Not yet 3 y/o... Do I need proof?

[MinnieTink]

I read a TR recently about a WDW visit with a child who was just a few weeks short of his 3rd birthday. It said at one park gate an older grumpy CM got a bit nasty, not believing the child was under 3. The parent pulled out the birth certificate as proof.
I will be in the same situation in September with my son, and up until I read this TR, I hadn't thought about having to prove his age. Never considered bringing his BC. Anyone have any experience with this?

 

[polkadotsuitcase]

No one's ever asked us, even when our kids were on the borderline like that. If you're nervous, I suppose it couldn't hurt to bring a copy of the cert, just to be on the safe side?

 

[LisaNJ25]

I have brought them just to be on the safe side.

 

[Beavers5]

My 2yo is already wearing a size 4T, so I will be bringing a copy of her birth certificate just in case.

 

[lemonsours]

We actually celebrated DD's 3rd Bday while at Disney, and it was never an issue for us. We brought a copy just in case, but never needed it. And since she was 2 when we arrived, we didn't have to pay for her the whole trip!
Marce

 

[aliceindisneyland]

My 2 yr old DD is 40" and nobody has ever questioned her age at the gate--back & forth between both parks for 5 days in June.

 

[whitneyNC]

It is absolutely not WDW's policy to require a birth certificate for entry for free or with a child's ticket. An "older, grumpy CM" should have been reported to an area supervisor. All you have to say is that your child is two years old. Period. Hope your trip is great!

 

[daleswife]

My 2yo is already wearing a size 4T, so I will be bringing a copy of her birth certificate just in case.

My 2 yr old is wearing a 24 months still yet!!! I dont think Im gonna have a problem with him, but I may need to bring his bc just in case!!!! I never even though about that!!!

 

[QVCshopper]

It doesn't hurt to bring it. My DD4 is extrememly tall for her age. People often think she is 7+. When we went a month before she turned 3, a CM was quite rude to me and made it obvious he didn't believe she was still 2 (rolling eyes, etc) until I said I'd show him the birth certificate. He backed off after that and didn't ask to see it.

My DS3 isn't quite as tall as his sister and I never had a problem, even though he was closer to turning 3 than she was on the previous trip.

 

[Stephres]

My daughter is off the charts in height and we were never questioned. My son was quite the talker and carried on conversations with cms when he was little. But when they asked him how old he was, he said "two" quite confidently and we were never questioned with him either. If you are concerned, bring a copy (I wouldn't risk the original).

 

[phins_jazy]

Phoenix will be two weeks shy of being 3 when we go. I didn't think to bring a copy of her BC but now, I think I will! Just to be on the safe side.

 

[BobBayse]

I read a TR recently about a WDW visit with a child who was just a few weeks short of his 3rd birthday. It said at one park gate an older grumpy CM got a bit nasty, not believing the child was under 3. The parent pulled out the birth certificate as proof.
I will be in the same situation in September with my son, and up until I read this TR, I hadn't thought about having to prove his age. Never considered bringing his BC. Anyone have any experience with this?

No. You don't need to provide proof of a child's age. Your word is all that is needed at WDW. A CM would not ask for a birth certificate for your two year old. It is not part of their policy to ask for i.d. at the parks except for the new "free entry on your b-day" promo.

 

[star sweeper]

When I was planning our trip for Feb 09, I heard a few people had been given a hard time over their child not looking less than 3 years old. Personally, no one asked us, My DD is 3 this Nov but looks like a 4-year-old. However, Tusker House tried to charge us for 4 meals even though my kids ate off our plates on placements we provided, and DH and I got one plate each for all four of us.

My children are adopted and of a different race, so I carry their passports and birth certificates at all times in case anyone questions I am their parent. It really isn't an inconvenience, just get a small ziplock and place with your other park items. Having a BC or other ID for all family members is good to carry for many reasons when traveling.

 

[JKSWonder]

My son is in the 97th percentile for height and looks older. We brought a copy of his birth certificate and kept it in our bag. No one ever asked us for it, but I felt better knowing it was there just in case.

 

[longstangetrip]

My son is in the 97th percentile for height and looks older. We brought a copy of his birth certificate and kept it in our bag. No one ever asked us for it, but I felt better knowing it was there just in case.

They didn't ask for it because they can't. It is not a WDW requirement for kids to visit the parks with proof of age. If she's two, she's two. "Just to be safe" from what? Being denied admission for free? Eating for free? Not going to happen. Let the cm's get testy, if you know your child is two, that's all that matters!
op-have a really good trip!

 

[pgumiela]

This probably isn't available everywhere, but where I live you can get a normal full size birth certificate as well as a small wallet size laminated version. So when both of my sons were born I got the extra laminated certificate that I just keep in my wallet. It is exactly like the big one just small, and since it is an "official" certificate with the embossed state seal you can use it for anything that you would need a birth certificate. I had to pay for it but it was only like $5 or $10, which is worth it to never have to worry about finding and taking the big paper copy anywhere.

 

[williamson_ja]

I was never asked for it when I took my dd last year. I'm glad because I didn't bring it with me. We went right before her birthday to get one more freebee trip in for her. She is just an average height child and I heard that they don't ask for it, so I didn't bring it. I don't know what I would have done if they had asked. I guess I would have just insisted that she was still 2. lol. This year when we go, she'll be four and I'm hoping she'll finally be big enough to go on some of the big kid rides. She's just shy of 40 inches right now... Here's hoping.

 

[MinnieTink]

Thanks for all the replies! Good to know I don't need it. Think I will throw a copy in my bag tho in case I encounter any eyerollers!!

 

[emh1129]

I brought a copy of the BC just because I felt better having it. We never needed it, though.