AK - Boneyard Play Area - Anxiety

[MinnieMom85]

Last time we were at AK, my husband took our oldest daughter to the bathroom and I took our younger two (age 4 and 2) to the Boneyard to stretch their legs. Little did I know that I would have major trouble keep track of the 4 year old who immediately went up the big stairs while the youngest wanted stay down. Then the youngest wanted to go up, but of course not towards the same slide as her brother. I had to stay up with the 2 year old, but in the mean time the 4 year old had slid down and was out of sight. I almost had an anxiety attack (and I'm usually not a helicopter mom I promise).

We are going back next week (Thanksgiving week) and I need tips to know how to handle or for someone to tell me I'm over reacting.

 

[Klayfish]

Last time we were at AK, my husband took our oldest daughter to the bathroom and I took our younger two (age 4 and 2) to the Boneyard to stretch their legs. Little did I know that I would have major trouble keep track of the 4 year old who immediately went up the big stairs while the youngest wanted stay down. Then the youngest wanted to go up, but of course not towards the same slide as her brother. I had to stay up with the 2 year old, but in the mean time the 4 year old had slid down and was out of sight. I almost had an anxiety attack (and I'm usually not a helicopter mom I promise).

We are going back next week (Thanksgiving week) and I need tips to know how to handle or for someone to tell me I'm over reacting.

Yes, I think you're over reacting. Honestly.

We had our kids running around there when the twins were 1 and our oldest was 4, and then again when they were 4 and 7. It's really not a big deal. If you're really worried about keeping them together, then make them stay together.

 

[JK World]

I've only been in there once, on our last trip, and it was not crowded. But it looked like they had a CM at the entry/exit gates, so that should cut down on concern about them escaping alone. I'd stay with the younger one and just keep my ears open for the older one in case they get into trouble.

 

[brent02139]

I thought there's only one entry/exit, so as long as you have that covered, they can't slip through?

 

[siren0119]

Having two boys close in age taught me early on not to sweat it when they run in opposite directions because they ALWAYS DO lol. Places like Boneyard (or the McDonalds playplace) where there's only one way in/out is where I could relax a bit and just let them run wild. Trying to keep tabs on them in an open air playground with no fencing was far more terrifying.

 

[MinnieMom85]

Thanks. I guess I didn't feel confident that my older 4 year old wouldn't just "wonder" out the gate to look for dad. There was not a CM there watching the exit. I didn't feel comfortable to let our 2 year old to go up all the stairs by herself and not get run over by bigger kids or lost where I couldn't hear her crying. Which left me up with the 2 year old and the older 4 year old often times down below where I couldn't see him and he couldn't hear me. Otherwise I would have just camped out at the bottom and watched for them to go up and come back down.

 

[Coolname]

I had similar issues in the Boneyard and that was when I was only watching our youngest! She was almost two then. She kept running through this tiny tunnel thing and then disappearing out the other side. I'd try to go around to where it exited, and she would be heading back the other way. I kept losing sight of her. It was too stressful for me, we didn't stay long.

 

[Dismama2boys]

I had similar issues in the Boneyard and that was when I was only watching our youngest! She was almost two then. She kept running through this tiny tunnel thing and then disappearing out the other side. I'd try to go around to where it exited, and she would be heading back the other way. I kept losing sight of her. It was too stressful for me, we didn't stay long.

Same. It gives me MAJOR anxiety.

 

[gatormom2tots]

No way for a kiddo to get out with CM at entrance/exit. We did have the issue of one kid wanting to be on the playground and another across the bridge in the dig site! But it was solved this summer when they had to evacuate the dig site because a snake slithered into the sand. My one daughter won't go anywhere NEAR the dig site now!

 

[MinnieMom85]

No way for a kiddo to get out with CM at entrance/exit. We did have the issue of one kid wanting to be on the playground and another across the bridge in the dig site! But it was solved this summer when they had to evacuate the dig site because a snake slithered into the sand. My one daughter won't go anywhere NEAR the dig site now!

I would never say never with kids. Plus we have been to lots of play places where kids have a wrist band, and there is a closed door/gate where they child has to be scanned out with the parent there with them. Those types of set ups I feel very comfortable letting my kids roam free.

At AK I dont even know that there is a gate closing the exit and like I said, I dont think there was a CM there (or if there was, they were not paying attention at all to who was coming/going).

 

[gatormom2tots]

There is a gate on both the entrance and exit sides and there has always been a CM when we go. They are also there monitoring people trying to take strollers in and I have seen them stop a couple of kids trying to get out (they had a parent just onthe other side that was meeting up with the group inside so no biggie.) Maybe you just caught it on an odd moment. But by all means if you are not comfortable, then you will have to find another way. I will be there next week as well and by myself with my 4. Typical for me to travel with all the kids without my husband at Disney.

And my daughter suffers from GAD so as long as that memory is there for her, she will not go back- we are not talking normal kid issues here but medicatated anxiety issues that she receives treatment for. So for that particular child of mine, until she has some other encounter with a snake that is positive (probably NOT going to happen), she will not be going back in.

 

[sullyfam]

It gives me anxiety as well. There are usually CMs are the entrance and exit but we were there last week and I was sitting while my kids were playing and I had a clear view of the entrance/exit. The CMs were talking with each other (definitely not 100% watching) and at one point, moved away from the area entirely while assisting someone. A kid could easily have slipped out and they would have never known. It's not as if there are monitors on the kids or some kind of screening that takes place. You walk in and walk out. Would it happen? Who knows but with little ones who like to wander, you can never be too careful. You hear of accidents happening all the time, and yes, even at Disney bad things can happen.

