Tactics to make a frightend child feel comfortable?

[montyz81]

OK, My wife and I are taking my son back to Orlando for the second time. We had allot of issues with him when he went the first time. He was 2 by the way. He is going to be 6 when we go back this April. So here is some background. We went on a few rides when we first got there, the first ride was the dumbo ride. Then we went on Peter Pan's flight. He was ok on that ride until it stopped in front of some Tiki God. (I think it stopped for a handicap person). Anyway, it was long enough to frighten the hell out of him. From that point forward it was a challenge to get him to go on anything. To this day he is frightened of dark places, fireworks and loud noises. I figured that he might get over it by the time he was 6 but I am starting to get worried that we are going to run into the same issue. I rolled the dice on this trip thinking he would be over it. We started planning back in October for the April trip. I still get the sense he is might still get scared of the same three things I mentioned above. So, my question to this board is, what tactics do you use to help your children feel more comfortable with dark, loud rides? I really want him to go on SSE, Pirates, and Haunted Mansion (although that might be a stretch). Any advice would be welcome. (Please don't say "don't go" the trip is already booked so we are going)

 

[rwdavis2]

Try It's a Small World first, maybe? It's semi-dark and similar to POTC. When my kids were young, 7 and 4, we did not take them on the rides they were scared of and they were fine when we went back at 12 and 9.

How about getting some videos of the the thnkgs he's afraid of such as fireworks. There's plenty of ride videos on the internet as well.
BD

 

[MouseMadness]

That's a tough one

My first thought is to distract him from the "bad" or "scary" and focus on the positive for a while. Do things that are happy and fun before going in anywhere dark.

By 6 he might be a little better about trusting your judgement, and you could reassure him that mom and dad wouldn't take him on anything that would hurt him. That's what I've always told my girls, and if it still ends up they don't want to do something a second time, we leave it at that :shrug:

 

[Eyekimore]

What a great idea about the videos of the rides! On You Tube you can find a video of almost any Disney ride. Maybe if he "went on the ride" on tv first in the safety of his own house- he'd be fine! What clever folks are on this site!!!

 

[elcodfish]

you tube

Start with the outside rides where he can see what he is getting into: autotopia, tea cups, BTMRR, dumbo, tta, then ask him to exploer a little more and see what you can get him into...
another great source is You Tube... You can visit almost every ride before you even get there so he isn't scared about what *might* be lurking around the corner...

 

[jakeman]

You could try and desentitize him by hiding behind doors, under his bed, etc...

No?

Not helpful?

I definately agree with the You Tube idea. Perhaps take a laptop with you and look at them before you start your day as a refresher.

 

[montyz81]

I have been doing the videos. He is fine with that, but pretty much not good with the real thing. I am not sure how to cross that bridge.
I also agree with everyone about letting it be. I absolutely do not force him on anything he doesn't want to do. That said, I am not sure I can hack going on just the monorail and the train all week! I think that the Monster's Inc Laughing floor will be good. The Crush show also. It's still 2 months away, kids change so fast, it may be all right by then.

 

[sublimesting]

Have you tried explaining how much the trip costs? If that doesn't work I'd move on to swatting at him and yelling about how much the trip costs. Also try commanding him to have fun.
I have seen these tactics put into practice at WDW.:hammer:

 

[hrcollectibles]

Try It's a Small World first, maybe? It's semi-dark and similar to POTC. When my kids were young, 7 and 4, we did not take them on the rides they were scared of and they were fine when we went back at 12 and 9.

How about getting some videos of the the thnkgs he's afraid of such as fireworks. There's plenty of ride videos on the internet as well.
BD

That to me is the scariest ride on property.. :ROFLOL:

 

[Coree]

My two year old was scared of pretty much everything--rides, monorail, parking lot tram, characters, shows--on our trip in November. We just walked around a lot and found playgrounds. Not a very good use of money for that trip, but we still had fun. In hindsight, I think I would have tried to bribe her onto a ride or two to at least give them an initial chance. If she didn't like it then so be it, but at least she tried. Maybe bribery will work if necessary. For the fireworks, we just made sure we were out of the parks each night before they started. Good luck!

 

[Nemo14]

My son was afraid of many of the rides too (he still won't go on ToT) but we always had him wait in line with us - reassure him that he can chicken out right up to the time that you board the ride. We found that DS would summon up the courage by then to at least try the ride, and when he didn't, one of us would leave with him. The less of abig deal you make of it, the less of a big deal it will be to him.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[NewfieFan]

We're going through the same thing! My son will be 5 on our next trip and I thought that he would be ready for more but I don't think that's going to be the case.
Our child is afraid of everything (I mean everything) - it's just his personality! On our last trip to WDW there wasn't much he would go on! Although we did make progress while we were there. I kind of forced him (and yes I used the word "forced") on the rides that I knew he would enjoy! Never once did I force him on something that I knew he would be unsure about and we would never force him if he was having a melt down over it either. After he did the rides he did, we would make a big deal about it. And we would ask him what he enjoyed about the ride/show. We would always tell him we were so proud and that he was very brave for trying. By the end of the trip he trusted us more and if we convinced him to try something he generally went along with the idea.

I find with children like this it's not the actual things they are afraid of but the fear of being afraid that creates the apprehension. Once my child was on the ride he was fine and even if there was something he didn't like (darkness, loud noises) it didn't bother him to the extent that I thought it would. He was very proud of himself as well once he completed a ride!

