofy walked by he looked at him & said no & put his hand out- Goofy stayed back. Chip & dale never came near him. well later it was this family us & a family with older kids. Chip & Dale sat down at a table & started coloring one of the older girls at the other table sat with them to color, next thing you knew the little boy got up & went & sat at the table colored a picture. It was so cute. Goofy still didn't come up to the table.

Kae