Thick soled shoes for extra inches??

[Silverbelle990]

OK so please don't flame me too bad......

We are going to disney in september and takeing my ds6 and DS3 who will be four a week after. He is currently 38 inches with shoes on. DS3 loves rides and i am afraid that he will be upset when he can't ride TT or SM. Log Flume rides are his absolute fav. Does anyone know where i can get some thick soled shoes for this trip? Hopefully he will grow at least an inch before we go and the shoes will help with the rest. If he is 39 inches with shoes has would putting lifts in his shoes hurt?

I know this is a big thing but in reality they tell you if they had thicker soles they could get on so has anyone ever stuffed????

 

[HappyDznyCamper]

A quick preview of things to come....

Height restrictions are for saftey reasons, cheating these may endanger your child.

CMs often see these tactics(thick shoes) and will sometimes ask the kid to take them off to check height.

If you still choose to try this make sure your kids know that they may still not be able to ride, that way you won't have too many tears when they are not allowed on by a CM(who is just doing their job).

 

[Tess'smom]

Safety First! If they aren't tall enough yet, don't ride the rides. It's not worth the risk. There are so many wonderful rides at Disney to choose from, get them excited about the ones they can ride.

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

I guess I deserve 1000 lashes with a wet noodle then...cause I had given DD platform sneakers for her very first trip at 4-years-old, for this very reason. Still, there were some rides I just didn't want to put her on like ToT. I didn't ever have a CM turn us away or ask for shoe removal in order to measure, but I guess it could certainly happen. In the end, you are responsible for your child's safety and its a personal decision.

 

[Tiffer]

He needs an inch? I think that WDW takes into account that people do this when they set a height restriction. I personally don't think it is unsafe. If we think of doing it, they thought of it long before we did.

With that said, don't know where to get thick shoes for boys. Walmart used to sell thick ked type white sneakers for girls.

I would prepare him for disappointment as well. CM's don't usually ask the kid to remove his shoes, but may.

 

[tjmw2727]

In my experience the CM's are very strict in measuring - more so lately than when my dd's were smaller it seems. My nephew was just over the 40" mark - problaby even 41' barefoot. He was measured and then measured again, always at the entrance and often at boarding. They will ask for hats to be removed and measure to the head. The stick is an upside down L and if it moves over the head - even a fraction the child won't be able to ride.

I have actually seen the CM's ask for obviously high shoes to be removed. Two girls with the high sketchers - and a boy with heely shoes.

TJ

 

[BeachBabi0]

So he is 38 inches WITH shoes already. In normal shoes, that make him like 37 or 37.5 inches tall. 2.5-3 inches seems like a stretch, to me. It's not like he is 39.75 inches with shoes and you're trying to clear that last quarter-inch.

Personally, any of my children not tall enough to ride a ride goes with me to something else while my older/taller children ride with dh. Sometimes youngest dd (almost 5 yo now, and very petite) and I have a rootbeer float, sometimes we do a character meet, we browse a store, we do a potty run, we chat with a CM, etc. DD wasn't tall enough for Goofy's Barnstormer till her 4th-birthday trip! (JUST BARELY made the height requirement of 35 inches). So there were quite a few rides she couldn't ride, but there were even more she COULD ride. BTW, in order for you to go off and do something else, cell phones are WONDERFUL! DH and I each carry one, so we can hook back up afterward.

I certainly HAVE seen a CM have a child remove her shoes (they were taller flip-flops). She didn't make the height requirement, and her mom laid into the CM badly. This was at Soarin'.

ETA: ACK! I am taximomfor4, posted by mistake under my older dd's username~

 

[java]

Well if he is 38 with shoes on now you are really stretching it I think. I am of the rules are there for a reason. Height restrictions are for safety reasons- inches tall that work with the restraint system- so I wouldn't want to fudge it. I would just prepare for the worst.
Oh and have you been before? Splash mountain is not your average looking log flume and he may be afraid when he is there in person. The drop looks very scary.- And by TT do you mean Tower of Terror? No way would I put my just turned 4 on that thing.
But my 4 year old LOVED Test Track. I mean LOVE with a capital L. The only ride that they were very very particular on height was Soarin. My guy- barefoot was tall enough by an inch- but they checked him 3 times before he got on.

 

[Lady V]

I understand that youwant your child to get to go on his rides...the past 2 trips my daughter ran up to get measured for RRC only to be turned away and this past Jan the 'L' stick barely could move across her head but they still said no. I was dissapointed sure but her LIFE is much more important to me than making sure she doesn't get upset overmissing a ride. The rules are for a reason. How would you feel if heaven forbid he got on and then was injured or even killed because he wasn't really ready for the ride??

