What age to bring them on the cool rides...

[wdwmom2+1]

OK so we have 3 kiddos 2 DD's 13 and 9 . and a DS who is 4.

My oldest DD HATES any ride even a little fast she almost freaked out last trip because she had thought she remembered Norway as being a big drop ... she felt silly afterward. we told her this trip she is riding whatever we do.. RnR , Everest etc

My middle DD 9 is ok . she will do space mountain and stuff without much fear and will enjoy it but not want to go a second time.. claims this time she will do RnR, everest and stuff but NOT tot...

Now my little guy.. the only thing he has ever been on was the shamu rollercoaster at seaworld. looked scared as heck on the picture BUT asked to go again.. so we are holding out hope for an adventurous rollercoaster loving one like we are..

So our dillema?? we are going soon and he is 40 inches big enough to ride some of the fun ones. I dont know if we should bring him on though?? is 4 too young for splash moutnain, thunder mountain and the like? is that how people get kids that love these rides (just start bringing them on when they are tall enough) advice ? or experiences please??

 

[Mr Morrow]

I have always loved rides!.. And have wanted to go on any ride as soon I was tall enough. My brother, however used to do absolutely nothing until he reached the age of about 20.. he'll now do anything! I can't explain it!

Just leave it up to your kids.. if they want to ride!.. let them ride but don't force them, however disappointing it may be for you. You may have to underexaggerte some of the rides though.. 'Oh Rock 'n' Roller Coaster?.. That one doesn't go upside down!' and 'Tower of Terror?.. it goes up like one floor!'

Good luck!

 

[cowanfamily]

As soon as they little ones are tall enough!

 

[wdwmom2+1]

Its hard for us.. I hated any thing fast when I was younger until I was about 13.. then on a field trip to bush gardens my friends made me ride kumba.. i was hooked then my hubby had never been on a rollercoaster till we were 16 and I dragged him on the Muntu as his first one so we love rides like that.. so now with 3 kids we are hoping at least one will like the fun rides

 

[Figgy1]

As soon as they little ones are tall enough!

That works if they are brave enough! My ds was tall enough to go on a loop coaster at 2 in Hershey he loves all the fast rides. But show them some ride videos and see how they react and if they really don't want to ride just say there's always next trip!

 

[zurgandfriend]

I would try the little one on a fast ride, see how he does and gage from there. I would also not force oldest DD on any ride she really doesn't want to do. My own DS had to ride Splash Mountain next a young girl about that age who was forced on it by her parents. She screamed, cried, and almost drew blood hanging onto my son's arm. He had nail marks for a day after. It ruined the ride for him and everyone else and of course some day your oldest DD will be a major factor picking out a nursing home for her parents.

 

[RandomPrincess]

My daughter will be on her first over 40 inches trip this fall. We are planning on most of the 40 inch rides. We may skip Dinosaur and TOT or do them later in the trip since they have the scary factor along with the thrill.

If she's screaming and crying we won't take her but she did fine on Flight of the Hippogriff when she was just under 3 and did the kiddie coaster at Dollywood okay too.

That is a great idea showing them the videos online as well. I showed my daughter Splash and she was fine with the drop, she didn't like the laughing place section inside but said she would ride if Daddy sat next to her.

 

[Ember]

We may skip Dinosaur and TOT or do them later in the trip since they have the scary factor along with the thrill.

I'm worried about taking my youngest on Dinosaur. He's just 40 inches and 3 1/2. Do you guys have any input on the scare factor? He loves fast rides, but that ride scares me so I'm not sure if I should take him on it.

 

[wdwmom2+1]

that is one ride both my girls have been on and we will take my DS this time. None have gotten scared from the ride itself.

 

[RandomPrincess]

I'm worried about taking my youngest on Dinosaur. He's just 40 inches and 3 1/2. Do you guys have any input on the scare factor? He loves fast rides, but that ride scares me so I'm not sure if I should take him on it.

I suggest watching a ride through video online. They do have a giant Dinosaur that pops out at you and roars in your face.

 

[Princess_AmyK]

i would say youre never too young. If he wants to ride then why not? You could always try one fast ride and if he doesnt like it then you know.

My dad used to make me ride the big rides even though id cry and he would tell me to be tough and stop crying. I love rollercoasters now! Im not too scarred

 

[JillC LI]

Leave it up to him. Describe the rides with excitement but fairly honestly in terms of thrill factors, and let him decide. Our DS wanted to try everything from the get go. DD took a little longer to warm up to the thrill rides but loves them now. He will let you know when he's ready, if ever. He can have a wonderful time at WDW without the thrill rides - lord knows I did for years!

