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

[MrsJackSparrow4Life]

As long as they were tall enough and showed interest in the ride, they got to go on it.

I took my great Niece to DL when she was 2...she is extremely tall for her age and was tall enough to ride all the 42 inch rides. She went on Space, Splash, BTMRR and ToT and loved them all (rode them multiple times each). She saw ITTBAB and ended up taking off the 3D glasses because they were uncomfortable but she wasn't scared of the show.

My daughter on the other hand was terrified of rides and didn't go on any of the headlines until she was about 7 and even then she didn't want to re-ride any of them. The shows didn't scare her but she didn't like the water features in some of them and would get upset if she was sprayed in the face.

 

[BraveLittleToaster2]

I find dinosaur can be rough on the back/neck as it is a very jerky ride.

My 3 year old wanted to go on everything. We had him to barnstormer (first coaster ever) he enjoyed it and I was surprised as all our other kids hate coasters. He kept saying he wanted to try mine train, but my husband who has been on it decided it was maybe a little too much too soon.

 

[scrapquitler]

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.

I always had my kids ride anything that they were tall enough for, at least once. Our motto was "you won't know if you like it until you try it".

 

[kohlby]

The only ride I'd say no to if a child wanted to do who I didn't think was ready it is Space Mountain. The reason is that the child also needs to be mature enough for it. Since the parent can't sit right next to the child, the parent needs to know that the child is responsible enough to not try to get out of their seat if scared. Otherwise, I'd let the child choose.

 

[DLgal]

Dinosaur.

Tower of Terror.

Expedition Everest.

Mission Space Orange.

 

[Caitlin Ryan Persche]

We've shown both our 4 and 7 yo daughters some of the YouTube videos of rides in advance of the trip, and were surprised at the rides that they thought were "creepy" (like "Under the Sea, Journey of the Little Mermaid") and totally fine, like "Seven Dwarved Mine Ride". I highly recommend giving the videos a try!

 

[kcool]

My now 13 yr old was 4 on our first trip. He really wanted to ride tower of terror and it made me nervous to let him, but did anyway. He had a great time. The issue was when we went to a hotel a few months later and he freaked when we went to get on the elevator. It is funny now, not so much then. I felt terrible. He is my little daredevil and loves it all now, so no permanent damage done.

 

[HuskieJohn]

One of my 5yr old girls came out of Dinosaur freaking out...the other 5yr old girl was all good.

Everything else they did they were good BUT they didn't do...Tower of terror, Haunted Mansion or Bugs Life.

 

[Minnesota!]

None. If they are big enough and want to do it - let's do it!

 

[TLM2015]

I had no idea people thought it's Tough to Be a Bug was intense but I can see why. The first time I saw it was in 2011 and since then, just saw it last summer, they have added more intense sections I don't remember as much stuff coming at you. That said, my 1.5 yr old son was with me and he was fine. It's tricky to figure out what will be scary and what won't. DD was fearful of the dark but when we went when she was 5, she was all about haunted mansion and I thought she would be scared. Same thing last time, she was 7, loved Space Mountain but she absolutely hated Aerosmith Rockin Roller Coaster and was almost in tears I thought she would like that one since she liked Space and Big Thunder and the bobsleds at Disneyland but Aerosmith one is more intense. Ironically, my sister, loved the roller coaster even though she hates thrill rides and went on it tons of times during the visit. I say you don't know til you try and I would use their reactions from other rides to judge whether they'll be okay on certain rides. After the Aerosmith roller coaster, I didn't let her go on Expedition Everest or Tower of Terror.

The suggestion of looking at videos is great. There are a lot of rides on YouTube that we (my daughter and I) like to watch in our spare time because we like to plan our next trips.

 

[Sarahlynn34]

I think the person who brought up the seating arrangements on the rides has an excellent point. On Space Mtn, you ride single file so you can't sit next to your child. In Mission Space, you are harnessed in and won't be able to reach or hold them. Our DD (4 at first trip) HATED Dinosaur (DS age 6 at first trip - did ok). When we returned when she was 6, she did most of the "thrill" rides but would not go back on Dinosaur. We avoided Tough to Be a Bug, based on comments that it was intense, we've still never seen it (DD is 12 now, LOL). Watch ride videos (a great suggestion by previous poster).
You seem worried that some rides might be harmful (you mentioned spinning etc) to small kids. If it was - there would be restrictions. If a child meets the requirements, I wouldn't worry about it being harmful. The bigger question is will your child enjoy the experience.