Should I or shouldn't I take my kids on certain rides??

[aec]

Watch out for ITTBAB and HISTA. My DDs did not like ITTBAB at all. They were 2 and 5 at the time. Based on that we skipped HITSA that trip, and we skipped both movies when they were 4 and 7. Our next trip they'll be 7 and 10 and we may give these movies a try.

No problems with haunted mansion. We did some prep though and talked about how we were going to laugh at those silly ghosts etc.

They liked test track when they were 4 and 7.

Let them watch Slash mtn and BTMRR first. If they are scared do not try to convince them to go on, but if they are OK, I'd say go for it. At 5, my oldest loved them both. At 4, my youngest took one look and there was no way she was riding. She did go on maelstrom though which is a boat ride with a smaller drop and she was ok, and she rode goofy barnstormer after she thought about it for a long time!

I would say no for TOT and RNR coaster unless they are adventerous.

Space mtn should be ok for your 7 yo if she likes roller coasters. At 7, my DD loved space mtn and RNR but she is a roller coaster fanatic. I won't ride either one myself!

DH took my 7 yo DD on dinosaur last trip and she was fine, we did not attempt with 4 yo (not sure if she met the height or not.)

I don't have experience with mission space or Stitch but I have heard a lot of bad reports from stitch.

I can't think of anything else that would be bad.

 

[aec]

I forgot to metion that the height and speed of astro orbitor can be scary. DDs did OK, but DH was freaked out.

Also some kids are terrified by the snow white ride. The witch keeps popping out at you.

 

[sha_lyn]

Get WDW for Kids by Kids ( it is by Birnbaum) for certain. I love Birnbaum's Official Guide, but with passporter you probably do not need it

Also the Disneyland singalong video has a lot of the rides on it (DL versions, but close enough that it really helped DD at 4 1/2 to know what to expect).
Watch for specials on the Travel Channel. They have some really good ones that helped DD know what to expect.

 

[ScottieDog]

Tbella Oh, I'm glad she liked it.....much to my late grandmother's dismay I loved it at that age too.

Cathryn~

 

[bytheblood]

I agree that kids are ready for certain rides at different times. My kids were always ready when the were tall enough. I never forced them, but explained the ride and encouraged them,then let them decide.

I agree!

 

[sherylm]

Well, the last time we took our kids to WDW they were only 1 yr. old, so they really weren't scared of anything. Think they were too young to be scared. They rode PoC and HM with no problem. Of course, we didn't take them on Dinosaur or other rides where there were height restrictions.

However, we did take them to DL when they had just turned 4. We took them on PoC and HM there, too. And while they were a little "nervous" we talked them through it continuously, pointing out the cute and silly things to help make them less nervous/scared. They ended up liking them both or, if not liking them, at least not minding them. They never cried. Snow White bothered my DD but not my DS. Whereas Mr. Toad (which isn't at WDW anymore), bother my DS but not my DD. Go figure.

As for you, though, you're really going to have to figure out what kinds of things bother your children and what don't. My DD hates really loud things, and didn't really enjoy Muppet-4D, so when we go this fall, I'm going to avoid ITTBAB and probably HISTA, too. Of course, I hated ITTBAB myself when I saw it 4 yrs. ago, it totally freaked me out and I was 30 at the time! Then again, I get bothered when things are shot out at me (be it water, smoke, etc) and when things poke at me, so I guess that attraction was a recipe for disaster for me to start out with. However, my DS thinks that kind of stuff is hysterical. So will probably have DH take him into ITTBAB and HISTA while DD and I wander around outside.

If time permits, you or your husband should probably preview anything you are questioning and use your best judgment from there. For outside rides, like SM and BTMR, your kids can probably decide for you.