Wishes for a kid afraid of fireworks.

[ZeroMyHero]

divawife: I purchased Mack's at Target. They have kids' size earplugs that don't go into the ear canal. They're made of hypoallergenic sillicone putty and you just flatten them over the opening to the ear. They were about $5, there are a dozen in the package, and they can be used up to 5 times.

 

[Robo]

Does Cosmic Rays stay open during Wishes? For some reason I thought that most of the eateries closed by that point.

Unlike IllumiNations, which virtually always "closes" Epcot,
Wishes does NOT always happen at the closing time of MK.

There are many nights when the MK stays open long after Wishes is concluded.

 

[divawife]

Thanks!!!

 

[Manda]

Wow, that Corryn post was just about the meanest post I've read in a long time. I'm just shocked by how heartless that was.

When I was a kid, I was scared of them as well. I never liked the noise in the first place, but went along with the family to the local 4th of July display any way. When I was about 6, there was a mishap and the fireworks were shot too low over the crowd. My Mom had to rip my burning shirt off me and my chest was burnt. I was really scared of fireworks after that. We went to Disney World the next summer with my cousins and we stayed for the fireworks (actually, I think it was a laser show at Epcot - not even fireworks) and I absolutely lost it. My cousins still claim that I ruined Disney World for everyone and that one bit is still the most clear memory I have of that trip. So, yes, genius advice to make the kid "suck it up" - let that be his biggest memory from the trip.

My 4 year old DS never tolerated fireworks well either until this last trip. We were in Fantasy Land waiting for Dumbo when they started and he didn't want to leave the line and I held my hands over his ears and kinda helped him through it. Noises are really hard for him though. Previously, we always just headed out of the park when the fireworks started. He'd quite happily watch them from the Monorail. Another thing to note if he's pretty sensitive to loud noise other than just fireworks... the music they pipe in can also be very, very loud. I think what really upset my son about the MNSSHP fireworks was the very loud soundtracks of villains coming over the speakers. It was scary for him.

 

[sandym718]

You will need to decide whether to keep your child in the park or not (using one of the previous suggestions)
However, I recommend not making your entire party leave the park. One thing that makes Wishes so fantastic is the music played along with it. They will not be able to hear the music from outside the park.

They do play the music on the Poly beach

I don't understand the logic of "the sooner they learn the better" for this situation. I have two out of three kids who don't like fireworks. It's not like fireworks are some necessary thing you need to enjoy to get by in life. It's not like they're hunting dogs who I'm trying to desensitize to loud noises. I can understand that logic with things like going to the doctor or brushing your teeth or doing homework, but fireworks? Come on, they don't need to learn to like fireworks. I'm trying to make Disney fun for them, not stressful.

ITA! Necessities in life..yes. Fireworks..no, especially not at a very young age. Now, an 8 y.o. or something like that - I'd probably really encourage them to try it. They are old enough to understand and might miss out on some fun times with friends, etc. if they can't get past that fear. A younger child - no! They don't understand and having them "suck it up" is cruel in my opinion.

 

[fan_of_small_world]

Unlike IllumiNations, which virtually always "closes" Epcot,
Wishes does NOT always happen at the closing time of MK.

There are many nights when the MK stays open long after Wishes is concluded.

Thanks! When we were there last, Wishes did close the park, so I didn't realize it itsn't always like that. Great info to know for our trip in January (athough, being a slower time of year, maybe it will end up being at the close?).

 

[JulieNMM]

I'm 39 (not a little kid) and I absolutely HATE fireworks because of the noise. I am very sensitive to loud noises. I usually try to leave the park before they start. I am going to bring earplugs with me this time and see if that helps.

To the OP, I think it's great that you are being considerate of your kid's fear. They will probably/hopefully get over it pretty soon.

JULIE

 

[vickiea]

My kids are also not fans of big noises, but the fireworks seemed to not be a problem. My 3 year old who looked at me nervously with the first boom was sleeping by half way through Wishes - go figure! My 2 year old just stared in amazement.

