Toddlers, meltdowns & masks

[CouponGirl]

Has anyone personally experienced or seen CM response to a toddler who removed his/her mask while having a meltdown? If so, what was the response, if any?

This has probably been one of my biggest concerns causing me to recently waiver on whether or not we should keep our planned trip or move it. Toddlers have meltdowns, it can be embarrassing and awkward for the adults, but it’s just part of the age and thankfully they are normally short lived (even though they feel like an eternity when in public). Our kids have done surprisingly well with masks but during a meltdown the other day while in line at a local park the mask came off and the fit happened. I tried to get it back on but that wasn’t going to happen so just kept the little one close and facing us for the maybe two - three minutes until the upsetness subsided and the mask went back on and we continued on our way. Just wondering if that were to happen at Disney, would we be asked to leave? Or if we handled it in the same way would we be good to continue on our way after two minutes of embarrassment and “can’t you control your child” stares from passerbyers

 

[westie55]

We took my just turned 3 year old son. Whenever he pulled his mask off, which was usually when we were moving forward and he was in the stroller where I couldn't see him, a CM would either give a gentle reminder that he must pull his mask back up or say nothing at all. There was no shaming and no one followed us looking to throw us out if the mask wasn't repositioned in a certain amount of time, say 3 minutes. If this happens to you, go someplace away from all other people or go to the mask relaxation zone. This advice is if the mask refusal is in fact short lived. If mask refusal in general is a big problem for your child, then you may want to reconsider your trip. My son overall wears his mask willingly.

 

[stephk1981]

exactly as westie said, my DD is still 2, we have been a few times now. She has done incredibly well imo, but she had a meltdown when we were trying to make it to the restroom. Her mask actually fell off on one side and she couldn't get it back on. I put her in her stroller, realized the mask loop had been ripped off and went into my bag to get another for her. A CM said we needed to go to the relaxation zone. I quickly put the mask on her and headed for the restroom, let her go, then we left the park. The CM was much more firm with a kid we saw that was maybe 12 or 13 that had their mask dangling from a loop. I think most everyone is trying to comply, toddlers are difficult sometimes. As long as you make a plan to get to the relaxation zone or leave the park if a meltdown happens, it will be fine. Also, make sure to have access to a stroller, that way you can make them get in it with the hood down as you make your way to the zone or exit of the park if you can't get them to calm down. That way they aren't just running around without their mask on, the toddler can't be in anyone's face if the are in a stroller, at least those are my thoughts on it. Try not to stress about it and have an amazing trip!

 

[CouponGirl]

We took my just turned 3 year old son. Whenever he pulled his mask off, which was usually when we were moving forward and he was in the stroller where I couldn't see him, a CM would either give a gentle reminder that he must pull his mask back up or say nothing at all. There was no shaming and no one followed us looking to throw us out if the mask wasn't repositioned in a certain amount of time, say 3 minutes. If this happens to you, go someplace away from all other people or go to the mask relaxation zone. This advice is if the mask refusal is in fact short lived. If mask refusal in general is a big problem for your child, then you may want to reconsider your trip. My son overall wears his mask willingly.

exactly as westie said, my DD is still 2, we have been a few times now. She has done incredibly well imo, but she had a meltdown when we were trying to make it to the restroom. Her mask actually fell off on one side and she couldn't get it back on. I put her in her stroller, realized the mask loop had been ripped off and went into my bag to get another for her. A CM said we needed to go to the relaxation zone. I quickly put the mask on her and headed for the restroom, let her go, then we left the park. The CM was much more firm with a kid we saw that was maybe 12 or 13 that had their mask dangling from a loop. I think most everyone is trying to comply, toddlers are difficult sometimes. As long as you make a plan to get to the relaxation zone or leave the park if a meltdown happens, it will be fine. Also, make sure to have access to a stroller, that way you can make them get in it with the hood down as you make your way to the zone or exit of the park if you can't get them to calm down. That way they aren't just running around without their mask on, the toddler can't be in anyone's face if the are in a stroller, at least those are my thoughts on it. Try not to stress about it and have an amazing trip!

Thank you so much for your replies!!! Very helpful information and reassuring!

 

[stitchfan18]

I'm glad you asked this question! Our 2 yo wears his mask without problems now, but always pulls it down before asking for a drink or snack. I'm a little concerned how he'd react to a stranger (CM) asking him to pull his mask back up if we don't catch him pulling it down right away. Am I correct in thinking that we can find a place off to the side for a drink or snack break and we don't need to go to the relaxation station unless we want a mask break without snack or drink time? How have others handled nap time with a toddler? Can one of us camp out on a socially distant bench or do we need to get to the relaxation station? We always bring a blanket to cover the stroller to make it darker, so I'm assuming CMs aren't peeking in socially distant strollers, but maybe I'm wrong. I'm not familiar with the relaxation stations, or if they usually fill up and have a line, so I don't want to take up space for others if we don't need to be at one for nap.

 

[Wendysofftoneverland]

From what I have heard, 2 and over have to be in the relaxation station or else nap with a mask on. I asked an online chat CM about a stroller cover, but they said it wasn't allowed.

 

[stitchfan18]

From what I have heard, 2 and over have to be in the relaxation station or else nap with a mask on. I asked an online chat CM about a stroller cover, but they said it wasn't allowed.

Good to know! Hopefully it’ll be cool enough on our trip that we can attempt a stroller nap if needed with a mask on. I can’t remember which thread I read it on, but I read someone report that a CM told them they could take their child’s mask off when they saw the child was asleep in the stroller with their mask on, but I wasn’t sure if that was the normal rule or if the CM just felt bad with the summer heat.

