Scared or Apprehensive Children About This Page:

[Starla4436]

Need help from all parents or guardian who have taken a young child to WDW...

For the first time my DH and I are taking a child and a teenager to WDW in Oct....my sister is 14 and my dear niece is 7....

How do you get you child to try new things they may be scared of ? How do you decide if you should sit this out with them or try to get them to experience it? Do you have any kind of incentive program if they try something new?

I have already pretty much decided to keep my niece way from ToT and RnRC...but I really want her to try the Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, and BTMR.

I need some mommy advice or auntly advice????

[wvugrrrl]

Is she naturally timid? Because maybe she'll naturally want to try all kinds of different rides. I feel like 7 is a good age for natural curiosity and she may want to do these things all on her own. Plus, I've found that when I've gone to WDW with my younger nephews and my sister when she was 6, just the excitement of being at WDW is enough to make them try just about anything.

[Starla4436]

Originally Posted by wvugrrrl

Is she naturally timid? Because maybe she'll naturally want to try all kinds of different rides. I feel like 7 is a good age for natural curiosity and she may want to do these things all on her own. Plus, I've found that when I've gone to WDW with my younger nephews and my sister when she was 6, just the excitement of being at WDW is enough to make them try just about anything.

She is very cautious and timid...so I hop she will want to try new things.

[coffeechef]

Are the two girls close.... young ones like to do wha the older ones like to do. Have you looked at Disneybooks together. I would sit down with her and read the attraction descriptions together. Be excited and say " doesn't that sound like fun?" Start with the rides that have no fear issues. If you start off with Haunted mansion then forget getting her to go on ANYTHING else after that. Start with the rides recomended for toddlers.. really. Start with Winnie the Pooh, the carousel, IASW, Muppetvision at DS, Peter Pan. Stay clear of Snow whites scary adventure til you know she likes and has aclimated to the others. less scary rides. Just because its Disney does not mean it won't scare the cr** out of a kid. HM is a great ride, but to a frightened or timid child its not so great. Sure there are fun ghosts, but not to a child with an vivid imagination or one that does not like to be scared. IT starts in the stretching room where people scream when the lights go out. Fun for most of us, but not for a kid afraid of the dark and these types of noises. You need to build up her confidence to get her on these rides & then to enjoy them..... and be prepared that you might have to sit a few out with her. Every kid has their timeline . I have twin nephews...one would go on these from the time he was a baby... Halloween stiff made him laugh, giggle & want to play with or fight them. His twin brother was terrified of the same things and would cry hysterically til you took them away.

[Starla4436]

Originally Posted by coffeechef

Are the two girls close.... young ones like to do wha the older ones like to do. Have you looked at Disneybooks together. I would sit down with her and read the attraction descriptions together. Be excited and say " doesn't that sound like fun?" Start with the rides that have no fear issues. If you start off with Haunted mansion then forget getting her to go on ANYTHING else after that. Start with the rides recomended for toddlers.. really. Start with Winnie the Pooh, the carousel, IASW, Muppetvision at DS, Peter Pan. Stay clear of Snow whites scary adventure til you know she likes and has aclimated to the others. less scary rides. Just because its Disney does not mean it won't scare the cr** out of a kid. HM is a great ride, but to a frightened or timid child its not so great. Sure there are fun ghosts, but not to a child with an vivid imagination or one that does not like to be scared. IT starts in the stretching room where people scream when the lights go out. Fun for most of us, but not for a kid afraid of the dark and these types of noises. You need to build up her confidence to get her on these rides & then to enjoy them..... and be prepared that you might have to sit a few out with her. Every kid has their timeline . I have twin nephews...one would go on these from the time he was a baby... Halloween stiff made him laugh, giggle & want to play with or fight them. His twin brother was terrified of the same things and would cry hysterically til you took them away.

Thats a great idea...unfortunately this is a suprise trip ...

[Lemap760]

I took DS on the Haunted Mansion and he is only 4. I got him on by basically saying "hey let's do the haunted mansion" and took him inside. I didn't give him the opportunity to back out. I know some people would have a problem with this method, but he wasn't willing to do anything that was "mild" like the Country Bears or the Riverboat. He did get a little scared but was ok when I told him just to hide his face in my arm. He did like the hitch hiking ghosts at the end.

[DisneyFun-atic]

Since it's a surprise trip, maybe you could pick up the park maps at the hotel lobby and the night before, look over the map of the park you are going to the following day. Talk up the rides to her to get her excited and get her take on what she'd most like to do. Most importantly, I wouldn't push her to go on anything she's adamant about not going on. I just don't think it's fair or fun and I wouldn't want anyone doing that to me. (I'm not saying you would, but there are people would force their kids to go on everything)

[snoozin]

The fact you're asking the question makes me think you're probably not one to force a screaming child on a ride (thank goodness); but there's nothing wrong with attempting to get her to try.

Remember, almost all the rides have "chicken-out" exits just before you get on the ride. Suggest she walk thru and that she can always change her mind, so that she knows she's got some control over her situation. Then keep her distracted while you go thru the line, and hopefully she'll just get on! You could also let her know it's good to try everything once, you just don't have to do it a second time if you didn't like it the first (like trying new foods!).

She may surprise you, with all the fun and excitement of WDW, that she'll want to try all sorts of things.

[Starla4436]

I have seen parents blatantly lie to there children bt saying that rnrc is just a little car ride or ToT is just a little elevator ride...i don't want her trip to be ruined by having the be-jesus scared out of her on the first day.

I got her personalized map from WDW.com for the car ride there as well as WDW for kids by kids book...so she will be able to look it over.

I was going to let her watch the Disney planning dvd in the car but i watched it last night and I found it made a lot of the rides look faster then they actually go...so I think the book will be a better deal.