There's also the let's "make a deal" technique. I let my son pick something he wants to do and then we pick something we want to do (within reason, of course). This worked quite well for us and we're still using that technique now while we're in the planning stages. Ex. He'd want to spend a bit of time in Pooh's Playful Spot and then it was our turn to go on "It's a Small World". While we're planning he's picking out the rides he wants to go and the places he wants to see. Getting him involved is making him forget about some of his fears.

Now mind you my son loves WDW, he can't wait to go back. He loved all the characters (and the character meals). I also do not mind catering the trip to my children right now. It's very enjoyable to just walk around and take in all the sights and sounds and not be rushing from one ride to the next.

Take it slow, follow your son's lead, and never make a big deal over anything. If my son got scared or backed out, we immediately moved on and never brought it up again. Just show your son you have confidence in him and that might give him the courage to try that next ride...:wave:

 

[kshark]

jump right in.. space mountain first!!!!! (just kidding)

 

[emba33]

I'll let you know ...

I glad for this forem discussion. I am taking my daughters, 2 and 4 years old to Disney World. We have been listening to the music for WISHES and other rides for several months now. They watch the fireworks on YOUTUBE and watch SMALL WORLD, POOH, PETER PAN, TURTLE TALK, TIKI ROOM, DUMBO etc.

When the girls go to bed, we sometimes talk about the different rides, and I tell them what to expect in the ride, and remind them it is all make belief, and mom and dad are there all the time ... and that it is just for fun.

A parent has the environmental control -- to tell their kids what to expect. There is also a genetic component ... and some kids are just going to be more "up tight" about things. In our case, our 4-year old has always been a dare devil, willing to go on any rides at theme parks and fairs by herself ... while our 2-year old would never even entertain the notion.

After our April visit ... I will let you know how my YOUTUBE-ING paid off.

 

[peemagg]

My niece is afraid of fireworks. What we did that worked for her was I brought my ear muffs that I use when I am shooting guns. It was enough that she loved the fireworks. It also worked on other spots that were loud.

For fear of the dark what about a small flashlight or better yet a small light stick. Just a little bit of light seems to work with most kids. I would suggest though that if you give them a flashlight, only let them shine it at the floor of the ride. This way you don't ruin the ride for others around you.

 

[mousebymarriage]

kids sized earplugs work great for the fireworks, you can pick them up in most pharmacy's. As far as dark rides, a small flashlight that you can purchase in any dollar store, target or wal-mart always worked great for my kids. The flashlight helps them feel in control.

 

[msmith]

Rides like Its a Small World, Jungle Cruise, The Land, Grand Fiesta Tour, etc. are all good places to start. Like many mentioned already, Youtube can be helpful before visiting, and order the free vacation planning DVD as it'll show some of the rides. I also like the flashlight idea... That should help...

Other than that, we've had great luck explaining to our boy that we were going to go on a boat ride, or a car ride, etc. and that we wouldn't go anywhere that could hurt him. We also let him know that he can hold our hand and watch everything, or close his eyes if he wants to... We've done just about everything that his height will allow including Pirates and Barnstormer... He is going back for his 3 trip in April and he'll be 3.5 years old.

Just last night we were watching videos on youtube for Kali River Rapids and Soarin. These will be two new attractions for him and we're hopeful.

Good Luck!

Almost forgot... On our last trip we took my mom, sister, and my sister's two boys (ages 3 and 4), the younger cousin was/is afraid of EVERYTHING... We brought them the planning DVD and there is a scene from Pirates on the DVD... the little guy ran from the room screaming "SCARY!!!" "I'm SCARED!!!" - I was a bit worried before we even left, but figured that some of that had to be just for show... regardless, when we got there he was not up for ANYTHING at first. We wound up getting him to go on Grand Fiesta Tour and he liked that quite a bit... After that, it was just a matter of explaining to him that the rides would be fun like the Donald Duck ride, and not scary at all... He was OK with that.

 

[mousebymarriage]

Oh, I almost forgot, you may want to buy the Birnbaum book For Kids By Kids. Even though your son may be too young to read it, the book will give you an idea of what the rides are like from a childs perspective. Each ride is explained in terms of darkness, scareyness, loudness, if there are any drops, if it goes backward, if you get wet, etc. My kids are 11 (daughter) and 6 (son) and we buy the book every year months before the trip and they love reading it.
You can buy the book in any Barnes & Noble or Borders bookstore and I'm sure a few other places. The book is usually in the travel section under U.S. Travel or under Florida Travel.

 

[MouseWorshipper]

Prepare him what he's going to see! Also, remind him that it's just "Mickey Mouse magic" and that "Mickey was just playing" and "Mickey would never let anybody get hurt or put in danger." If all else fails, keep a ski mask handy that you can pull over a scared face mid-ride.

 

[Tigggrl]

All I have to say is Kudos for not forcing him to go on anything he is not comfortable with. I was forced to go on an old, wooden rollercoaster when I was young, and the scrambler ride too.I was called "chicken" and made fun of by my entire family.....To this day I have a major problem with drops and anything scary....Mansion is my Favorite, only because I know whats ahead....I refuse to do Dinosaur too, my friends know what I can handle! LOL!