Question about short kids and shoes...

[todzwife]

My youngest is exactly 40 inches with her tennis shoes on. We're going in about 5 weeks so I doubt she'll grow much. My question is if I let her wear her sparkly pink minnie heels that give her just a smidge more height, will they ask her to take them off? She LOVES her "low heels" and wears them ALL DAY at home, especially if it's a dress up day. (but I'll bring a couple extra pairs of comfy shoes for her to change into if needed). I'm NOT trying to cheat the system, I have read most of the sticks are actually taller than 40 inches and I'm trying to avoid extreme 3 year old disappointment (she's the youngest of 4 and WANTS to ride the big rides, but I told her she may be too short still and we'll go get ice cream or something if she can't go).

I'm just checking before I commit to bringing the sparkly heels in an already packed mini van. I don't want to bring something she'll have to take off at every ride.


Edited for clarification.

 

[ParkHopper1]

I have never seen then make kids take shoes off...but one thing you will wanna do with your little one is practice "standing tall" ahead of time and stress the importance. Set up a marker at home and practice. Not to cheat the system, but I have seen kids slouch and not stand as tall as they can especially when they are tired and get denied when they would have otherwise easily passed.

 

[KirstinK]

I haven't seen them ask kids to take their shoes off either. But I'm not sure how comfortable plastic heels would be for walking around all day lol

 

[LisaT91403]

I'm NOT trying to cheat the system, I just know that most of the sticks are actually taller than 40 inches

I respectfully disagree with both of these statements Starting with the latter...it's not true that "most of the sticks" are actually taller than 40". Someone on this board actually went and measured every single stick, and they are dead on except for one -- Jumpin' Jellyfish in DCA. That one is a good half inch off, but all of the others are correct. If you are putting your daughter into shoes that are higher than "normal" shoes so that she can be taller at the measuring stick, isn't that trying to cheat the system?

 

[agamble]

My youngest is exactly 40 inches with her tennis shoes on. We're going in about 5 weeks so I doubt she'll grow much. My question is if I let her wear her sparkly pink minnie heels that give her just a smidge more height, will they ask her to take them off?

I doubt they would ask her to take her shoes off, and it doesn't sound like her Minnie shoes are super tall heels, but just little girl dress up shoes. I'm sure tons of princesses wear those to the parks. As a previous poster mentioned be sure to explain that she has to stand tall and hit her head on the height stick. Kids may duck or squish down out of fear of touching their head. Also, they can shrink throughout the day, so be aware that she may be tall enough for Big Thunder in the morning and then too short at night. Different CM can measure differently too. If they do send her away from the ride they may give her a FP to ride the next time she's tall enough.

 

[YukonMommy]

I know where you are coming from. This will be our 4th family trip and the 1st time my youngest (also the baby of 4) will be able to ride every ride! He was a smidge over 40 last time with runners on. Sometimes he made it on, sometimes he didn't. I would prepare her (and you) for worst case scenario and hope for the best.

Have a magical time!

 

[pamelaj]

We were in the same situation and my little one wanted to wear her Elsa heels, so we let her wear them. (I brought extra shoes, in case her feet got sore in the park) It was inconsistent all day, which was hard. First ride was Radio City Racers, they measured her and let her on, no problem and we thought we were all set. Some staff let her on, others said no. (Jumpin Jellyfish said no way, I agree that one is higher than the rest) It was hard because we kept waiting in line and sometimes they would tell her no and she would be disappointed. Some staff did give us a hard time about the shoes and one made her take off her baseball hat (there for sun protection, not height!). Hope your little one has a growth spurt this month!

 

[eschmeling]

we were in a similar situation years ago with our youngest - just at 40inches. At the time, there were Skechers shoes that had a particularly thick sole and we bought those to be on the safe side and had no issues (though I believe at Star Tours CMs asked to measure her pretty frequently). I cannot find those exact shoes on the Skechers site now, but a lot of their sneakers just have really thick soles (and look comfy for extended walking).

 

[SMD]

It's probably been 10 years since I've seen them ask a kid to take their shoes off. What I do see now is the CM holding the heels of their shoes to the floor if a kid is trying to stretch and stand on their toes. It wouldn't surprise me if they had a kid take heels off, since that's basically the same thing.

 

[KirstinK]

Basically if your kid is right at 40", you can't count on them passing the height checks - heels or no heels.
They are doing this for their safety - they aren't trying to rig the sticks by really making them 42" or something.

 

[NannyBeBe]

The height restrictions are put in place to keep children safe. Trying to get around the requirements is not a good idea.

 

[Niltiac]

If you are putting your daughter into shoes that are higher than "normal" shoes so that she can be taller at the measuring stick, isn't that trying to cheat the system?

