So we are 100 days out from our second family trip with our 3 littles, ages 3, 5, and 6. Our 3 y o is a touch over 39" with shoes. Would you be optimistic and book fpp for the 5 of us for rides 40" - like Splash, etc. Or would you err or the side of caution and plan something else to do with 3 y.o.?
Depends on their growth rate!
You have 40 or 60 days to decide depending on if your staying on site or not. You may want to look into getting lifts for their shoes.
Those rides tend to be hard to get FPP for. I would grab 5 FPP, then modify if they get scared or are too small.
The only one with no height restrictions that are harder to get is Enchanted Tales with Belle and Peter Pan.
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My 3 year old is just under 38” I’m planning on getting her a Slinky Dog and 7DMT FP (if I can!) and hoping she’ll be tall enough. If she’s not we’ll switch to something else.
We’re also 100 days out and have three littles 
I don’t recommend this at all. Height restrictions are there for the protection and safety of the rider, not to prevent certain people from having fun!
There is way too much stuff that is fun to do there where the height limitation isn’t a factor. If your child isn’t tall enough, just shrug it off and do something else!
At that age, it could go either way. It seems children go through periods of growing like weeds, and other times they grow like rocks. Our DS8 has been wearing size 4-5 shorts for several years. Then suddenly this year, he’s moved all the way up to size 8-10. Who knows when that growth spurt will hit.
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THIS!
You may think “Oh, it’s only 1/2 an inch!” But those restrictions are there for safety. How would you feel if you put lifts in your kid’s shoes (or got ones with really thick soles - which the CMs are trained to look out for, BTW) and something happened to them because they were not protected correctly?
The best advice I’ve seen for parents of kids close or right around the limit is to practice at home with them standing up super tall (but not on tip toes). Make a measuring stick similar to what they’ll have at WDW - with the bar on top. Have the kid practice standing tall and let them know they WANT the bar to touch their head. A lot of kids are scared of the bar touching their head for whatever reason. If they’ve practiced at home, they’ll be much more comfortable with it.
Also, ride the questionable ones at the beginning of the day when we are all at our tallest. We all compress a bit during the day, so if they’re close, they might be able to ride at the beginning of the day and not at the end. (Something else to prepare them for if they’re that close.)
And be aware that at times there will be two measurements - one at the entrance and then a back-up at boarding. They will not always pull out the measuring stick at boarding, but if a child is close, expect it. And be aware there could be a difference - not in the stick height, but in the accuracy. Yes, there are times when the CM might let someone slide if they are super close but maybe not quite - there are also people who will say “We just want Junior to go through the line with us. We’ll step out at the end.” and then don’t step out. (I think the whole Rider Swap before going through the line is trying to prevent some of this.) And then they will say “Oh! Junior was tall enough at the beginning of the line!” when they get to boarding. The second measuring stick is meant as a catch-all just to make sure.
Again:
- practice with your child about standing tall and WANTING the bar to hit their head
- schedule the potentially questionable rides for as early in the day as possible
- know that there could be 2 measurements
- understand that the restrictions are there for safety
- have a back-up plan of fun stuff to do if Junior is too short for the rides
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Too funny. We are leaving the day after our oldest’s 7th birthday! We’ve never been during the winter months. Enjoy!
I agree, we won’t be going as far as getting lifts, and want her to be safe. She was growing rapidly for awhile and I was hopeful, but I think almost a whole inch in just over 3 months is a tall order!
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Oh, please tell me the pun was intended there! 
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Yes do not get lifts that was a joke sorry if taken serious.
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Okay. Wasn’t sure. But mostly I wanted to make sure those READING it didn’t follow it, joke or not!
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My DD4 grew almost 2 inches between her birthday in May and early July when we moved into a new apartment. But she had only grown like 1/4" in the 3-4 months before that. Growth spurts are real! It could happen!
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