Well, we're counting down the days 'til we take off to Anaheim. Time to start scouting for some "Magic" shoes for the kids. "Magic" as in Get-us-past-the-height-check type magic!

Anybody got any recommendations? We looked around (a little) this weekend while we were at the mall. The only ones we saw that looked like they would do the trick were some shocking pink Hello Kitty sneakers from the payless shoe store. I'm not sure Ian or Colin would "Go" for pink.

Most people here will not encourage you to try to cheat the system.

The height rules are in place for your childrens safety, why on earth would you risk the health and possible the lives of your children? How sad.
Not to mention you're teaching them that lying and cheating is OK as long as you're having fun. Again, how sad.

:rolleyes:

Gee, I cant believe people. We check heights because its a safety concern. I can't believe this, you would risk your own child's life for this. There is a reason why there are height requirements, but hey its your kids life.

I see both sides of this. Yes, the restrictions are there for a reason. However, if 1/4" thicker sole is all it takes, I'm guessing its really not that big of deal. If it was, they would measure kids barefoot.

MY advice is find a shoe that is comfortable for them, look for a slightly thicker sole, and have them practice standing up as straight as they can. Its amazing how they can gain an inch or more just by standing up good and tall!

Woah! That's a pretty strong response. I'm not sure I deserved that. Perhaps you don't understand.

I never said I'm looking for "Elevator shoes" here. I'm not talking about adding in-soles or other modifications. I'm not talking about putting the kids in cowboy boots.

I'm simply talking about the difference between one type of commercially available, non-modified sneaker and the other (probably 1/8 - 1/4 of an inch max).

Fact is, my kids like to wear Converse Chuck Taylors. That's fine by me, I liked 'em too when I was growing up. The thing is, they don't have a real thick sole compared to what I see most kids are wearing.

So, given the above, would you consider a kid who happens to be wearing a Nike kids athletic shoe (which certainly has more of a sole than the chuck taylors) to be cheating? If so, given the popularity of Nike (and similar) shoes, there's a lot of kids "Cheating" out there.

Woah! That's a pretty strong response. I'm not sure I deserved that. Perhaps you don't understand.
So, given the above, would you consider a kid who happens to be wearing a Nike kids athletic shoe (which certainly has more of a sole than the chuck taylors) to be cheating? If so, given the popularity of Nike (and similar) shoes, there's a lot of kids "Cheating" out there.


Well I apologise if I came off strong. In your case you weren't asking about lifts, but you'd be amazed how many people do come on here asking for things they can do to 'cheat' the system. Lifts, poofy hair, platform shoes, you name it.
It always amazes me that people feel that it's a good lesson to teach their children. Kind of the same as a parent saying to their child "Ok, Johhny, remember if anyone asks you are only ___ years old" (to try to be under whatever age limit set for whatever place so as to pay a lesser amount.

But please reread your post, you didnt specify what you were asking....you said
Time to start scouting for some "Magic" shoes for the kids. "Magic" as in Get-us-past-the-height-check type magic!


There is no way for a person to tell from what you said there that you were only talking about the difference in a pair of Nikes vs Coverse. See what I mean?
I tend to think that the same people who will convince their child to lie about their age and will put them in lifts and boots to get past a height requirement are the same people who would sue Disney over the fact that their child was injured in an attraction...even though the reason their child was injured was because of their bad parenting. Like for example the young boy who was injured in Roger Rabbits cartoon spin all those years ago. Disney pays because the parent doesnt keep their child seated in a moving vehicle??? Yes, it's tragic that he got hurt, but it was in no ways Disneys fault....the kid stood up and got out of the car during the ride. Good grief, of course he would get hurt. Frivolous claims like that make me crazy.

So I am sorry....no I do not see the major difference in a pair of regular athletic shoes vs keds or converse or flip flops or equally 'flat' shoes.

Although I still think its not cool to say to your children that you want them to wear these shoes just so that they can outsmart the rules. True we're talking an 1/8 of an inch, but the lesson learned in the childs eye is pretty cut and dry. It's OK to do be creative (read: lie) to get past the rules

My 2¢ YMMV
No offense meant. :)

But please reread your post, you didnt specify what you were asking....

Yup, you're totally correct. I just didn't look at it from the viewpoint of always expecting the very worst in a subscriber's intentions. I love my kids and wouldn't do anything to endanger them. 'Nuff said.

:confused:

ummm what kind of shoes would you be forcing your kid into that would make it unsafe, stilts? even if it was 2 inches, how would that affect you on any rides? At one point you just have to uncomplicate it, this really isnt that big of a deal.

Also lieing about your age to people can come in handy and is not necessarly the root of bad parenting. For example (this happened to me), I was 15 and I was sitting in an exit row on a plane with my sister who was 17. My parents were in seats behind us somewhere (my dad works for the airlines so we fly non rev). Well when the lady came around and asked me what my age was, I said 16. I didn't say it because lieing is awesome, which it is. But I said it so I didn't have to sit somewhere else alone, and that would of happened because the plane was full. I want to say "how dare you accuse him of bad parenting" but then I would be a hypocryte because here I am accusing you of accusing him for bad parenting (see the circle we get into). So here's the jiff of my rambling...
wait for it....

