which rides for nightmare prone child?

[saraswim]

I love DIS Boards! I'm a newby.

We're going to DL on December 21st and 22nd with D-twins (4) and DD (6). One of my 4 yr olds is prone to scary dreams, though all my kids watch Scooby Doo, and all the Disney stuff, etc. on T.V. with no problems. Wizard of Oz caused bad dreams, for instance. I'd love for them to see POTC and Haunted Mansion and others. Any advice out there on what would be best? What else in Fantasyland should we skip or really try to see? All this is of course depending on lines, the kids energy level, etc.

Thank you all so much!

 

[Rapunsel]

For Fantasyland.. I have to say.. PP is pretty tame and so is Alice.. But Snow White has the witch, Pinnochio has the 'kidnappers" and the amusment parks and then Mr toads has some dark spots. I only take my kids as I know all the 'dark' spots.. My ds 5 has me cover his ears and it does not bother him so much.

The Haunted Mansion we call Jack Skeelingtons house.. And we cover his ears and talk to him the entire time. But he likes Christmas and Halloween so it is fun.. POTC is not that bad at all.my dd2 loves it..

Monsters Inc can be unusual if they have not seen the movie as there are some bright rooms and people in 'uniforms' but my kids have seen the movie so kind of know what to exect. I also talk to them throughout the ride in case they get a bit uptight...

HTH

 

[Rena75]

I love DIS Boards! I'm a newby.

We're going to DL on December 21st and 22nd with D-twins (4) and DD (6). One of my 4 yr olds is prone to scary dreams, though all my kids watch Scooby Doo, and all the Disney stuff, etc. on T.V. with no problems. Wizard of Oz caused bad dreams, for instance. I'd love for them to see POTC and Haunted Mansion and others. Any advice out there on what would be best? What else in Fantasyland should we skip or really try to see? All this is of course depending on lines, the kids energy level, etc.

Thank you all so much!

My son was the same when he was little. Several of the rides in Fantasyland are really scary! Snow White and Pinnochio definitely. Toad's Wild Ride can be fun if you have one of them "steer" the car and joke through the ride.

If the dark bothers your kids (like it did my son) then POTC and the Haunted Mansion may scare them, too - as well as Indiana Jones. We just took turns going on these rides while one of us stayed out with my son. He outgrew it (thank goodness)!

 

[Albort]

Its a small world just watch that episode of Family Guy where Stewie goes to Disneyland...

yea, i would stay off the rides ppl are saying... Peter Pan has these dips though... i kinda freaked out when it did it the first time i was on it 2 months ago.

 

[funnygarcia]

Our first year to DL, convinced our then almost 4 yr old to go on Splash, he was fine until after the drop. He got off the ride and told the CM "I don't like that ride!" and cried a bit. The CM told him "there's a lot of rides in Fantasyland that will be better for you"....... kinda peeved me at the time.
I don't push my boys to go on rides that I know will make them upset but I also like to get them to at least TRY a new expereince. Knowing I was right there beside them offered alot of comfort.

He was so sweet on HM to another little boy. The other boy was obviously nervous about the ride and DS wisely told him "It's all fake, just remember it's all fake stuff, it can't hurt you ". We saw the boy after the ride and he gave a little smile to DS as if thanking him for the advice.
On Space he clung to his dad and closed his eyes on the entire ride. He loves Space now (10 yers old) and holds my hand to give ME comfort LOL...... though now that's been redone I'm not as freaked about it.

We had a good time when the youngest had glow sticks on dark rides, sat right next to mom or dad, and we talked him thru any parts that might be unnerving.

 

[stampinshauna]

Don't take him on Mr. Toad's. It freaked out my neice, who liked most everything--including Space Mountain.

 

[MateasMom]

I would definatly start with Its a small world, and then (in no particular order) the more weenieish inisde rides IMO are Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, and Monsters Inc. Ones to definately avoid until you feel the kids are comfortable are SnowWhite and Pinochio.

Have they seen nightmare before Christmas? If not, I'd have a 'movie night' and watch it together, maybe download the theme song and play that for them every once in a while. Then hopefully they'll be excited when they see the characters at HM and they won't notice that it's an inside kinda scary ride KWIM.

I think once you get a couple of inside rides done, they will be much less frightened of the other (even scary) ones.

 

[wowsmom]

The first time DH took our son on HM (he was 3 at the time), he got a little scared, so DH told him he'd be fine because his Mickey Mouse ears would protect him. After that, any time he got scared, we'd tell him his ears would keep him safe and he'd calm right down. Now he's 12 and rides on everything - and no longer needs his ears!