One goo thing is that she loves the POC movies so I know this one is a go!

[lukeandbrookesmom]

I'm not a believer in pushing a child to try something or lying about what to expect. We use the planning DVD to see previews of some attractions and Birnbaums for Kids is also a good reference. We have used the 'chicken out' exits on several rides, too. We have also left 'A Bug's Life" with a hysterical child. Use your instincts of what you think will be enjoyable for them and don't push.

[Anna M]

My oldest son is naturally very cautious, to the point of annoying. (Picture a child pulling backwards on your hand at Spaceship Earth yelling, "Is it scary? Is it scary? I don't want to!") Our rule is that he just has to trust Mom and Dad and that we won't make him go on anything he won't like. By the end of the first trip, he went on ToT by his own choice. Of course, he didn't go on it again. LOL! We just worked our way up to scarier and scarier rides. For instance, we went on Dumbo, The Carosel, Peter Pan, then Snow White. We tried to make the rides more fun by looking for special details or adding story lines. For instance, we made it a contest to warn Snow White whenever we saw the witch.

She may not like the thrill rides, but I'd take her through the preshow with the understanding that she can use the chicken exits. Sometimes, the preshow is the best part. And you never know, she might just want to try it in the end.

[Chri5ti]

Since it is a surprise, why not rent the Disneyland sing a long? It has rides on it and she wouldn't have to know you were going to watch it. It has some things like the matterhorn that won't be at WDW, but it also has the Haunted Mansion, Small World, and Splash Mountain. My daughters all like to watch it while we drive down.

I agree with the others, start small. My friend went down and her husband insisted on taking their 6yr old on TOT, he refused to go on most things for the rest of the trip. He had Birnbaums and anything that said dark, or mildly scary, he refused to go on. He didn't even go on Pirates because the book said dark.

I am one of those parents that you have all given dirty looks. I drag my one daughter on things crying. I just wish you could all see the smiles when we exit! I swear! The bottom line is knowing your child. The only thing I made a mistake with was Soarin. She hates it. Not sure why, but she didn't like that one. If you go small and build up, you will have a better trip. And if you are unsure, go with the assurance that she can always close her eyes and hold on to you.

[Starla4436]

Originally Posted by Chri5ti

Since it is a surprise, why not rent the Disneyland sing a long? It has rides on it and she wouldn't have to know you were going to watch it. It has some things like the matterhorn that won't be at WDW, but it also has the Haunted Mansion, Small World, and Splash Mountain. My daughters all like to watch it while we drive down.

I agree with the others, start small. My friend went down and her husband insisted on taking their 6yr old on TOT, he refused to go on most things for the rest of the trip. He had Birnbaums and anything that said dark, or mildly scary, he refused to go on. He didn't even go on Pirates because the book said dark.

I am one of those parents that you have all given dirty looks. I drag my one daughter on things crying. I just wish you could all see the smiles when we exit! I swear! The bottom line is knowing your child. The only thing I made a mistake with was Soarin. She hates it. Not sure why, but she didn't like that one. If you go small and build up, you will have a better trip. And if you are unsure, go with the assurance that she can always close her eyes and hold on to you.

The sing alongs are a great idea!

[wdjeh]

We are taking our daughter for her first big trip and she's 3 and half this January. We have talked about the scary rides and through the use of "You Tube" I have been able to show her a lot. I know this is a surprise trip so here are a couple of ideas. Go to Target or Walmart and buy a pen light or a mini key chain strobe light. Most kids are scared more of being imersed in the dark and not knowing what's coming next so this really helps. Show them how it works and let them hold it during the entire course of the ride. Next tip, you might consider buying a pal mickey for her at the parks. Yes, its expensive, however, for timid children they really work great. First, its Mickey and he talks and tells the children about the rides while they are expierencing them. Its hard to be too scared with Mickey on board. Lastly, be honest about what she can expect on the ride. I cannot emphasize this enough. I too have seen a lot of parents tell their children its just a little ride and the the poor kids are traumatized and never want to go back. Instead tell them about the ride, what you know about it, how it works, what they can expect and emphasize that its just all fun make-believe. The ghosts are not real they are just being silly and having a good time. Lastly, if the pal mickey is too much, let her bring along another "lovie" type toy for her to hang onto when she is uncertain of the ride. This little bit of comfort goes a very long way. Hope this helps.

Jenn

[Starla4436]

Originally Posted by wdjeh

We are taking our daughter for her first big trip and she's 3 and half this January. We have talked about the scary rides and through the use of "You Tube" I have been able to show her a lot. I know this is a surprise trip so here are a couple of ideas. Go to Target or Walmart and buy a pen light or a mini key chain strobe light. Most kids are scared more of being imersed in the dark and not knowing what's coming next so this really helps. Show them how it works and let them hold it during the entire course of the ride. Next tip, you might consider buying a pal mickey for her at the parks. Yes, its expensive, however, for timid children they really work great. First, its Mickey and he talks and tells the children about the rides while they are expierencing them. Its hard to be too scared with Mickey on board. Lastly, be honest about what she can expect on the ride. I cannot emphasize this enough. I too have seen a lot of parents tell their children its just a little ride and the the poor kids are traumatized and never want to go back. Instead tell them about the ride, what you know about it, how it works, what they can expect and emphasize that its just all fun make-believe. The ghosts are not real they are just being silly and having a good time. Lastly, if the pal mickey is too much, let her bring along another "lovie" type toy for her to hang onto when she is uncertain of the ride. This little bit of comfort goes a very long way. Hope this helps.

Jenn

Great tips...i especially like the idea of a plush toy to hang on to...in fact i may need one of those myself ToT scares me...and the light up key chain is right up dear nieces alley.