We are going again in Feb 2009 and we are bringing ear plugs, I don't think we would ever use them for the fireworks, the noise isn't as intense since it is outdoors, but we will use them for some rides and shows - my sons both found Philarmagic loud and therefore scary, same with my 5 year old and the Dinosaur ride - there where some rides I would have liked ear plugs. Disney could learn to turn the volume don a notch or two.

HTH, enjoy your trip, your 4 year old may surprise you and have no problems. You really don't want to miss Wishes, Fantasmic, or Illuminations, they are all fantastic, breath taking.

Vickie

 

[Corryn]

Wow, that Corryn post was just about the meanest post I've read in a long time. I'm just shocked by how heartless that was.

.

Thanks!
Obviously, you haven't taken a look at the rest of my post where I did offer advice on a convenient place to watch and I also offered the suggestion of earplugs.
I'm just a cruel & heartless woman with tortured teenagers, so your comments have filled my soul....Thank you

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

We were in the unfortunate position last trip of being in Toontown when Hallowishes started. Let's just say that although my 10 month old couldn't care, less my 2-yr old was terrified by the noise. Believe it or not, just ducking into Minnie's house and distracting him with the decor did the trick. The next time we were in the park for fireworks, we went into Cosmic Ray's - no problems there.

He'll be 3.5 on our next trip, and we'll give it another try with earphones, and from a more distant location. I'm glad I stumbled upon this thread for the ipod suggestion as well.

I just know my daughter who will be turning two on our trip will love the fireworks, so it would be great if we could find a way for my son to enjoy them as well. If not, I'll just duck back into Cosmic Ray's with him and watch the silly guy give his show.

 

[Dannielle_1]

Here's a slight twist on the suggestions that have already been offered...

If MK isn't your first night at WDW, then try and take the little one over to the Poly for a "preview" of Wishes. He'll get to see the Electrical Water Parade and Wishes from a safe distance. I would still have him wear the earplugs at the Poly so he is used to them.

You're not alone with this problem, as I think most youngsters have problems with loud noises. Our DD is 7 and still doesn't like loud noises, weather they be from fireworks or even an announcer at an attraction. This is wear earplugs will come in handy. We'll be bringing them along for DD7, but I'm not quite sure what we'll do with DD1 yet. She's still in that "everything goes in the mouth" stage, so I can see her taking the earplugs and popping them in her mouth.

MagicalEars - Try the headphone style for your DD1. My son (28mnth) just got a pair for our trip in May. He loves seeing fireworks on tv and in pictures, however he has always been very skiddish with loud noises. So I got a pair of the ear protectors off of amazon (Peltor/AO Safety is the brand). I figured not only will they be used during the fireworks, but probably also on many of the inside dark rides as they can be kind of loud too. My son has already tested them out around the house and in the car and he really likes them and I think he definately sees them as a security type thing.

Here's a pic of him in his new headphones; so according to him "Headphones, No Scared Fireworks"

OP - I'd also suggest the headphones or earplugs, especially if your child gets nervous around loud noises in general as they might come in handy in more places than you think.


I just wanted to add the headphone I got are actually womens, however I read a lot of reviews that said they worked well for kids and they do seem to fit my son well. The length is adjustable, so he should be able to use these for a very long time if need be. I put them on and they really do cut out a lot of noise.

 

[teacup princess]

Wow, thanks for all the tips! I didn't expect to get so many great suggestions or that this would cause such a heated discussion-sorry.

I'm embarrassed to admit I've never even thought of using earplugs for my son's noise issues - I'm off to buy some now. Thanks Dis!

 

[Aliceacc]

My youngest is afraid of fireworks as well. She doesn't just dislike them; she's AFRAID, big time, of the noise.

In this situation, at least, the "suck it up" approach seems cruel to me.

So I'll bring earplugs for the first night. If they don't help, we'll split up. I'll bring her back to the Poly for our 2nd night; my husband can stay with the 2 older kids. If that still doesn't help, I'll bring her up to the room.

She's a five year old child. I'm not going to terrify her so that I can see some fireworks, magnificent though they may be. I'm certainly not going to guilt her into being terrified for my own enjoyment.

(ANd, yes, that extends to rides too. I'm the adult. If I have to miss out on something so that my kids don't wake up with nightmares, I can live with that just fine.)

But thanks for the reminder; earplugs most definitely have to go on my shopping list