ToT for 4 yr old

[DepCor0311]

All this talk of physics, shaken baby syndrome, and parenting!!! Did the OP ask if the 4 year old should ride ToT or be thrown off the top of it???

 

[golden1]

There is no way my dd is going on that ride. I would let her if she showed an interest but I doubt I'll even get her past the staging area of the Haunter Mansion. I'd almost be nervous if she WASN'T scared of that ride. I am! Sometimes I wonder if we are desensitizing our children a little too much. I figure if she wants to go on it someday, fine. I'm in no hurry.

 

[heatherfeather24]

All this talk of physics, shaken baby syndrome, and parenting!!! Did the OP ask if the 4 year old should ride ToT or be thrown off the top of it???

Hopefully the OP had enough common sense to stop reading this post 3 pages ago. As for me and the rest of us . . . .

What can I say, I like a good train wreck every now and then.

 

[notnothin]

Hehe, train wreck indeed!

 

[poohluvr]

As for us being capable of making the desicion to ride and kids not that is the biggest bunch of crap i've ever heard.....

So I guess you think a 4 year old is capable of making they're own judgements then? Only thing else I have to say is, I hope you don't have kids! Sounds like you're the one with the load of crap.

 

[poohluvr]

Pooh - did you not read the whole thread? ..... I think it is pretty clear someone WAS questioing folks parenting skills. I obviously was not referring to the OP.

LOL....Uh, yeah I did read the whole thread, and I didn't say you were referring to the OP. LOL. The OP asked for opinions, and that's what was given, so why would you hate (strong word isn't it?) someone for giving their opinion when asked?

 

[DisTeach1]

Some of these people remind me of a former friend of mine who was overprotective to the extreme and extremely uptight and annoying about it. When we went to the boardwalk, she would stand outside a ride and visually watch it before allowing her 9 and 10 year old kids on it. Of course, being the expert that she was (not) she could tell just by watching from a very safe distance if the ride was safe or not.

The truth is your child could die from falling or tripping on the sidewalk. Some kids are daredevils. I really think you can trust the height limits and if your child wants to ride, let them.

 

[Raevyn_Wolfe]

The OP was asking for opinions of whether or not a 4 year old was old enough to ride this ride. . . .NOT for parenting tips, parenting jabs, and parenting criticisms.
If a poster has a reason why they think a child should not ride than by alll means they have every right to post that opinion but OMIT the parenting aspect please! that is NOT what the OP asked for.
And I find it ridiculous when someone attacks us parents who object to having our parenting skills criticized when the posters attacking them were the ones originally offtopic. Maybe instead you should commend us for taking such pride in our parenting that we find it worth defending, instead of roling over on our bellys and asking for more.
I think at this point the OP has gotten very good advice from those of us willing to let our kids live outside of a bubble; as well as advice or warnings from others that he/she might find worth consideration.

Personally I still hold firm to the parent being the best judge, and even parents with kids who want to go on it but don't let them: GOOD FOR YOU! You are making your own decision for your own child based upon what you believe. . . isn't that what parenting is about? Just don't look down on me cause I choose to make a different decision than you.

 

[Raevyn_Wolfe]

Yeah but as adults we are capable of making that decision ourselves. Children aren't. I just find it strange how in some other parks those drop rides have height restrictions of 58"! The one I'm thinking of is relatively small too. Even the log flume has a height restriction of 42"!

I never said to base whether or not you let your child ride COMPLETELY on the child, just to use it as a factor. While the child might be rip roring ready to ride it, it is ULTIMITELY the parents FINAL decision as to whether or not they ride it.

 

[abeyst]

Wow, this was an interesting 5 pages!

Just for the record, I threw my kids in the air when they were toddlers. DD3 still loves it, but only Dad is big enough to still do it. SHHH!!! Don't tell the Parenting Police on here!

Oh, and my kids don't wear helmets when they ride their bikes down the sidewalk, either. (Oh no, I've probably done it now!)

BAck to OP, I would have to say when I go in August with DD3 (who will be a month shy of turning 4), I will take the great advice from others and try her on Splash & HM first. She's actually asking me EVERYDAY about going on the 'train roller coaster' - Thunder Mountain. If she can handle those rides, I'll give her a shot at ToT. I figure if any child can make it thru the staging (which seems like the scariest part-at least to me), she'll be good to go.

Now DS7, on the other hand, won't have ANYTHING to do with any of the rides mentioned above!!

If you feel your child can handle it, I say go for it. YOU know your child better than anyone. YOU are the one who has to feel good about your choices as a parent - not anyone on here.

 

[poohluvr]

I never said to base whether or not you let your child ride COMPLETELY on the child, just to use it as a factor. While the child might be rip roring ready to ride it, it is ULTIMITELY the parents FINAL decision as to whether or not they ride it.

Yes I agree it is the parents decision.

 

[poohluvr]

When we went to the boardwalk, she would stand outside a ride and visually watch it before allowing her 9 and 10 year old kids on it.

Gasp! Shame on her for wanting to see what kind of ride her kids would be getting on! This is just utterly ridiculous.......

 

[poohluvr]

I couldn't let DD (3.5) on it. I personally love that ride, but after going on it with some other people that had a young child with them (this kid was gung-ho all the way) but once the drops started...OMG...I felt so bad for that kid and his mom. He was terrified. It's hard to even put into words, because "terrified" doesn't cut it. He had ridden Splash and loved it. I was seriously worried for his health the way he was panicking. He was screaming and crying and clawing at the retraints and his mother, yelling to please stop...the mom was crying too when everyone got off. I don't even like to think about it.

