About the age requirements for the kid's programs

[dmonroe]

How strict are they with that? When we go in December, ds will be 3 years, 9 months. He's been pt for well over a year, he's very verbal, and can do most things for himself--put his shoes on, dress himself, etc. Do the age limits have something to do with how many caregivers per child at certain ages? I am definitely not in the habit of lying--especially where my child's well being is concerned--but I think he would really enjoy the activities. Plus we'll be travelling with friends who have a 5yo--my ds will have a fit when 5yo goes to Neverland Club. Soooooo, would it be horrible to say ds is 4? Thanks for your input. I am really loving these boards!-Dana

 

[Angel M]

Well....we did when we took our sons in 1996. They were 7.5, 4.5 and 3.5. My youngest was pt, too and he acted older because of his older brothers. They actually went twice that week and we didn't have any problems, they had a blast.

My younger ones are now 9 & 10 and they are SO looking forward to doing the Neveland Club again in less than two weeks

 

[mjenni27]

The reason for the 4 yr old minimum age is Floriday law for ratio of caregivers to children. So, is it so aweful to lie about your child being older than he/she really is? Since they can get in trouble with DHEC and the State can shut them down if it is found out your child is under 4,I would have to say yes. If you have to have time away from your child that badly, put the money aside for in room child care. Don't screw it up for everyone else by trying to break the rules that WDW has to live by.

 

[dmonroe]

The reason I asked was because I wasn't sure about the reasoning behind the rule. I never said I was going to "screw it up for everyone else". It is not that I need time away from ds that BADLY--he actually likes to get away from us and play with other kids!!! One of my favorite memories of Disney as a child is of going to Mickey Mouse Club while my parents went out to eat. BTW we CAN afford an in room sitter--he's just going to be really upset when 5yo goes to Neverland Club and he can't go because he misses the age limit by less than 3 months!

 

[Angel M]

I guess we were at fault here and I never checked into the reasoning behind the age requirement either. I would not have wanted to do anything to get anyone in trouble. I should have checked into it further.

 

[Kermit]

Each state sets their own requirements about ages in childcare, but they're very strict. Disney would not be able to accept a younger child knowingly, and I've heard of CMs questioning kids about their ages. I've never read the Florida laws, but most likely, there's some sort of regulation regarding how old the oldest child can be if you have a 3 year old in the room. The cutoff age for the older kids would have to be much lower if they accepted 3's. (Also, 4 year olds can reliably dress and undress themselves in the potty. When caregivers get involved in that, the regulations are extremely strict.)

 

[sha_lyn]

Does it really matter why they have the rule? A lie is a lie no matter what. There is a huge difference in asking if the rule is strick and trying to justify a lie by saying your child would enjoy it. Guess what my 13 DS would really enjoy driving a car but there is no way in heck he will be doing so until he gets his permit. I guess I could say "well he would really enjoy it and he is good at driving video games so what would be the harm in letting him drive a car".

 

[dmonroe]

That's what I'm doing, ASKING a question. I am not here saying that I plan on telling CMs that my ds is 4. If the reason for the age restriction is because of a law, you can certainly bet that I would NEVER try to pass ds off as 4. If the reason for the restriction is because that's when Disney feels that kids are able to do the most for themselves; and my ds is capable of taking himself to the bathroom, dressing himself, putting his own shoes on--then yes I might be tempted to send him anyway. All I was doing here was trying to find out why. I thought these boards were a way to get answers to questions you might have before you travel.

 

[vicb]

Oh boy, here we go again.... this was a pretty hot topic a while back.

I have read posts where people who's kids looked close to four were asked their age when the parents left. If your child were to answer honestly (as most children do) and say "three and a half" or " almost four" you would be paged back immediately to take your child out.

I can understand the temptation to fudge the age but I agree that "a lie is a lie" and even if you didn't get caught and think "who would know?"... well you would know and so would your children! Something to think about.

This is a very similar moral Disney issue to paying the adult ticket price for your children when they turn that age.

 

[crisi]

So VicB,

Who do they trust? My son just turned four, but he will still answer three to his age on occation.

My daughter is three, but is convinced she is the same age as her brother.

Not that I'm intending on lying (we don't have another trip in the works until they are both officially four), just that in my experience, my kids are about as dependable at giving their age as middle aged women. (I don't lie about my age, I just have really no idea how old I am without doing the math - someplace in my mid-30s).

Would you recommend people bring birth certificates along?