I have an 11, 9 and 3 year old. The 11 is too "cool" for the Boneyard now but when we were there last week. My 9 and 3 year old stayed together. I sat in a central location with a view of the entrance/exit. I routinely kept eyes on them and had them check in with me every 5 minutes or so. I made sure to keep reminding my 9 year old to stay with the 3 year old. We stayed about 30 minutes and I was stressed the whole time. Everyone is different but I don't find these places enjoyable.

I had a horrible experience at the old Honey I Shrunk the Kids play place at Hollywood Studios (no longer there). At the time we had a 6 and a 3 year old. We were staying with them for the most part but it wasn't as open and airy as the Boneyard. Lots of places you couldn't see and corners to duck around. I couldn't find our 3 year old for a good 5 minutes and was frantically running around. I went to the entrance/exit to ask the CM if they had seen her and they hadn't. Luckily she was hiding up in one of the slides. I think I lost a good 5 years off my life that day, very scary!

 

[stace1214]

That place gives me anxiety too. I had a few panic inducing moments on our first trip with my four and two year olds. We avoided completely on our last trip and I think now that they'll be 9 and 7 on our next trip, we'll venture in again. Can you just skip it on this trip?

 

[MickeyWaffles]

I only take our toddlers there when I have another adult from our group with us so we can each track one kid. If my kids were older I’d have less of a problem with it but because they’re little and THINK they can play like the big kids, I feel much better with extra eyes on them.

 

[jenPSU]

It gives me anxiety as well. There are usually CMs are the entrance and exit but we were there last week and I was sitting while my kids were playing and I had a clear view of the entrance/exit. The CMs were talking with each other (definitely not 100% watching) and at one point, moved away from the area entirely while assisting someone. A kid could easily have slipped out and they would have never known. It's not as if there are monitors on the kids or some kind of screening that takes place. You walk in and walk out. Would it happen? Who knows but with little ones who like to wander, you can never be too careful. You hear of accidents happening all the time, and yes, even at Disney bad things can happen.

I have an 11, 9 and 3 year old. The 11 is too "cool" for the Boneyard now but when we were there last week. My 9 and 3 year old stayed together. I sat in a central location with a view of the entrance/exit. I routinely kept eyes on them and had them check in with me every 5 minutes or so. I made sure to keep reminding my 9 year old to stay with the 3 year old. We stayed about 30 minutes and I was stressed the whole time. Everyone is different but I don't find these places enjoyable.

I had a horrible experience at the old Honey I Shrunk the Kids play place at Hollywood Studios (no longer there). At the time we had a 6 and a 3 year old. We were staying with them for the most part but it wasn't as open and airy as the Boneyard. Lots of places you couldn't see and corners to duck around. I couldn't find our 3 year old for a good 5 minutes and was frantically running around. I went to the entrance/exit to ask the CM if they had seen her and they hadn't. Luckily she was hiding up in one of the slides. I think I lost a good 5 years off my life that day, very scary!

This happened to me too at Honey I Shrunk the Kids! My daughter was 2 and I was watching her while my husband went to the bathroom. She went into a cave and didn’t come out. I looked everywhere and it seemed like she was just gone. I was frantic! I finally got a helpful CM and he helped me look. My husband finally came back and found her after she had found a flight of steps in the back of the cave that I hadn’t been able to see (I was pregnant and couldn’t bend over enough, lol!). I told the CM and he told me there were still 2 other missing kids he was trying to find. Seemed like that was a constant problem with that attraction! They also told me she couldn’t leave without us but that didn’t make me feel much better in the moment.

 

[♥ Mandi ♥]

Just got back from our trip and I had horrible anxiety while my 4 year old was playing here. I ended up just sitting near the exit with my 1 year old - as long as I knew he couldn’t leave without me seeing him, I felt better.

The CMs say they won’t let any kids leave but they honestly were barely paying attention and I doubt they’d even have noticed if a child walked out alone.

 

[EllNat11]

No way for a kiddo to get out with CM at entrance/exit. We did have the issue of one kid wanting to be on the playground and another across the bridge in the dig site! But it was solved this summer when they had to evacuate the dig site because a snake slithered into the sand. My one daughter won't go anywhere NEAR the dig site now!

Aaaaand now I don't want to go anywhere near the dig site haha! My daughter would just pick it up and bring it over to "show" me knowing her, nope nope nope!

 

[Yarbogash]

Just got back from our trip and I had horrible anxiety while my 4 year old was playing here. I ended up just sitting near the exit with my 1 year old - as long as I knew he couldn’t leave without me seeing him, I felt better.

The CMs say they won’t let any kids leave but they honestly were barely paying attention and I doubt they’d even have noticed if a child walked out alone.

Yeah you can’t rely on the gate cm. They are too easily distracted and they get too many families who are purposefully not following the Boneyard rules.
Like others have noted, I try to watch my kids and if I lose track of them I default to moving back to the gate area and keeping an eye out there. The place can be chaotic and crowded but imho is far safer than any public park or mall.

 

[Quellman]

The boneyard is huge, especially when you consider the bride to the dig site. This is a place that really needs the watchful eye of a parent, and it is difficult to do so. There are blind spots and slides that don't let out anywhere near the slide entrances. It is easy to lose sight of a running kid. I will echo that while there is a Castmember at the single entrance to the play area, they are often telling people where to park strollers, where the bathroom is etc. Beside is they exit out right behind another family, that Cast Member doesn't know if the kid belongs to that family or not, especially if their attention is divided. I also think that relying on someone else to look out for your kid in that type of circumstance is misplaced. They should be thought of as a tool in your line of defense, but not a primary one.

 

[WillowRain]

We could not find one kid there last time. She was in the dig area the whole time. They told me no way she was getting out as there is one exit and entrance. I'm gonna go in and play with them next time =)