What can a 5 year old ride?

[asmit4]

I don't see an issue with allowing a willing child to ride any ride that they are tall enough for.

Recently there was a woman on here who had a 13yo son. She asked about how 'rough/jerky' space mountain and TMRR was. She was asking b/c she was 'considering letting her 13yo son ride'. Mind you- her son had NO disabilities that would make the ride more difficult to ride. Her son was an 'average 13yo boy'.

I was SHOCKED to read that a mother was holding back her teenager from riding space! At age 4, I rode my first real coaster- over 50mph, over 100 foot drop...it was a rickidy wooden coaster and I LOVED it.

As long as the child is tall enough and is willing to ride? What's the harm? I LOVED thrill rides as a very young child

 

[disneydream'n]

This post has been extremly helpful.. I was so worried that our 5 year old was not going to be able to ride.. She would have been heartbroken

 

[thelittlemermaid83]

We are not going now till DD is 6, but she was tall enough for ToT at Disneyland Paris in January (shes still 3) and loved it.

 

[crisi]

I don't see an issue with allowing a willing child to ride any ride that they are tall enough for.

Recently there was a woman on here who had a 13yo son. She asked about how 'rough/jerky' space mountain and TMRR was. She was asking b/c she was 'considering letting her 13yo son ride'. Mind you- her son had NO disabilities that would make the ride more difficult to ride. Her son was an 'average 13yo boy'.

I was SHOCKED to read that a mother was holding back her teenager from riding space! At age 4, I rode my first real coaster- over 50mph, over 100 foot drop...it was a rickidy wooden coaster and I LOVED it.

As long as the child is tall enough and is willing to ride? What's the harm? I LOVED thrill rides as a very young child

My father in law is a neuroscientist. Children's brains don't gel in their heads (think shaken baby syndrome) until sometime past toddlerhood. Usually this happens around three, but there is nothing magical about three, and for some people it can be much later. Until this happens (and there isn't any way to tell externally) rides that have a lot of shaking (roller coasters) can cause minor (or major) brain damage.

I wouldn't put a kid under the age of four on any coaster at WDW - not even Goofy's Barnstormer. And I wouldn't put a child under the age of six on any large coaster (like Space Mountain). But I think someone waiting until their kids are teens is probably overprotective.....

 

[mjmoon]

My 5 YO is over 45" and will be allowed to ride most things. Whether or not he actually rides them is another thing entirely. I don't think there is any chance at all he would get on rides like ToT. I'm going to consider it a successful trip if we can get him on Splash Mountain. (; Our 3 year old is right at 40" and I suspect he's going to be our adventurous one.. but I WON'T be allowing him on ToT. I probably won't let him on anything more scary than Splash Mountain either.

I think that if a child is big enough (without cheating with 2 inch shoes) and wants to ride let them ride!

 

[golden6911]

Ok i'm going in October 2010 when DD turns 5, now shes tall for her age now but what rides will she be able to do..

Tower Of Terror?

Hey you never know. My 4.5 old rode Tower of Terror the last time we went. Just go by what they want to do and don't push it.

 

[RF536]

We went down in 2001 with DS3 and DS5 and DS3 rode everything he was tall enough for, his choice, since he was 40 inches that was most of the rides. Some of them like Splash Mountian and TMRR he rode several times others like TOT and Dinosaur he only rode once. DS5 rode all of those rides plus was tall enough for Space Mountain which he rode and loved.
We just went back this past summer and the boys were both 48 inches so they were tall enough for everything the only ride they chose not to go on was Prime evil whirl.

Both of my boys have always been in the 95 percentile for height and have always been little dare devils. Since we live close to Cedar Point they are very use to rides and trust us to tell them what a ride is like so they can make thier own decision on whether or not to ride it, we have never forced them on any rides. A lot of times if possilble we will watch a ride a few times to let them see what it does, so they can decide whether or not to ride.

 

[brergnat]

My father in law is a neuroscientist. Children's brains don't gel in their heads (think shaken baby syndrome) until sometime past toddlerhood. Usually this happens around three, but there is nothing magical about three, and for some people it can be much later. Until this happens (and there isn't any way to tell externally) rides that have a lot of shaking (roller coasters) can cause minor (or major) brain damage.

I wouldn't put a kid under the age of four on any coaster at WDW - not even Goofy's Barnstormer. And I wouldn't put a child under the age of six on any large coaster (like Space Mountain). But I think someone waiting until their kids are teens is probably overprotective.....

I have a hard time with your brain "gelling" timetable theory. I mean, not that I don't believe it to be true, but how is the shaking that happens on roller coasters like Goofy's Barnstormer or Big Thunder Mountain/Space Mtn. any worse than the crazy amounts of jumping up and down that most toddlers do every single day, or the incessant shaking of their heads when they say "no" over and over and over again?

I truly believe that the height requirements that are put in place take all that neuroscience into account. Not only do they take into account rider size/weight, they take into account the average age that a child is at that height. I mean, the height requirement for the Toontown Coaster is 32 inches, which is around 2-3 years old for most kids. Surely, if that would result in brain damage, they would make the height requirement closer to 36 inches, to eliminate 2 year olds from riding it. Can you imagine how many lawsuits there would have been by this point? How many millions of kids have probably ridden the Toontown Coasters at both WDW and DL? Big Thunder? Space Mountain? The Matterhorn? I mean, seriuosly....

I frequent Disneyland with my two boys, who are 4.5 and almost 3. The 4.5 year old is autistic and craves vestibular sensory input, which he likes to get from going fast and spinning/taking fast turns, etc. He rode the Toontown Coaster when he was able (almost 3y/o), rode the Matterhorn around 3.5 (also has a 32 inch requirement), and recently rode Big Thunder, since he just hit 40" and has been wanting to ride it for a LONG time (because it's a "fast train"). He could technically also ride DL's Space Mtn. (only has a 40" requirement), but I am not pushing it, since it's in the dark and that scares him, so we will stick with BTMRR until he WANTS to ride Space, and then I will gladly take him on.

If a child is willing, I see no reason to hold them back if they meet the required height.

 

[gabriellyn]

My DS6 had a GREAT time on all of the rides in 2007 - although he couldn't ride RnRC - he was literally a hair too short. He was bitterly disappointed too. His fave was Space Mountain and it still is. Sadly, SM is closed for refurbishment pretty much until the end of the year. Height/age is a moot point at this time.

 

[DawnM]

My boys all LOVED Tower of Terror from age 3 on....that was when they were tall enough to ride.

Seriously, I would take her on everything she is tall enough for. If she hates it, don't make her do it again. Our rule is that you have to try it once, at least at Disney.

We just got back. My 4 year old went on TOT, Ex Everest several times, and everything else he was tall enough to do.


Dawn