As I read the OP's post, her daughter would be able to meet the height requirement in regular tennis shoes, which she would not be asked to remove. She's considering letting her daughter wear the sparkly shoes because that's what her daughter wants, not to make her taller. She's concerned that she would be asked to remove them and she wouldn't meet 40" in bare feet. I don't see any cheating, simply trying to avoid a disadvantage of being measured in bare feet when other kids are wearing tennis shoes.

At any rate, I don't have much specific advice for OP, but I wonder if you had her tennis shoes on hand, and they asked you to remove her sparkly shoes, if they would allow you to step out of line and change her into tennis shoes instead of measuring barefoot. I think that's worth trying.

 

[cruisehopeful]

I'd just bring the tennis shoes along and tell my daughter to change into them before getting the line explaining that the shoes are safer for the ride. That way there wouldn't be any issue with the possibility of being asked to remove the shoes at the measuring stick.

 

[DL_Forever]

When we went in December my daughter who is 4 measured 42" at home, but was deemed too small for Grizzly River Rapids the first night there. Oh my goodness the waterworks and wailing that ensued while dad and brother went on the ride. The next morning she wore her rain boots, which have a good size sole to them. She was well past the marker that day, AND her feet stayed dry

 

[LisaT91403]

As I read the OP's post, her daughter would be able to meet the height requirement in regular tennis shoes, which she would not be asked to remove. She's considering letting her daughter wear the sparkly shoes because that's what her daughter wants, not to make her taller. She's concerned that she would be asked to remove them and she wouldn't meet 40" in bare feet. I don't see any cheating, simply trying to avoid a disadvantage of being measured in bare feet when other kids are wearing tennis shoes.

If that's the case, then I agree with you. However, that's not the way I read it. What I understood was that her daughter is 40" at home with regular shoes on, but the OP is convinced that the height sticks are actually higher than 40" and that's why her daughter needed slightly taller shoes (either low heels or cowboy boots).

 

[KirstinK]

For whatever reason, the kids who are exactly 40" at home may not make it onto the rides. I think it's crazy that we are talking about taller shoes/heels needed for a 3 year old lol. Call me crazy, but I don't think plastic heels or cowboy boots are the best choice of footwear for a young kid walking around all day. And I think 40" for a 3 year old is pretty tall - my younger one had to wait a long time to ride Radiator Springs Racers. I don't think he was tall enough until he was 5! He survived ...

 

[bumbershoot]

I just know that most of the sticks are actually taller than 40 inches

That's just not true.

What IS true is that we all shrink as the day goes on, so trying a high height ride later in the day for an at-the-mark kid isn't good. Trying such a ride after other jokty rides isn't good either.

Full sleep each night. Good food and lots of water each day. One high height ride per day at the early part of the day. Practice standing straight and tall and she must know that she wants to hit the flat part of the stick. If she slouches to avoid it she doesn't ride.

She's considering letting her daughter wear the sparkly shoes because that's what her daughter wants, not to make her taller.

SHe's justifying the shoes. A year from now she wouldn't allow heeled shoes for a themepark.

If that's the case, then I agree with you. However, that's not the way I read it. What I understood was that her daughter is 40" at home with regular shoes on, but the OP is convinced that the height sticks are actually higher than 40" and that's why her daughter needed slightly taller shoes (either low heels or cowboy boots).

Agreed.

 

[agamble]

For whatever reason, the kids who are exactly 40" at home may not make it onto the rides. I think it's crazy that we are talking about taller shoes/heels needed for a 3 year old lol. Call me crazy, but I don't think plastic heels or cowboy boots are the best choice of footwear for a young kid walking around all day. And I think 40" for a 3 year old is pretty tall - my younger one had to wait a long tine to ride Radiator Springs Racers. I don't think he was tall enough until he was 5! He survived ...

Heights vary a lot. My oldest was 40" tall without shoes before she was three. We went to Disneyland the month before her birthday and she was able to ride every 40" ride, including Jumping Jellyfish. She was 44" at four when we went back. My son is about 41" now. I'm hoping that in the next five months before our trip he gets that extra inch, but he may not. He'll be four by then and there's a good chance he will grow another inch since on average kids of his age grow about 2" a year. But even if he does make 42" he'll still be 2" shorter than his sister was at that age.

 

[SMD]

She's considering letting her daughter wear the sparkly shoes because that's what her daughter wants, not to make her taller.

She didn't say it's what her daughter wants. She said her daughter wouldn't mind wearing the heels.

 

[sleepymouse]

A good approach is to hit the rides with 40" height restrictions early in the day. This is when we are tallest and it does make a difference when you are just barely tall enough for a ride.