 

[cheyennemama]

Speaking of height requirements, is there a list of all ride heights?

 

[maxiesmom]

The height restrictions are there for your child's safety. If Disney does not think your child is big enough to ride, please do not try to get around the rule. Even if it is a slight risk, how would you feel if something did happen? Would you stand up and admit that you got around the rule? Would you absolve Disney of all responsibility?

 

[Schmeck]

And how do you explain it to your son - Mommy's trying to cheat the system because you're not tall enough, here put these in your shoes? What kind of message is that?

 

[Silverbelle990]

Are you saying that you have never done anything bad?? Never opened a soda at the store and drink it without buying it? Got more money back then recieved and kept it? Go a discount when you weren't supposed to?

 

[wtpntigger2]

Are you saying that you have never done anything bad?? Never opened a soda at the store and drink it without buying it? Got more money back then recieved and kept it? Go a discount when you weren't supposed to?

Am I perfect? Far from it, but since you are asking, all those things you listed above I have not done. I don't feel right about it, but that's just me.

IMHO, there's a big difference between doing something dishonest and risking your child's life for a two minute ride. If you don't make a big deal out of it, he probably won't be as disappointed as you think. My dd4 LOVES rollercoasters, but she also understands that she is not tall enough yet for most of them. No meltdowns yet.

 

[Silverbelle990]

Not may people are that honest about everything. I guess that means you never told every parents first lie. I won't say on here cause it could break hearts but every parent knows the first lie you tell your kids.

Please know that i am not a bad parent i am just being truthful. I am saying what alot of people are thinking and just don't want to say. It is hard to disapoint a kid who wants what he can't have. We all try to give them that by any means. Is it really that bad? Is stuffing one shoe for a ride where he sits right next to you and you hold him that bad??

 

[Tess'smom]

Am I perfect? Far from it, but since you are asking, all those things you listed above I have not done. I don't feel right about it, but that's just me.

IMHO, there's a big difference between doing something dishonest and risking your child's life for a two minute ride. If you don't make a big deal out of it, he probably won't be as disappointed as you think. My dd4 LOVES rollercoasters, but she also understands that she is not tall enough yet for most of them. No meltdowns yet.

You are absolutely right Heidi! I don't do those things mentioned either, but I am far from perfect. However, I do not risk my child's safety to always give her what she wants. She wanted to be able to walk around town like some of her friends do unsupervised. I do not think it is safe to do so. Even though she really wants to, I make the decision about what is in her best interest.

 

[HappyDznyCamper]

Not may people are that honest about everything. I guess that means you never told every parents first lie. I won't say on here cause it could break hearts but every parent knows the first lie you tell your kids.

Please know that i am not a bad parent i am just being truthful. I am saying what alot of people are thinking and just don't want to say. It is hard to disapoint a kid who wants what he can't have. We all try to give them that by any means. Is it really that bad? Is stuffing one shoe for a ride where he sits right next to you and you hold him that bad??

Honesty is one thing endangering your child as opposed to teaching them that they can't have everything they want is another. I guess that this is just a small chance that the danger is real, but Disney has those rules for a reason. I guess in your mind it is ok to only follow the rules that won't disapoint your kids. And no I don't try to give my kids things they want "by any means". I will protect them with all my power but I will not give into wants that are unsafe just so they will never know disapointment. Life is unfair sometimes, that is something not enough kids learn.

 

[mng1310]

Disney, (as all amusement parks) are very strict for insurance reasons. Each ride is tested and calibrated with a specific minimum height. If the insurance company finds out or suspects they are letting kids on that are under the height, they risk coverage and increased premiums. I worked at an amusement park as a teenager, and this was the one rule where there was no leeway.

I do understand the disappointment of having a child who is under the required height. I've had my kids in tears because they didn't meet the height (my son is short for his age). But I use it as a good teaching tool to explain why the rules are made and how they test for safety. The CM's usually thanked me for not yelling at THEM, because that is what happens most of the time when a parent finds out their kid isn't tall enough. I can only believe that many parents look at this is a power struggle issue more than a safety issue for them to carry on like that.

 

[Schmeck]

Are you saying that you have never done anything bad?? Never opened a soda at the store and drink it without buying it? Got more money back then recieved and kept it? Go a discount when you weren't supposed to?

Never did any of these things listed, and as an adult, I've never done anything 'bad' - I find it much easier to be honest. As a teen, I lied to my parents once, and then told them the truth less than 24 hours later.

Life is much easier this way! And about the 'first lie' - told them my honest opinion about that situation as well.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

Maybe I am missing something here but can someone please tell me what the "first lie" is?