Proof of Age for toddler??

[mandanjeremy]

I was reading on the Disney site that proof of age may be required. My youngest son is 2, but could easily pass for 3? Should I take proof of his age with us just in case?

Thanks in advance...our first trip is coming up in March and we're so excited!

 

[ilandrazdsw]

Personally I would for my own peice of mind. How horrible would it be to have to waste precious time of you vacation arguing about how old your child truly is? Make a copy of his birth certificate or passport and just tuck it in a pocket of a bag you are bringing with you (or shrink it down to fit in a wallet). A lot of what I have read thought appears that CMs do not really check.

 

[DisneyKings]

I've never had them ask & I don't think they would demand to see a birth certificate since noone carries that around with them. I don't think they even look if your kid is in a stroller already either.

 

[CLR4321]

I would bring a copy of his birth certificate just to be sure there are no issues.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

I don't carry my kids birth certificate around.

We've been at least 7-8 times when the kids were under 3 and no one batted an eye.

 

[geishagirl81]

I read that a copy of a birth cert. isn't permissable if they are questioning age, a certified cert. must be presented. My son is HUGE, so I am bringing his cert.

 

[design_mom]

I've never heard of them demanding proof of age either. I have heard of CMs "casually" (or maybe they're only pretending to be casual) asking children how old they are.

But, whether it's needed or not, if you're like me, now that you've read it, you'll worry about being questioned each time you go through the turnstiles. I'd do what other posters suggested and make a photocopy of his birth certificate or passport page and keep it with you. There's a 99.9% chance you won't need it, but better safe than sorry.

 

[ariel53098]

I showed DS's passport everytime we went while DS was close to the cut off age to Tokyo DL but he was tall for his age and next to a typical Japanese kid his age he looked HUGE.
I would probably bring a photocopy of his birthcertificate just in case. what will carrying a folded up photocopy hurt? This way you dont' have to worry!
Rachel

 

[puffkin]

My son is very tall (over 40" at 2 1/2 so he did all the big rides) and we were never questioned. I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[tzolkin]

I was assured when booking our reservation that we did not need to bring anything because "Disney believes you". (My real issue was that we went last May and booked through a travel agent. She put my DS down as 2, but he didn't turn 2 until after the trip. We are going the same dates this May-- to get in one last trip before he turns 3. I was worried that Disney would have him in the system as being 2 two years in a row and wonder if we were cheating.)

We didn't bring anything last year and had no issues. I had the free little one and DD4 both in matching strollers. DD is tiny, DS is not, so they are about the same size. DH always went through with our DS, and I went through with the 4 yo. They always seemed surprised that I handed them two tickets.


I don't really know how asking for the child's age would help anything. I know this will make me seem like an awful parent, but my kids never knew how old they were before 4-5ish. (They knew colors, numbers, letters, but I just never thought about age ) Also, even if the child said they were older what are you supposed to do if you've already been assured that you don't need proof of age? If my DS mistakenly told them he was 4 and I have no birth certificate with me how do I assure them he's not? If they're going to randomly question you, than they should tell you to bring proof of age.

 

[Manda]

I've never seen anyone ask for proof of age or provide proof of age. I did - once - see a CM pointedly ask a Mom if the kid in her stroller was under 3 (she clearly did not look or act or seem developmentally to be under 3). The Mom said 2, even though the kid said 4, and they rolled through any way. Which just tells me that if they didn't push it in that scenario, they never do. I guess if you tried to claim a 12 year old as a 2 year old or something...

Personally, I'd rather not carry identifying documents for my child around when they aren't needed. No need to risk the chance of losing them and starting some identity theft issue.

 

[amynorth]

I actually called and asked them because when we travel to WDW my son will turn 4 and my other ds will turn 2. They told me it was done on the honor system and no I did not have to have a birth certificate.

 

[GrumpyBa*D]

Many years ago my fahter took the whole family on a trip literally a week before my niece turned 3. We had to tell her to keep her mouth shut until we got throught the gate.... she talked like a teenager by then.... using words like "actually" and even adding in the proper inflection

 

[kgle]

I read that a copy of a birth cert. isn't permissable if they are questioning age, a certified cert. must be presented. My son is HUGE, so I am bringing his cert.

Oh there is no way I would risk bringing my son's actual birth certificate to Florida. I just shudder at it being lost or stolen.

We have several places here that allow a child 2 and under to get in for free and none of them asked for a birth certificate or proof of age when he was able to go for free.

 

[mandanjeremy]

Thanks everyone, I too hate the thought of carrying around his birth certificate just for a 'maybe just in case we need it' situation, but was worried because he speaks incredibly well for his age...and to the person that actually called Thank You, I have no idea where to start on a lot of this stuff. Ive been procrastinating, and now the trips sneaking up on me.

 

[eww1024]

We took my daughter to Disney the month before she turned 3. She was always been over the 95% -- and was almost 40". When we went through the gate, a CM wanted her pass. I said she was still 2, and he rolled his eyes very obviously like I was lying. I told him I would show him her birth certificate copy, which I brought along b/c I knew her height might be an issue. But he didn't push it any further and let us in.

 

[Alesia]

Oh there is no way I would risk bringing my son's actual birth certificate to Florida. I just shudder at it being lost or stolen.

The "actual birth certificate" is just a certified copy. It really isn't a big deal if it gets lost. It just costs a few dollars to get it replaced.


In any case, Disney doesn't require proof of age. They expect guests to be honest.

They do, however, require a certified copy of a birth certificate for any child taking advantage of the birthday promotion. I think that's where the confusion comes from.

 

[Karlzmom]

I completely understand your concerns, as our moose was 3 weeks shy of his 3d b-day when we went, but was the size of a 4-year-old....seriously!

We did take a copy of his birth cert, but were never asked. I would have been quite put out had it worked out the other way and not had the paper when asked. If it doesn't involve a whole lot of hassle, I'd take it. Have fun!!!