 

[sha_lyn]

Originally posted by dmonroe
I am definitely not in the habit of lying--especially where my child's well being is concerned--but I think he would really enjoy the activities. Plus we'll be travelling with friends who have a 5yo--my ds will have a fit when 5yo goes to Neverland Club. Soooooo, would it be horrible to say ds is 4? Thanks for your input. I am really loving these boards!-Dana

You ask for our opinion on whether we thought lying about your DS age ..... We gave it. Don't get upset because some of us feel lying is wrong no matter what you excuse is.

 

[dmonroe]

Everyone is entitled to their's; and yes I did ask for them. I just expected that people could give their opinions without being so openly hostile.

 

[Jordan's MOM]

crisi,

We did in fact take our DS's birth certificate along on our last trip. Lying is not an option for our family but we were making sure no one questioned the truth. DS is tall for his age. He was a child for a ticket and for buffets (he eats like a 3 year old) and so we took it (a copy) along just in case. Never need it but almost every buffet or character meal the CM asked him, not us his age.


Jordan's mom

 

[Deb8821]

When I opened this thread it seemed like just a question. I did not get the impression you intended to "deceive" disney with the intent to ruin the kid's programs for others. I think the original question was perfectly fine. Besides isn't why these boards are so helpful because people ask questions. Anyway, my boys were 4 yrs 2 months when they went to the Neverland club and they really enjoyed it. I can see where you might ask since another child in your party will be going. My 2 year old thinks he can do everything his brothers can too!! I think your child would enjoy it - this is what I did. The club is open during the day if you stay with your child. I took all three boys to the club in the afternoon one day when it was raining. They enjoyed the off park time and just the play time with some other children. (I think there were about 5 or 6 other kids there - all in the 2 to 6 age group) In the mean time my mom and neice did some shopping without the kids around. Just a thought. Enjoy your trip.

 

[dmonroe]

That's a really good idea about taking him during the day and staying with him. We are using Wed. (the day after we go to MVMCP) as a non-park day. That would be a really fun thing to do with him! Do they still charge the fee if you are staying there with them?

 

[vicb]

dmonroe,

I did not mean to make my post sound "hostile", just offering my 2 cents worth, sorry. I faced a similar situation three years back when my son was 3 1/2. We opted not to even try.

If all the adult members of your party want to have an evening out you might consider in-room sitting service. I don't know too much about it but I'm sure others could share their experience.

You can directly call the kids club rooms and talk to a staff member to get details on staying with your child. Just call the front desk for the particular resort and ask to be switched to the club room. I do know the Sandcastle Club in the BC which we used did not open till 4:00pm.

Good luck.

 

[blewits]

dmonore,

I asked the same question about 4 weeks ago and got the same hostility in my replies (although there were only 3 i think). I just let it go. I don't understand why so many people are so sensitive about the issue either. I think the idea about going in the daytime is a great idea too. My DS will be 3 yrs and 7 mos when we go in October. I have no doubt that he would pass for a 4 yr. old but, we also have a 9 month old so we are going to opt for the in room babysitting. I figure at least that way, they will be all tucked in when I get home that night

I think it was a good question and one that I didn't know the answer to until I asked also. Please don't think that all questions you have on these boards will be responded to in the same manner as you got on this one. Everyone here is usually very nice and extrememely helpful.

Wendy

 

[dmonroe]

We probably will try for in-room sitting 1 night. I've read very positive things about Fairy Godmothers. We will be traveling with 6 adults and 3 kids (one is only 1 1/2); and we would like to try a nice dinner one night. Now if we can just get the 5 year old to stay with the sitter instead of going to the Kids Club everything will be really easy. The mom of the baby was already planning on Fairy Godmothers for them. My ds and the 5 year old tend to want to stick together, so that's where the problem will be. I'm sure we can get this all worked out before December. Now to go ask some questions about Fairy Godmothers!

 

[Reflection]

Just a suggestion to contact the particular club to check on times. Daytime hour availability is new information to me. When I made reservations for my daughter (age 9) at the Neverland Club in August, I was told it opened at 4:00 and not earlier.

 

[cinder1]

I don't want to cause more problems, but if the law is the reason kids must be 4 to go to the clubs, why can they go at 3 to the Wonderland Tea Party and the Pirate Cruise? Heck, they take those kids out on a boat without parents when they are 3 as long as they are potty trained. I don't think it was a bad question.