Ok, don't read into posts more then what it says because occasionally you find that the person you just bit the head off of was thinking something much different then you were.

I agree, do not thrash the guy for asking questions! My sister has a 10 year old son who is so small he could not get on half the rides if he wanted to. I told her " get him cowboy boots." hes 10 for gosh sakes. let the poor boy ride a decent ride. And big ugly for what its worth, I am sorry if you got slammed for your question, we are really a bunch of nice people. Good luck on your trip and finding the right shoes. Please come back and post some pics and a report ok. God Bless **Karla

And here I was thinking this was a thread about magic shoes that you could tap three times and you would magically be at DL! :crying: Bummer!

Wow...I was not 'slamming' you and besides that I apologised....twice. Theres not a whole lot more I can do besides beg and grovel, and thats ridiculous.

I wasnt assuming the worst about you in particular, I was just reading what you wrote, taking into account many other similar requests and answered according to what many people have asked in the past.

One can only base assumptions on what one has encountered before. It wasnt meant to be personal. If a person in a black T shirt walks up to a person and slaps them in the face. And then another does and another and another and so on. It's safe to say the 10th person in a black T shirt that walks up to them and raises his hand is going to cause that person to duck. When he may have only meant to brush a fleck of dust off their shoulder. Do a search....you will find many such threads on this. Sheesh...


And sorry Karla, but I disagree with what you advised your sister. The height restrictions are there for a reason. Its not an age requirement, its a height requirement.

And sorry Karla, but I disagree with what you advised your sister. The height restrictions are there for a reason. Its not an age requirement, its a height requirement.__________________

I understand hon, but again if you were a little person say 25 would you want to ride the baby rides because you were 1/2 or 1 inch to short? or should mini mee be made to do the baby rides because he is to small. I understand when its a small child or even a small older child. I just do not think if a person who is little should have to be made to sit back and not go on rides because he /she is to small. I think if you are over 8 or 10 and are just 1/2 to 1 inch to short and you can understand the concept of holding on then you should be able to wear a shoe with a heel and get on the rides.
I am not saying small children, I am saying children or adults who have or will not grow as tall as other folks. JUst my opinion. :)

I am not saying small children, I am saying children or adults who have or will not grow as tall as other folks. JUst my opinion.

I don't care how old a person is, too short is too short.

This is not just a matter of developmental abilities. The height restrictions are in place because the safety devices put on these rides are designed for people who meet a minimum height requirement.

If a person is too short, he/she is too short. Yes, that's unfair, but life is unfair.

I'm not attacking any person, here, I'm trying to explain why I disagree strongly with any attempts to cheat the height system. This isn't like a rating on a movie that is determined by certain maturity, emotional and/or intellectual expectations of the audience with ratings such as "G" "PG" "PG-13" or "R". This is specifically about size.

Adrienne

I have to say that my family work for a theme park here in Northern California and safety is their number one concern and people who try to 'cheat' the system in place for safety are NOT doing themselves any favors. I don't care if you're 30 and can't meet the height requirement, and there are a few rides that they will actually ask the guest to take their shoes off to measure since the safety harness is designed for body size as well as height and looking down to see 3" heels the ride operators know that you're trying to cheat the system. It makes their jobs much harder to protect folks from their own poor judgement

I recommend waiting a few months. Or a year.

I understand hon, but again if you were a little person say 25 would you want to ride the baby rides because you were 1/2 or 1 inch to short? or should mini mee be made to do the baby rides because he is to small. I understand when its a small child or even a small older child. I just do not think if a person who is little should have to be made to sit back and not go on rides because he /she is to small. I think if you are over 8 or 10 and are just 1/2 to 1 inch to short and you can understand the concept of holding on then you should be able to wear a shoe with a heel and get on the rides.
I am not saying small children, I am saying children or adults who have or will not grow as tall as other folks. JUst my opinion. :)

I totally disagree with your opinion:

You've got to be kidding! This isn't discrimination, this is safety. If Disney let "Miny Mee" take the risk to go on California Screamin', then tons of idiotic parents would want there equal in stature kids on the ride. You can't let people choose to take the risk, because then they would get hurt and you betcha they would sue!

And I'm sorry "understanding the concept of holding on" is about as idiotic as saying you'd hold onto your baby when you got into a car accident because you didn't want to take the time to strap them in the carseat. Sometimes you just can't hold on!

Here's my take on this issue: here in Washington, we have car seat laws that are 6 years/60 pounds: under that and you are required to be in a booster seat. The recommendation is 8 years/80 pounds. That's great, if your kid is built average or above. My daughter is very skinny and at age 6 (one month til 7) she is only 40 pounds. But she is tall. So, we go to the car seat clinics and have them check her by height so we feel better about what seat she is in. (she still is fine in a full booster, but probably soon will go to the backless). The real recommendation that isn't publicized is that the childs knees should bend naturally at the edge of the seat with their butt all the way back. Then they don't need a booster.

