Would this annoy you?

[cara76]

I saw a tip a all ears last night that I thought would work for DS and his fear of the dark but I'm wondering if it would annoy other guest.

The tip was for dark rides,shows, attractions etc to give the child a small pen light so they can see around them and won't be so afraid. They also suggested those light up toys that are sold all over WDW.

Would this annoy you, ruin your time if a small child had a small light or toy to help them get through the attraction without being afraid of the dark?

 

[lucincia]

I think the flashlight would annoy other people close to you. But, one of those glow in the dark toys or glow sticks may do the trick. Buy a box of the glow sticks and stock up!

 

[nkjzmom]

We've done this with some of our children and it's worked well. I just make sure they keep the light to themselves and don't wave it around or shine it on anyone. I think that would be the only annoying thing about it. A small pen light works the best because they don't have the ability to shine very far. The light up toys, however, may prove more distracting.

Edited to add: I forgot all about the glow in the dark bracelets!! We have used those tons of times and you're right, they are probably the least bothersome thing.

 

[kilee]

A small keychain type light up pen shouldn't bother anyone. They should be just enough to provide comfort, but they aren't that bright. The light up spinning toys I would think could be a much bigger distraction.

 

[InnerStrength]

A small penlight wouldn't annoy me unless the child was shining it in my eyes, or my childrens eyes. I have a son (4) who is a little timid when it comes to scary or very dark rides, and if he is willing to ride them, I just have him sit either on my or DH's lap, or if that is not possible, he will sit very close to us and hold our hand. He does just fine with that and there is no need for little lights or lighted toys.

 

[lucincia]

A small keychain type light up pen shouldn't bother anyone. They should be just enough to provide comfort, but they aren't that bright. The light up spinning toys I would think could be a much bigger distraction.

Oh, heavens, I don't mean the light up toys. Sorry if I mistyped Those get obnoxious, especially the whirly ones. I think the glow in the dark bracelets, necklace, glowstick should work.

 

[POOH&PIGLET]

I don't know what they are called but WDW also sells light up LED 'necklaces.' The are ~2 1/2 inches on a rope & flash on and off. My kids use them often & they don't give off much light at all.

 

[Leota]

Small keychain light or penlight - glow bracelets fine. Spinning toys would be more distracting.
We'll probably get the grandsons glowsticks for their first trip to use if they need them.

 

[Marseeya]

I hate to be the voice of dissent, especially when it comes to a little kid, but yes, that's something that would be really distracting to me on a dark attraction and it would annoy me a lot.

 

[AnaheimGirl]

Stuff like that doesn't annoy me, but I just wanted to let you know that it didn't work for us. When my dd was 4 and scared of the dark, we tried it and they didn't give off enough light to actually help her. My 2yo dd, who isn't afraid of the dark at home, but gets a little fearful on some of the dark rides at Disney, only needs a hug from mom or dad to feel safe.

 

[DrTomorrow]

While I don't really understand the desire to take a child through a ride that s/he is scared of ( ), I can say that, unless handled very well, such a light, etc. can indeed be a problem. The whole idea of a Disney attraction is to lose yourself into the theming, the story, the atmosphere. But if someone is waving around a penlight or other bright object, it's very difficult not to pay attention to it. If you've ever been to a movie when some jerk was using a laser pointer on the screen, you know how distracting that is. Even worse, though, is talking a child through a dark ride. On several rides - PotC comes to mind - we've sat behind families with little ones who are obviously scared, and throughout the entire ride we heard "Oh, look at the funny pirate. He's not real. Go away, silly pirate". Not quite what Walt would have wanted .

I will say that it depends on the ride. HM, for example, is very self-contained in each DoomBuggy and wouldn't bother others. "Group" rides, however, like PotC, Dino, Stitch, Soarin', etc are a shared experience, and one flashing penlight could ruin it for many.

IMHO - YMMV

 

[InstImpres]

Not sure what rides you are specifically referring to but I use the view on my digitial camera as a light and distraction for my niece. Also, always in quick reach is my cell phone which when you open it displays a picture of Mickey

 

[Disneyholics5]

be annoying in a dark ride to have a light shinning near you. I would agree that the best bet would be the glow sticks, glow necklaces or glow braclets.

 

[maxiesmom]

My sister had her daughter wear sneakers that light up, so whenever it was too dark all she had to do was bang her feet together.

nkjzmom, did you make those t-shirts? They are very cute!

 

[tmt martins]

Can you say NIGHTVISION GOGGLES JK
the glow stuff is the best most are not enough to distact but give a warn glow for the littleones

 

[VSL]

ITA with DrTomorrow - kids are great (I want to be a teacher - and how else could I spend 2wks+ at WDW?!), but it's my holiday too

 

[babar41]

I agree witht he glow in the dark sticks or necklace would be the least bothersome. Flashlights, even the little pin lights would be distracting. I agree with the poster that says "Why take the child on a dark ride if it frightens him/her?"

I understand wanting your child to experience everything, but if he/she is really frightened of the dark I would vote for not taking him/her.

 

[minkydog]

Although I'd probably be somewhat annoyed if a small child was waving around a pen light, it wouldn't be as bad as putting up with adults who are videotaping the whole production with their bright lights set up. We rode POTC behind some clown who had one of those gizmos and it lit up the whole ride from beginning to end. I was ready to drop-kick him off the side

 

[markºoº]

As to why take a child on a ride they will be scared on...
Speaking from experience, you do not always know which dark rides will scare a child. If the child is really entertained by the ride, they sometimes forget it is dark. Sometimes kids will "regress" and become afraid because the ride is a little scarry. Also remember that not all parents know all rides by heart and know exactly how dark/scarry all the rides are.

Yes, I have used a small LED keychain light I keep on my backpack to help our son. To avoid it becoming a distraction I HOLD THE LIGHT (not the child) and it is always pointed down, shielded by my hand, and kept on for a very limited amount of time.

If this is too much of a problem for you, how do you possible deal with the people holding up their videocams (or digital cameras) high above everyone with the LCD screens glowing brightly?

Go ahead and use a glow stick or pen light to calm a child but remember to USE IT RESPONSIBLY!

 

[tlbwriter]

I agree with the poster that says "Why take the child on a dark ride if it frightens him/her?"

Because you didn't realize it would frighten your child until it was too late. Most of us do not deliberately put our children in situations that will frighten them (I realize some parents do, for their own convenience, and a pox on them!).