 

[Kitsune]

Last year, California Adventure's 3D show, "It's Tough to Be a Bug!" completely terrified my DS6 (and a few others at the time) as he took all of the "danger" and "threats" of the performance/show as being real. Fantasy and reality is often burred at that age.

He still has a problem with the dark and loud noises of certain rides, but was able to go on the Haunted Mansion's NBC overlay this year. I had him watch the DVD the day prior and since the imagery and songs were still fresh in his mind, he was willing to give the ride a chance. (Although I did have to discreetly prepare him and "walk him through" the opening pre-ride show.)

 

[disneegrl4eva]

in all truthfulness I think you probably know how they will be better than anybody....kids are very different from each other and I dont think what one child can handle another will.....for example...my god daughter is 5 and she cant stand any of the rides except snow white, pinocchio, peter pan and the carousel...she wont do potc, hm, none of them...she is really scared of mr. toads wild ride because you go to hades lol now her cousin on the other hand is 3 and the only ones she doesnt like is space and tot...very different...you are just going to have to take it one ride at a time and if they dont want to go on it well then you will know yeah?

 

[Pirate-Emery]

Its a small world just watch that episode of Family Guy where Stewie goes to Disneyland...

Small World gives me the creeps... haven't been on it in years...


All those kids, imprisoned and forced to sing...


Good call on the Family Guy reference! Gave me a chuckle as I explored through my secondary DIS haunting grounds (VMK boards is my primary home).


As for the OP, I'd say that you should definately shy away from Indiana Jones. I had quite the time trying to open my eyes before the age of 10.

 

[Echo queen]

I am so glad my ds's 8 and 11 are mature enough for all of the rides This will be our first visit to DL and I'm so looking forward to all of these rides We have gone to WDW for the last 3 years , I am really looking forward to DL.

 

[littlelambie]

The first year we took ds he was only 2.5 yrs, and there wasn't much he could go on anyway. When we went back a year later, we took a small flash light, which we took on the "dark rides". As long as you keep it pointed at the floor of the ride car, they will let you keep it on. We went again this year, with him almost 5, and he did great!! He still doesn't like splash, but that is because he gets wet. POTC was his favorite, and we one time did it 3 x's in a row while we waited for dh to do Indy. His favorite ride has always been HM, which he calls the Jack ride, because we have always gone when it has the holiday install.

 

[saraswim]

Thanks very much to all the great responses! I got a good laugh and lots of good info from you all. I'm going to try the flashlight and Micky ears.

Now, any hints for me about how I can keep good notes for my attempt at a trip report?



Bye for now

 

[CindyH]

It's all outdoors, no scary dark places.

 

[Zoemakes5]

We used to live in SoCal and all my cousins used to come and visit and we'd always have to go to DL.

The rides most little little kids didn't want to do:
Snow White
Haunted Mansion
Back then it was Captain EO, but Honey I Shrunk the Audience can be pretty intense

Some of them had issues with:
POTC (though we always went in a large group and sang "yo yo yo ho a pirates life for me" as we stood in line and it shook off the scary parts.
Pinnocio
Matterhorn
Space Mountain

There are some others that are more "rough and tumble"/freaky, but not "scary".

I was terrified on the submarine, myself.

 

[eatmypixiedust]

I remember when I was 4 or 5 yrs old, the hell part of Mr. Toad gave me the hee-be-gee-bees!

 

[DevilDuckie]

If Haunted Mansion is done up as Nightmare Before Christmas, you might try that. I'd skip POTC- the talking skull freaked my kid the first time around. Critter Country has what we lovingly refer to as Pooh's Acid Trip and we ride it over and over. Star Tours and the rockets ought to be fine in Tomorrowland and if they're still showing off ASIMO in Innoventions, don't miss it.

In fantasyland, skip Snow White and maybe Pinocchio but everything else ought to be fine.

 

[SunshineOR]

First trip I took a nightmare-prone three-year-old and was very worried about her. Spent a couple weeks before the trip explaining how things were just "pretend" and being scared can be fun, like in some of her favorite movies. She ended up loving EVERYTHING! We worked her slowly into the rides--didn't just immediately throw her on Splash, but after conquering most of fantasyland, she was ready for it. She was nervous before a few rides, the line for Snow White and Pirates were a little freaky for her. No, I didn't drag her on screaming and crying, but we reminded her about "pretend" and encouraged her to do it and each time she loved it. She is six now and our family junkie for scary rides. Tower of Terror and Space Mountain are her favorites. However, the realism of the 3-Ds do her in and she sits through them but doesn't like them. Every kid is different, so just keep track as you go and you'll soon know what works and what doesn't.