Standing Tall

[NML11383]

Just wanted to preface this post by saying that I am NOT looking to cheat the system / add extra height to my little one, so please do not jump down my throat about any of that!

What I AM looking for, is advice on how to get a very squirmy 2 year old to understand standing up tall!

Background: 1 month ago at his 2 year Dr's appointment my son was measured at 38" with bare feet lying down (that's their standard procedure for all kids under 3, and yes, he's a giant!). When we booked this trip ages ago, we thought he'd maybe get on Barnstormer if we were lucky, but that he had no shot at 7DMT/SDD/KRR - boy did he fool us by growing like a weed!

With his normal shoes, that should put him over 38" for our Disney trip in a little under a month (I say should because I am aware that the Disney measuring sticks can sometimes be different). Since I know he's going to be a close call, I figured I'd try to teach him how to stand up big and tall by having my husband and I model it with a measuring tape, which ended up being a complete laugh. He now seems to think that standing tall involves throwing his head back and looking at the ceiling, while throwing his arms in the air, which needless to say does the exact opposite of what we were going for!

So does anyone have any suggestions on how to get a 2 year old to stand up straight for the height measuring? If he is legitimately not tall enough for things or I don't feel he fits in the seats safely then he's obviously not going on, but since there's a potential that he'll be tall enough for those rides with a 38" requirement (and since he's been a little daredevil at local carnival rides!) I'd at least like him to be measured correctly so he can decide what he wants to go on.

Either way, we are going to have a blast!

Thanks in advance!

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

My baby is over 6 foot tall, but I have read here that telling them that they need to hit the stick with their head is the way to go.

That way they don't duck down under it.

I might create a song or rhyme about stretching, standing tall and make motions to get him to stand tall. Then sing or say it when he is measured.

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

Tell him to take a deep breath in as he is being measured as it will help to keep him from slouching. Practice this at home so he knows how to do it. The other thing we tried with my toddler was making it into a game. It sounds weird, but we practiced having him giving our hand (held just over his head) a high five with his head as he was standing. Of course, he started out jumping to do it, but then we told him to try it without moving his feet. Then we progressed to a measuring stick/ ruler. It sounds like it would take a while, but it was only about 30 mins one day of practicing, then playing around for a few seconds here and there after that. For some strange reason, that combined with the deep breath in works great for him and helps him not to shy away from measuring sticks.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

Just wanted to preface this post by saying that I am NOT looking to cheat the system / add extra height to my little one, so please do not jump down my throat about any of that!

What I AM looking for, is advice on how to get a very squirmy 2 year old to understand standing up tall!

Background: 1 month ago at his 2 year Dr's appointment my son was measured at 38" with bare feet lying down (that's their standard procedure for all kids under 3, and yes, he's a giant!). When we booked this trip ages ago, we thought he'd maybe get on Barnstormer if we were lucky, but that he had no shot at 7DMT/SDD/KRR - boy did he fool us by growing like a weed!

With his normal shoes, that should put him over 38" for our Disney trip in a little under a month (I say should because I am aware that the Disney measuring sticks can sometimes be different). Since I know he's going to be a close call, I figured I'd try to teach him how to stand up big and tall by having my husband and I model it with a measuring tape, which ended up being a complete laugh. He now seems to think that standing tall involves throwing his head back and looking at the ceiling, while throwing his arms in the air, which needless to say does the exact opposite of what we were going for!

So does anyone have any suggestions on how to get a 2 year old to stand up straight for the height measuring? If he is legitimately not tall enough for things or I don't feel he fits in the seats safely then he's obviously not going on, but since there's a potential that he'll be tall enough for those rides with a 38" requirement (and since he's been a little daredevil at local carnival rides!) I'd at least like him to be measured correctly so he can decide what he wants to go on.

Either way, we are going to have a blast!

Thanks in advance!

make a fake measuring stick to use at home. think about upside down L. you want him to learn to bump his head on the bar not duck under

 

[PollyannaMom]

I like the deep breath idea!

Also try this video (for training nursing students to measure height) -

Skip to about 1 min in for the height part, and have him copy how the patient stands "just right".