 

[Lilsia]

I just got back from my trip last week. I saw many little ones that would pull down their masks, usually when they were sitting in the stroller. I was not around them long enough to see any cast members say anything to them but I did hear parents encouraging them to put their masks back on. I think that most people understand the challenges of this. The worst offenders of not wearing a mask where the locals on the weekends at EPCOT. I still saw plenty of 20 and 30 somethings in groups with their matching "drink around the world" shirts walking around with their masks pulled down. The rest of the week, you hardly saw anyone do that, just on the weekend. And the most popular shirt this year was "I'm just here for the BOOze". In case anyone was curious.

 

[LSUmiss]

I didn’t have any problems with it with DS 2 on either trip in July or Oct. In fact, ds ripped my disposable mask on the bus on the way back one day & I had to hold it on. When I got off the bus there happened to be a CM there & she reached in a drawer & gave me a new disposable mask very politely. She didn’t make a big deal out of it.

 

[CouponGirl]

I didn’t have any problems with it with DS 2 on either trip in July or Oct. In fact, ds ripped my disposable mask on the bus on the way back one day & I had to hold it on. When I got off the bus there happened to be a CM there & she reached in a drawer & gave me a new disposable mask very politely. She didn’t make a big deal out of it.

Thank you so very much! It’s great & reassuring to hear actual experiences!

 

[kicker30]

Our son turned 4 while we were there in Sept and we luckily didnt have any meltdowns that caused issues with his mask nor have any issues with cast members being over the top on enforcement. There were several times when he would want a snack that we would just open the canopy completely on his stroller and let him just ride and eat or drink without issue. We also did not have any issues with him riding the same way and napping without his mask. There was also no problem with just picking out a bench and sitting down for a snack or drink, and some of them we had some pretty long stops at, the main thing they seemed to be trying to enforce is having masks on while walking.

 

[CouponGirl]

Our son turned 4 while we were there in Sept and we luckily didnt have any meltdowns that caused issues with his mask nor have any issues with cast members being over the top on enforcement. There were several times when he would want a snack that we would just open the canopy completely on his stroller and let him just ride and eat or drink without issue. We also did not have any issues with him riding the same way and napping without his mask. There was also no problem with just picking out a bench and sitting down for a snack or drink, and some of them we had some pretty long stops at, the main thing they seemed to be trying to enforce is having masks on while walking.

Thank you for sharing your experience! I had wondered about just stopping at a bench for a snack if we couldn’t do it in the (moving) stroller. Just opening up the canopy seems like a great solution too.

 

[BoatDriver]

Can I just state how refreshing it is to see a thread where an adult asked a reasonable question, and received reasonable, non-judgmental, adult replies. Thank you for this

 

[CMac72]

I was curious about this also. We will be at Disney in two weeks with our DS(6) and DD(4). Our mask mandate here in our state starts at age 8 so they do not have to wear them in public. My son and I went out of town on a guys trip recently so he wore his anytime we were in public. The only issue I saw him have was keeping it up on his nose. I was constantly having to pull it up or tell him to. I have heard that Disney doesn't play with the mask rule, but I would like to think that the CMs would show a little grace to the younger ones and keep things polite or just not say anything at all. Especially, if they see that the parents are policing the situation.

Although I am really done with the whole mask deal, I can see that Disney has done an outstanding job keeping the safety of their guests and CMs as a top priority. The alternative is to cancel our trip until the mask mandate has been lifted, but honestly, I don't see that happening in the immediate future. I think they will be here to for a considerable while longer.

 

[MickeyWaffles]

The only issue I saw him have was keeping it up on his nose. I was constantly having to pull it up or tell him to.

Look for masks with the adjustable ear loops. My kids (ages 4 & 5) have different face shapes and head sizes and they wear the same size mask with ear adjusters. Very comfortable and do not slip down. Kids masks really need ear loop adjusters for a proper comfortable fit. We got our kids masks with the adjustable ear loops from Learning Express. My daughter wears hers all day at school with no slipping issues. My son, whose head size/face shape is different is has also worn the same masks for long periods with no problem. Ear loop adjusters are the key.

 

[stitchfan18]

I was curious about this also. We will be at Disney in two weeks with our DS(6) and DD(4). Our mask mandate here in our state starts at age 8 so they do not have to wear them in public. My son and I went out of town on a guys trip recently so he wore his anytime we were in public. The only issue I saw him have was keeping it up on his nose. I was constantly having to pull it up or tell him to. I have heard that Disney doesn't play with the mask rule, but I would like to think that the CMs would show a little grace to the younger ones and keep things polite or just not say anything at all. Especially, if they see that the parents are policing the situation.

Although I am really done with the whole mask deal, I can see that Disney has done an outstanding job keeping the safety of their guests and CMs as a top priority. The alternative is to cancel our trip until the mask mandate has been lifted, but honestly, I don't see that happening in the immediate future. I think they will be here to for a considerable while longer.

We constantly struggle with the same issue when we use the fabric masks, so I started using disposable youth sized masks and that really solved the problem for us. The style we like the best is only about $12-$15 on eBay for a pack of 50 & they come in a rainbow of colors, so the kids got to pick their favorite colors.

 

[Lilylogan]

My 2 year old will copy anything her older sisters do so I'm hoping she'll see them and keep the mask on. I figure if she's in a bad mood maybe I can pull the stroller canopy down and toss and blanket over it to cover it completely and let her watch a movie on my phone for a little bit..

 

[DL1WDW2]

I just saw a toddler at Earl of Sandwich/ DS wearing one of those bucket sun hats with a plastic shield attached.
Does Disney accept this for entrance into theme parks for small children?

 

[Lilsia]

I just saw a toddler at Earl of Sandwich/ DS wearing one of those bucket sun hats with a plastic shield attached.
Does Disney accept this for entrance into theme parks for small children?

Not without a mask also. Everyone has to wear a mask.