Two year old questions

[CANDC]

We are leaving for our 1st family trip in September. My older son will be 6 weeks away from his 3rd birthday. I have 2 questions: Do we need to bring proof of his age to get in free? and Are there age requirements as well as height? I read somewhere (?) that you have to be 3 to ride Barnstormer. He will be right at the 35 inch mark, and he LOVES rides, so I am hoping we can try this one out!

This is my first post, but I have been reading for a while. I love all the info. Thank you to all who make this board work!

My family went to WDW quite often growing up (about 10 times) and I have been twice as an adult. However, this will be my 1st time as a mom. We are driving with My 83 year old grandmother and my mother from Texas. Dad and Husband are flying in to join for a few days. Any suggestions for things to break up the drive along the way? (OK, that was a third question!)

THANKS!

 

[llqool]

we have never had to bring proof of age for our kids. even when our daughter was right "on the brink" of age three. i think the ride limits have more to do w/height than age. have never heard of an age limit, just a number of inches.

where are you coming from in TX? which route are you taking? (we used to live in Grapevine, near Ft. Worth) that would affect any stops you might make!

 

[WantToGoNow]

My dd2 will be 5 weeks from her birthday when we go in November. We may not need to proove her age but I do plan to have a copy of her birth certificate just in case. She's a tall girl (36.5"), fully potty trained and talks like an adult -- she's already mistaken for 3 quite often so I just want to be prepared.

As far as Goofy's Barnerstormer goes, I'm not sure what book says they need to be 3 but I've been many times and have never seen an age requirement -- just height -- which is 35" at that ride. I've also ready books that say they need to be 4 to enter Honey I Shrunk the Kids Playground at MGM but no one asked when my 3 and 1 year olds went in last time.

 

[Ariel8676]

I've never heard of an age requirement. They just go by height...HTH

 

[CANDC]

We are leaving from Houston, so I-10 all the way. We hope to make it to FL the 1st day, but we are flexible. We will be driving with an almost 3 and a just one year old.

My DS2 is also potty traind and speaks very well, however, he is little. I may pack a copy of his Birthcertificate just in case.

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

We are leaving for our 1st family trip in September. My older son will be 6 weeks away from his 3rd birthday.
THANKS!

Our kids are about the same age. Our DD will be 6 weeks away from her 3rd birthday when we go in September. I will be bringing her birth certificate. DD is tall (36 inches at her 2 1/2 year appt), she has long curly hair that goes to her waist (!), and talks like she is ready for college. I always bring her birth cert. The only place we have been questioned is the Museum of Science but you never know.

 

[nhpgator]

our daughter is tall too, 40 inches before she turned three! We have never been questioned about getting in or being too young for a ride. The only problem is on Thundermoutain and Splash mountain - they wanted a fast pass for her as well as my husband and we had to explain that she did not have a ticket so could not get a fast pass. The CM could not understand why she did not have a ticket and we had to explain again that since she was two - she did not need a ticket - and since she did not need a ticket - we didn't have one to get her a fast pass. She finally got it (I think - at least she let them on the ride!)

The other time we had a small issue was during an EMH at epcot = at first they would not give her an armband till we showed them a hotel key for her. So from now on, we just get a "fake" key during check in - some CM's will put her name on it for her, some just leave it blank, that way she thinks she has a ticket and we have one in case we need it to get teh EMH armband!

 

[MeLaNie9]

We took DS2's birth certificate because our airline said that they might need it since we didn't buy him his own seat, but they never asked for it nor did we need any proof of his age at WDW.

 

[KJMAX1]

I always bring my kids birth certificate copies, and make them ID kits before we leave home. ID kits you can get at your local police station, but they have been proven to be extremely effective in the event your child is lost or stolen. I also suggest some type of ID tags for your children. The birth certificates I take only because if you go to claim your lost child, a lot of places want "Proof" such as a drivers license. The birth certificate covers all of that. We are an adoptive family, and have three different races in our children, so I am sure you can see what we deal with when they ask "Is that your mom?"

I heard about a year ago of a couple who had two small girls they adopted from China. They were on a flight back home from visiting family, and they had to sit apart. Each parent took one child. When the plane was about to land the one girl started having trouble with her ears, and began screaming for her mommy. Because her dad was not Asian, security was informed, and while departing the plane the father was taken into custody, as was the mother. The two girls were held by security. The family had to get ahold of their adoption agency to show PROOF that they had adopted them. It was over a weekend, and I believe it took almsot 24 hours for them to get documents. Just another nightmare I dont want to live through.

As for traveling with little ones..We drive from Seattle to Phoenix almost yearly for a car trip. My DH LOVES car trips. I borrow a DVD player for my children, and I have also purchased or borrowed CDs of kids songs to take with us. I would say hit Walmart of Target and pick up small toys you know your kids will love. Hid them until you get in the car and they get restless. Brings LOTS of snacks. There are only two times my kids get suckers. Car Trips, and when they have to come to adult service church (like Easter). Also, go the furthest on the first day. By the second day they know whats going to happen and are less willing to go for a ride. If you stop for lunch try to take it to a park, or find a restaraunt that has a playground. What a special time for you, your mom, and your grandma. It will be a trip to remember for sure!!

 

[disneychrista]

I believe Barnstormer used to have an age requiremnet and height requirement. This was changed to the height requirement only a few years ago.

 

[freckles and boo]

We always travel with copies of the kids birth certs and plan to get them state IDs and passports soon. We also carry recent photos as well as a wallet-sized family photo. It may seem paranoid but I have a vivid, worst-case-scenario imagination and would rather anticipate and avoid the types of incidents KJMAX1 described. Just one less thing for the worrier to worry about .

As for the ride restrictions, they are all based on heights. Our petite six-year-old can't wait to be 44"!

 

[KristinU]

I always bring my kids birth certificate copies, and make them ID kits before we leave home. ID kits you can get at your local police station, but they have been proven to be extremely effective in the event your child is lost or stolen. I also suggest some type of ID tags for your children. The birth certificates I take only because if you go to claim your lost child, a lot of places want "Proof" such as a drivers license. The birth certificate covers all of that. We are an adoptive family, and have three different races in our children, so I am sure you can see what we deal with when they ask "Is that your mom?"

I heard about a year ago of a couple who had two small girls they adopted from China. They were on a flight back home from visiting family, and they had to sit apart. Each parent took one child. When the plane was about to land the one girl started having trouble with her ears, and began screaming for her mommy. Because her dad was not Asian, security was informed, and while departing the plane the father was taken into custody, as was the mother. The two girls were held by security. The family had to get ahold of their adoption agency to show PROOF that they had adopted them. It was over a weekend, and I believe it took almsot 24 hours for them to get documents. Just another nightmare I dont want to live through.

Yep We do the exact same thing - we're also an adoptive family and that horrible incident stuck with me too. We always carry DS's birth certificate and an ID he gets from daycare. We also carry family portraits and photos with us, just as a "feel good" measure for me...I like I'd be able to whip out a pic of us that is obviously from a year or more ago if someone were questioning our family status.

DS is also goint to be a few months shy of three on our next trip - he is good at answering his age of two at this point, but who knows as he gets closer to three (and his friends start turning three). Of course he answers that DH and I are both three and for some reason our dog is four! Apparently she has him convinced that she's the matriarch in our house!

I think it can't hurt for anyone to travel with a photocopy for their kids' birth certificates and a current photo - just for age proof, safety, and "what if".