My point: Disneyland has a height requirement. I respect that. I also put inserts in my daughters shoes last time we visited because the shoes she liked to wear were fairly flat. Did I cheat? Yes. But what I also considered in terms of safety is that the height is a guideline for safety based upon where the average body shape hits at each point. Her height is in her body way more than her legs (got my short legs sadly) and when sitting is at least as tall as many of her classmates that were well above the height requirements. So, when sitting on a ride that requires a 40" person, what really matters is where their shoulders sit in relation to their hips and how the seat belt fits. But, it is impossible for Disney to have every person sit in a sample seat at the beginning of each ride to see how they fit (imagine a long legged short torso'd person - they likely should wait until they are significantly taller) so they put out a height requirement for each ride.

I will say FWIW, my daughter didn't end up going on a single ride that required those 1/4 inch inserts thanks to her daddy putting her on Pirates as her very first ride followed by Snow White. From that point on, she was NOT going on any rides that she couldn't see the entire thing from outside - this included NOT going on Storybook Land Canal boats because she wasn't quite certain about what happened after the mouth -- even though we rode Casey Jr. about 15 times a day. What can I say - she was 4 at the time!! ;)

Actually, that's an interesting point. I've always wondered what they do for double leg amputees or even just adults who can't stand. Do they just assume they'll be OK?

This is where the Universal Studios system is a little more fair. Admission prices are based on height, not age, so adults who are aren't tall enough for certain rides don't get penalized by paying higher prices that they can't take full advantage of.

In any case, the fact is this. Disney is well aware that people will attempt to cheat the system. We've seen stories here where CMs have even advocated cheating the system with bigger shoes. The current minimums take all this into account, so adding a couple of inches won't jeopardize the safety of your children. And that's not because it's okay to cheat, but because people will cheat and the last thing Disney wants is someone to get hurt.

If you're worried about the safety of your children from using taller shoes or lifts, I wouldn't. If you're worried about sending a wrong message about how to deal with life and its challenges, I would.

My 3 1/2 yo is too short for Mullholland Madness, by 1 inch, we didn't dream or, nor would we dream of, getting him shoes to make him taller just so he could go on it.
However, when he was about 1/8 of an inch under 40 inches, we did have him wear his tennies to the park so he could do things like Splash, Soarin' etc. I didn't buy special shoes for it though.

I would not mess with any new shoes at this point...I think for your sanity and your little ones comfort is the most important thing so instead of worrying about that little bit of height, make sure they wear very broken in shoes. My daughter was just a tad over the height requirements for some of the rides but some of the CM's still suggested for safety reasons that we NOT put her on the rides. Just because they may hit that line does not mean they should necessarily ride that ride. That is just my opinion.

My 4 year old is a hair's breadth too short for Indy, when we went last month she had very very flat sandals on. If she had really wanted to ride the ride I would have taken her back to the hotel and put on her tennies, which have a 1/4 inch "heel". I've thought about putting her in platforms, but then realized if something bad happens what kind of parent does that make me. What's another year in the grand scheme of things.

For every parent who has ever had to consider this issue and make a decision even when it was unpopular with our children:

Read This Thread. (http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/showthread.php?p=646573#post646573)

:crying:

Adrienne

You know I had to rethink this all and you are all right. I was wrong. I would never put my son on rides that he did not fit on, so why would I say it was ok for any one else to. I my self would not put my son on most of the bigger rides unless he was able to comprehend them. Space mountain he would never comprehend and he is tall enough for it. On the other hand I told my sister to buy biggershoes for the 10 year old, shame on me!! I called her and told her I sent the article in her email. I also opologized. I know a 10 year old is more mature then a 4 year old, but if he is not big enough he is not big enough! when we go the coming year he will not be riding some of the rides he would be able to go on, why? because I do not think he is mature enough to understand them. when we went all together last year we missed out on a lot of rides, but even if we could go on them this year I am not sure he is mature enough to go on some. even if he could go on tot I would not do that to him as that scares me, and I will let him make those decisions when the time comes and I feel he is able to tolerate them. THat accident opened my eyes, and not just the accident, but the ride it self seems way to disorintating for any small child. If an adult gets sick poor kids!

For every parent who has ever had to consider this issue and make a decision even when it was unpopular with our children:

Read This Thread. (http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/showthread.php?p=646573#post646573)

:crying:

Adrienne

I have to disagree with what is implied by this. This thread is about height requirements and whether or not different shoes should be used to have a child be tall enough to go on a ride. The child that rode Mission Space was tall enough and there is no indication that he was close to being under the requirement or not and that shoes made the difference. The child did not fall out of the ride or slip out of the restraints.

Most likely is the child had a pre-existing condition and the forces of the ride aggrivated it to the point that it caused the death of this child. While it was very sad and parents need to try and be aware of what their children can physically and emotionally handle, I do not see where the child's height came into issue with the incident.

As far as shoes go I don't think you should go out and look for the thickest sole shoes you can find. But if the child is tall enough that wearing normal tennis shoes instead of sandals makes them tall enough I don't see a problem with that.