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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

AIBU to think you can be to skinny for a rollercoaster?

29 replies

AngelL7 · 18/02/2018 14:33

I’m going back to Orlando again in the summer with my 8 year old DS and he’s now 48” tall - at the rate he’s growing I expect he’ll be 49”, so he’ll now be tall enough to go on most rides.

The only thing I’m concerned about is the fact he’s very slim - although a healthy weight for his height he seems to be very compact, if that makes sense.

Am I right to be concerned about safety bars or other safety devices not securing him properly? Last time we went on a coaster that he was the height for and the bar didn’t fully secure down on him but we were sent on anyway - I was holding on him to for dear life. Maybe I’m just being to panicky but have any other mums have experience of this?

OP posts:

Original poster

AngelL7 · 18/02/2018 14:34

Too ^^

OP posts:

QueenB14 · 18/02/2018 14:39

I once was taken to a funfair by my adult cousin when I was about your sons age. We went on that Miami wave ride. Even though I was tall I was very skinny and my bum was flying up off the seat every time the ride went upwards. I remember cousins girlfriend leaning over and literally putting all her weight on me to hold me down (as much as she could, being strapped in herself) I don't think I could have actually fell out of the ride but it was uncomfortable and scary to be flying around like that.

QueenB14 · 18/02/2018 14:41

And hurt my bony bum being slammed back into the seat

UpstartCrow · 18/02/2018 14:49

At 14 I was tall enough but I've had to hang on for dear life in many rides. It was still fun and I would totally do it again so I'm probably a bad influence.

How much does he want to go? Can you take it ride by ride? A rollercoaster is easier to hang on to than a log flume.

Quartz2208 · 18/02/2018 14:50

I have a skinny 8 year old who has always been fine. At that height the big ones won’t be possible anyway and they take safety v seriously

43percentburnt · 18/02/2018 14:53

I agree, my daughter was very thin and would rattle around on roller coasters aged 8 -12.

arethereanyleftatall · 18/02/2018 14:54

I'm fairly sure all these rides would be tested for all shapes and sizes.

5plusMeAndHim · 18/02/2018 14:56

He will be safe if he is the right height ,but I guess on some rides might get bumped about a bit

lessthanBeau · 18/02/2018 15:00

There are only a few coasters with the highest restrictions of 1.4 in Disney/universal, most of the others have a very low restriction, my dc from ages 3-10, all skinny minnies rode them all with no problems as long as they were tall enough even if slightly built. My dd went on tower of terror age 4

ineedamoreadultieradult · 18/02/2018 15:01

He might get bumped about a bit but he will not fall out.

OneEpisode · 18/02/2018 15:03

My skinny one was fine there. The rides are up to modern safety standards and adjustable. We had a lovely break in the UK after and visited the historic rides at Blackpool, great fun, but seemed scary after the litigous view of safety in the USA!

MaryPoppinsPenguins · 18/02/2018 15:07

My 3 year old went on tower of terror 😂 She loved it.

I think you’ll be fine. Most in Orlando have secondary safety measures, not just an overhead harness but also a seatbelt etc.

AnnieAnoniMouse · 18/02/2018 15:09

I understand your worry, but he’ll be fine. There’s a reason they’re height restricted, not weight/bulk restricted. Even next to an overweight adult, he’ll still be fine if he’s the correct height.

lazarusb · 18/02/2018 15:12

Ds2 was the same. A few years ago we went to Alton Towers water park and he went on one of those large inflatable doughnuts down a water chute. Although he was tall enough for it, he wasn't really able to fill the hole properly and kept slipping through it. He had lots of nasty friction burns all over his back when he got out.

Perhaps try a less violent one first and see how he feels?

Original poster

AngelL7 · 18/02/2018 15:12

Thanks everyone for the replies - your probably right that he might get shook about a bit but won’t actually fall out. I’d say the safety is top notch but I still get fears thinking about human error 🙈

OP posts:

OfficerGrant · 18/02/2018 15:15

If your mummy radar says no then listen to it!

I was a skinny child and yes fairground rides, water flumes etc always really hurt!

KnittingPearl · 18/02/2018 15:28

I wasn't a particularly skinny child, and still managed to chip a tooth on a ride that swung us around too much. It was one with a mass barrier which came done as far as the fattest person. Never had a problem with individual bars though - they always came done enough.

AnnieAnoniMouse · 18/02/2018 15:30

Fears about ‘human error’ are a separate issue. Sadly, they appear to get worse the older you get too, a mixture of paying more attention to the news and nature making you more aware of self preservation I guess. You just have to get on with it though, if you start giving into that sort of thinking it just escalates. You’ve been before, it’s Orlando, not just some travelling fairground...it’ll all be fine.

sexnotgender · 18/02/2018 15:31

I’ll go against the grain and say yes, my daughter went to Orlando when she was 11 and whilst just tall enough there were a few rides she couldn’t do as she was so slim.

happymummy12345 · 18/02/2018 15:37

I've been there twice. Many rides have a test seat before you join the queue. So you can check before you start queueing up.

k2p2k2tog · 18/02/2018 15:39

You are taking your child to one of the world's best known theme parks, in the world's most litigious country where companies get sued for anything and everything. If there was ANY danger at all, they wouldn't let children anywhere near a roller coaster. Yes they might move around a bit more than an adult, but that doesn't mean they could fall out.

We were in Orlando last summer with a skinny 9 year old who did all the rides at Universal and Disney and was fine. In fact, at Universal there are coy signs about "people of certain body types" not being able to be secured safely, translated as "if you're so huge you can't get the restraint down, we're not letting you on."

PeapodBurgundy · 18/02/2018 15:42

A lot of the bigger rides had test seats at the start of the line. He'll be able to sit in, pull the harness down and see how it feels. It won't lock in place, but you'll be able to get a fair idea of how secure the fit feels.

derenstar · 18/02/2018 15:42

My daughter is also very slim although quite muscly so she is probably more lean than skinny. She was your son’s age when we went to Orlando 2 years ago. The only coaster they wouldn’t let her on was the Hulk at universal- she was tall enough but the ride attendant said that the safety bar would be too heavy for her frame. She was able all the mountains at Disney as well as most of the HP rides, her favourite was escape from gringots.

I personally think the rides ar Orlando are much more rigorous in terms of safety than here. Check with the ride attendants if you’re not sure and also listen to your instincts. Next year when we go, she is keen to go to Bausch gardens and try sheikra, I had jelly legs after coming off there years ago so I’m not keen but she is a proper coaster junkie!

roundaboutthetown · 18/02/2018 15:44

My ds is extremely tall for his age and officially underweight. He looks a bit like a broomstick pole. Yes, he definitely got thrown about on rides far more than fat people as a younger child and also now in his teens, but there was no risk whatsoever at any point of him falling out of any of the rides. If your ds has any kind of weakness in his neck or shoulders, though, or is generally physically weak, I would be careful if I were you, as being less well wedged in is going to increase his risks there - and fast rides always put up disclaimers about people with bad necks or backs considering going on rides.

Flamingo84 · 18/02/2018 15:49

I’ve always been super skinny and found that I get bashed from side to side a lot on rides due to seat width.

Some rides used to have kid belt attachments that can be added on to secure you tighter (happened to me in my late teens which my mates found hilarious!). Not sure if that’s a thing on modern rides!

Lap bars never go anywhere near my body so I tend to hold the bar and brace my feet against the floor in case I get lifted up.
Hope he has a great time!

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