So, what rides/shows would you say NO to 5 year olds even if they make the height requirements

Bete

DIS Veteran
Joined
Sep 14, 1999
I've heard some people say Tough To Be A Bug can be scary for some kids. Would you avoid spinning rides? I think of their brains still developing and maybe spinning is not a good idea.

I don't want to be paranoid, but I want to be careful.
 
Definitely not the Great Movie Ride! but it's closed anyway so you are good! lol

My little ones don't like Splash mountain for some reason either?!
 
Kids that age spin in circles on their own!


Tough to be a bug is emotionally scary and worth knowing your child. And maybe seeing it on your own. Or if you’re brave, make sure you have earplugs just in case (helps to bring down the sensory overload even just walking through the parks...I do it myself) and a caring arm to wrap around shoulders (letting them know it’s you first) or even pay attention to the exit info.
 
None. If they are tall enough and want to give it a go, they go.
You can always watch YouTube videos with your child to see if it's too scary for them. The only issue we had was EE but my DD was 4. She wanted to ride, she rode it, she didn't go back on it for a year.
 
We had 2 issues, a 4 year old who insisted on dinosaur and refused all rides that day, and a timid 6 year old who insisted on space mountain and was in tears.

The 4 year old rode many coasters at Hersey park, so not timid.
 


We always let ours ride whatever they wanted to that they were tall enough for, although neither has wanted to ride Dinosaur and they are now 17 and 14. My youngest wanted to ride Tower of Terror when he was 4, so we took him; he rode it 7 times that day (WAY before FP+). I would have their parents watch ride videos on youtube if they aren't sure if something is too scary for the kids.
 
Just as point of reference, we took our kids to Disney for the first time sept. 2016. My then 4 year old, 6 and timid 8 year olds all loved tough to be a bug and i had no clue why people made it out to be such a big deal. Different people.

That said I wouldn't keep my kid from any of the park rides or shows theu wanted to.do. there were a few rides my kids did not want to do, and that was fine too.
 
My son will be 4 years old and at least 40 inches when we go in 2018, but I'm thinking about skipping Dinosaur and Tower of Terror. We are going to do Tough to be a Bug, everything he's tall enough for at Epcot, and making an on-site call on Big Thunder Mountain.
I don't want a bad experience to ruin the day.
 
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All kids are so different it's hard to answer. Our kiddos have not loved it's tough to be a bug, but we do it every year....lol. my 2nd child which is 10.5 years old now was terrified when she was younger and wouldn't do it again for about 3 years but I still took siblings. You just never know what they will be scared of.
 
I would go with the adage, "you know your child best". If you have any doubts, I would recommend looking at youtube videos of the rides. DS10 just rode HM for the first time this past August (he was 9 when he rode). He went through a phase where he was afraid of ghosts, so I just didn't want to risk it with him. Before we went on I told him it was all fake and he didn't have to ride if he didn't want to - he chose to ride it and really enjoyed it. He has never done Tough to Be a Bug (I personally don't like the attraction and don't think it's worth taking him quite honestly) and decided against RnRC after standing in line and watching the launch (he thinks he might want to try it next year though). At age 9 he rode Dinosaur for the first time and loved it. I did have to bribe him to ride BTMRR a few years ago because I knew he would love it if he went on (I was right). I also convinced him to ride Space about 3 years ago and really second-guessed myself the whole time we rode. He declared "it was awesome!" afterward - thank goodness! At age 3 he was terrified of the Winnie the Pooh ride and Fantasmic. You just never know!
 
We just got back from a trip with a 4 year old. He loved all the rides and said Everest, Space Mountain, and Tower of Terror were his favorites. He was a little nervous the first time on Dinosaur, but then happily rode it several more times. He loved It's Tough to be a Bug at three, but this trip he was scared by it. Probably the only thing that really upset him and we didn't see it coming since he really liked it last year. So it really just varies by kid. You know yours best, but I usually recommend starting slow and building up to bigger, scarier rides.
 
We have spent time at many amusement parks (Hershey, Bush Gardens, Carowinds, WDW, Universal......)- never said no to a ride that a child was tall enough for and wanted to go on. Luckily, has never backfired....all three boys ended up liking thrill rides from a young age. On the flip side, we let kids pass on rides with no pressure when they were worried or nervous.
 
My parents never pushed us to go on any ride and allowed us to ride any ride we wanted to go on that we were tall enough for. They did not stop us from doing something we felt we were ready to do. This is how we are approaching it with our kids.

Spinning shouldn’t be a worry at all. Kids actually should spin! Spinning is really good for the vestibular system and actually helps with brain development (pediatric occupational therapists and physical therapists swear by it). Any 5 year old I know is tumbling and spinning and rolling all over the place anyways. Don’t worry about it!
 
It’s so tough to tell, you really have to play it by ear when you are there and watch some ride videos ahead of tim. My four year old was scared during the first room of haunted mansion, but LOVED dinosaur which I know tends to scare a lot of kids her age. Tiredness also played a big part in what she was or wasn’t willing to do.
 
Won't the kids' mother be along on the trip? What does she think?
 

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