 

[bethymouse]

My 4 year old didn't want to ride Splash @ 1st. His twin brother rode it. Now they're both hooked! ( age 8).
BTMRR is fun and fast, and a good roller coaster for 40 inches. My boys loved it at age 4! They also loved test Track, even though the 1st time they rode it we got stuck/stopped on the loop hanging sideways. My 1 guy - no problem. The other one, scared to death! But, again- he rode it later, and now it's their fave!
I'd say no on Dinosaur, and my 1 boy to this day still will not ride TOT!

 

[stevehousse]

My son just went on big thunder mountain for the first time this past trip we just came back from. So far he will ride bog thunder, splash (he likes everything except th big drop which he cried about for 2 seconds again this year, he went on it last year for te first time), barnstormer, and just about everything he can go on with his height limit! The only 2 rides he has yet to go on that he is tall enough for righ now is dinosaur and TOT, but I don't want to force him on those 2 because of the fear level involved for him. I am hoping to get him on dinosaur and space mountain next year, he will be tall enough for space.

To get him to want to ride te bigger rides we watch videos on YouTube! So he knows what he is getting into. A little persuasion won't hurt the little guy, as I see myself doing this next year for space!

Edit: my son is 4 i forgot to mention! He will b five at the end of septmeber

 

[luv]

I think you should let them ride whatever they want to ride...and let them not ride things that scare them. Me, personally, I'd start a 4yo off slow and build up to more scary stuff.

My 4yo was a giant, wimpy, scaredy cat and didn't ride real coasters (he'd ride something like BTMR, but not real thrill rides) until he was nine or ten. After that, he was all about coasters, just like his mom. In fact, when it comes to water slides, he's even MORE adventurous than I am...and laughs at me for being scared! Oh, how the tables have turned!

But it drove me bonkers when he was eight. I was SO jealous of all the other moms, whose kids weren't weenies.

Now, I have a nephew who is eleven and still won't ride them. But my dumb sister lied to him about one and tricked him into it, so he has, like, roller coaster PTSD, lol.

 

[MOXOMUMD]

Dinosaur is one ride my DD won't do yet. I had to explain to her that it's as far from Dinosaur Train as you can get. I know it would scare
the living dickens out of her and I don't want her screaming to take away from anyone's ride experience. My niece rode and in the picture at the end she was in full meltdown. I also won't fib to her because if you tell them that it's not that scary, but to their little minds it is, they may be reluctant to try other rides. Now with ToT she just likes to sit and watch the outer doors open and see the people freaking out inside.

 

[princessmommy]

OK so we have 3 kiddos 2 DD's 13 and 9 . and a DS who is 4.

My oldest DD HATES any ride even a little fast she almost freaked out last trip because she had thought she remembered Norway as being a big drop ... she felt silly afterward. we told her this trip she is riding whatever we do.. RnR , Everest etc

My middle DD 9 is ok . she will do space mountain and stuff without much fear and will enjoy it but not want to go a second time.. claims this time she will do RnR, everest and stuff but NOT tot...

Now my little guy.. the only thing he has ever been on was the shamu rollercoaster at seaworld. looked scared as heck on the picture BUT asked to go again.. so we are holding out hope for an adventurous rollercoaster loving one like we are..

So our dillema?? we are going soon and he is 40 inches big enough to ride some of the fun ones. I dont know if we should bring him on though?? is 4 too young for splash moutnain, thunder mountain and the like? is that how people get kids that love these rides (just start bringing them on when they are tall enough) advice ? or experiences please??

my right at 40 inches dd4(was 3 on most recent trip) rode almost everything. She did test track, splash mountain, big thunder mountain.
let him try it he may surprise you!

 

[SMS55]

Both my boys rode everything they could once they were tall enough. The only ones we held off on were Space and Rockin' Rollercoaster. Both of my boys rode Splash and Big Thunder at 3. Just held them close to me but they were fine.

 

[AngryEyes]

so we love rides like that.. so now with 3 kids we are hoping at least one will like the fun rides

No, you hope exactly two will like the fun rides.

My youngest is 11, so everyone rides everything, pretty much. My oldest will pick and choose roller coasters, but is supposedly riding all of them this time. Both boys will ride anything.

What we did with ours is explain each ride and why it's fun and then propose a deal: If you promise to try once, I promise not to ever ask you to ride that ride again, if you don't like it. Worked for us.

 

[wdwmom2+1]

Thanks I showed him both splash and thunder moutain ride videos last night he is excited for both so we will see he said he can't wait to ride it! we will see when we actually go!! it will be a first for all of us as his sisters have never rode it either (me and hubby have)..

I just wanted to add we do not "force" the kiddos on the rides unless its silly.. we did "force" our dd who was 12 on norway ride because really??!! we were bringing our 3 year old on it too! so she was happy we did she felt silly afterward we did tell the girls they are riding everything this time (but keep in mind if they really really don't want to llike none of them wnat to do TOT we won't force them to go) just wanted to add that in!