This is exactly the point I was trying to make. A four year old is not going to think maybe this ride is too intense. They are going to be thinking I wanna go on, I wanna go on. They may freak out, they may not. I myself would rather err on the side of caution. Call me overprotective or whatever. I'd rather be safe then sorry.

 

[LuluLovesDisney]

Just curious- I thought there was a law requiring children riding bikes to wear helmets? Or is that just some states, maybe? I know my nephew (now 13, then was probably 9 or 10?) was riding a scooter and a police officer brought him home to tell my SIL he was required to wear a helmet.

Wow, this was an interesting 5 pages!

Just for the record, I threw my kids in the air when they were toddlers. DD3 still loves it, but only Dad is big enough to still do it. SHHH!!! Don't tell the Parenting Police on here!

Oh, and my kids don't wear helmets when they ride their bikes down the sidewalk, either. (Oh no, I've probably done it now!)

BAck to OP, I would have to say when I go in August with DD3 (who will be a month shy of turning 4), I will take the great advice from others and try her on Splash & HM first. She's actually asking me EVERYDAY about going on the 'train roller coaster' - Thunder Mountain. If she can handle those rides, I'll give her a shot at ToT. I figure if any child can make it thru the staging (which seems like the scariest part-at least to me), she'll be good to go.

Now DS7, on the other hand, won't have ANYTHING to do with any of the rides mentioned above!!

If you feel your child can handle it, I say go for it. YOU know your child better than anyone. YOU are the one who has to feel good about your choices as a parent - not anyone on here.

 

[Disneymucks]

So I guess you think a 4 year old is capable of making they're own judgements then? Only thing else I have to say is, I hope you don't have kids! Sounds like you're the one with the load of crap.

Suure if you pull one line out of what i said and try and use it out of context of course it can be misunderstood, do you work for a political office . Im sayin you cant "MAKE" a 4 year old do anything easily and yes if you raise your kids to have some source of desicion making skills then YES by four they should be able to at least know if they want to ride a Mild amusement park ride! Not to mention i firmly beleive in letting your kid fail once in a while because we learn more from failures and success then anything your gonna tell them, So what if they get in line and realize they screwed up and you have to take them out the back door, so what if they get on the ride and get a little scared remember your there to reassure them everything will be O.K.! And Yes I do have 2 wonderful kids, and they know that their Dadddy isnt going to let ANYTHING happen to them and trust that so when i tell them everything will be OK that is good enough for them. Im not saying "Hey everyone MAKE your kids ride TOT!" like you try to make it out Im saying hey if your kids wants to ride it Let em try if they get scared, reassure them, if they fall pick em up dust em off and TEACH them something!

Not "Shelter them" from everything in life cause when they do finally grow up and realize Life isnt all roses then they will have to learn so much quickly!

Besides my kids know Fantasmic Mickey would take out all the bad scary guys anyways!!!!

 

[poohluvr]

The OP was asking for opinions of whether or not a 4 year old was old enough to ride this ride. . . .NOT for parenting tips, parenting jabs, and parenting criticisms.
If a poster has a reason why they think a child should not ride than by alll means they have every right to post that opinion but OMIT the parenting aspect please! that is NOT what the OP asked for.
And I find it ridiculous when someone attacks us parents who object to having our parenting skills criticized when the posters attacking them were the ones originally offtopic. Maybe instead you should commend us for taking such pride in our parenting that we find it worth defending, instead of roling over on our bellys and asking for more.
I think at this point the OP has gotten very good advice from those of us willing to let our kids live outside of a bubble; as well as advice or warnings from others that he/she might find worth consideration.

Personally I still hold firm to the parent being the best judge, and even parents with kids who want to go on it but don't let them: GOOD FOR YOU! You are making your own decision for your own child based upon what you believe. . . isn't that what parenting is about? Just don't look down on me cause I choose to make a different decision than you.

Well I'd like to know who you think was attacking who here. (not saying that you were attacking anyone) But it seems to me that the one's on the "outside the bubble" side were doing alot of attacking themselves. Labeling others as overprotective and parenting police, basically mocking those who feel differently from themselves. As I recall there was ONE poster who questioned anyone's parenting skills here.

 

[ReneeA]

Let me tell you, I am a SAHM and spend 24x7 with my kids. I know them, know their temperment. When we went to WDW last year, my DS who was 3 at the time wanted to ride everything. We started him on the "tamer" rides - SM & BTMRR. He loved them - rode over and over. We didn't go to MGM until the end of our stay. He asked to ride ToT, and we knew he'd do fine. He did, and he's still asking to go back this year.

I think that it's an individual call for individual kids. My DD is 3 and tall enough to ride it this year, but no way am I chancing that. She's a drama mama and doesn't have the temperment for it.

Nobody knows your kids like you do.

 

[scoolover]

Not to start rumors but I heard that the imagineers are planning a new fantacyland ride called McQueen's Shaken Baby ride. The idea is to have babies in a simulated car wreck. There will be lots of shaking and sudden stops. The height restriction is 20" so newborns will have to be at least a few weeks old.

 

[disneypookies]

This is exactly the point I was trying to make. A four year old is not going to think maybe this ride is too intense. They are going to be thinking I wanna go on, I wanna go on. They may freak out, they may not. I myself would rather err on the side of caution. Call me overprotective or whatever. I'd rather be safe then sorry.

and you being the great parent(MOCK), are not there to console your child and assure him that it IS just an attraction?

Like DisneyMucks said.

Not "Shelter them" from everything in life cause when they do finally grow up and realize Life isnt all roses then they will have to learn so much quickly!