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 Height requirements are a common concern for parents who are heading to the Disney Parks with younger children. While there are many rides and attractions with no height requirement that families can enjoy together, there’s a large interest in the bigger and more thrilling rides.

As your children get older, it’s only natural to look forward to the time when they can start experiencing bigger rides with you. If you’re like me, you’ll find yourself at home with a measuring tape, checking their height, and seeing how they compare to the different height requirements.

It is disheartening if you find that your little one isn’t tall enough for a certain ride. Especially if they were looking forward to riding it. Unfortunately, that’s simply part of the process. All things come in due time and hopefully they’ll be tall enough to ride by your next visit.

Some parents, however, refuse to accept this “next time” mindset. Instead, they attempt to find ways to get their children onto the ride, even if they aren’t tall enough.

The Importance of Height Requirements

The most important thing to keep in mind about height requirements is that they’re in place for a reason. They aren’t a recommendation or suggestion. They’re an actual safety requirement.

The nature of the ride and the safety restraint style both play a factor when the height requirement is determined. The regular operation of the ride as well as emergency situations are both considered when thinking about the safety of the riders. If there’s a possibility that the rider could be harmed in either situation, they aren't the right size for the ride.

This is exactly why height requirements should never be ignored. Even if you're able to make your child appear tall enough for a ride, their actual body measurements still don't fit the requirements. If the rider's body doesn’t fall within the correct measurements, there's a huge risk that they'll be injured. While it’s understandably disappointing when your child isn’t tall enough for a certain ride, it isn’t the worst possible outcome. It would be even more tragic if height requirements were ignored and your child became injured on a ride that wasn’t meant for riders of their size.

How Some Parents Try to Get Around Height Requirements

Even though very clear height requirements are in place for every single ride and attraction, some parents still try to get their child on, even if they’re too small. The most common way this is done is by making the child seem taller than they actually are.

The most “innocent” way of doing this is by having the child wear shoes with a platform on them. This is actually quite easy to do these days since many shoe brands are creating platform-style shoes. Brands such as Steve Madden, Converse, Vans, Skechers, and even Wonder Nation, have been making platform sneakers for children to wear.

Some parents have even gone as far as creating their own height on their child’s shoes. A popular family on TikTok, The Kelly Fam, posted a video showing how they attached the bottoms of sandals to their son’s sneakers in order to make him tall enough for the rides. They later claimed that the since-deleted video was a joke, but even so, it didn’t set a good example for viewers.

While attaching height to the outside of the shoe is one way to make a child seem taller, other parents have stuffed items inside of their child’s shoes. Even popular celebrity Chris Hemsworth has admitted to doing this. On Jimmy Kimmel Live, Hemsworth recalled a time when he put Snickers bars inside his daughter’s shoes so she’d be tall enough to ride The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disneyland (now known as Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT!). His story begins at the 10 minute and 58 second mark.

Height Requirements at Disneyland and Walt Disney World

In order to avoid disappointment during your vacation, it’s helpful if you’re aware of the different height requirements ahead of time. This way, you can make a game plan for the rides that you’ll be going on and the ones that your child will need to skip.

The height requirements do vary between Disneyland and Walt Disney World, even for the rides that they have in common. While your child may be tall enough to ride Space Mountain at Disneyland, they may not necessarily be tall enough to ride Space Mountain at Walt Disney World. Make sure that you measure your child in the shoes that they’ll be wearing during your vacation and then compare their height to the requirements of the park that you’re visiting.

Do Cast Members Enforce Height Requirements?

Cast Members are extremely strict when it comes to height requirements and rider safety. If your child doesn’t reach the required height, they will not be able to ride. This does sometimes result in disgruntled parents who then try to argue their way through, but that method doesn’t work. No matter how much grief you give the Cast Member, your child will not be allowed onto the ride. Please be kind to the Cast Members and understand that they are simply doing their job and looking out for the safety of your child.

There are places outside of the ride where you can measure your child and make sure that they are tall enough to ride. There’s then at least one height check within the queue that will be performed by a Cast Member. The more intense rides often have multiple stops within the queue where your child’s height will be checked. Even as far in as the loading area, if the Cast Member feels like your child may be too short, they will perform a final height check on them before allowing them to board the ride vehicle.

What to Do if Your Child is Too Small

If your child doesn’t meet the height requirement for a specific ride, that doesn’t mean that your whole group has to miss out. If you have at least two adults in your party, you can utilize Disney’s rider switch service.

This system allows one adult to go on the ride, while the other sits out and waits with the child. After the first adult is done riding, the two adults will switch spots. This gives the members of the group who are tall enough to ride a chance to enjoy it while the child who is too small remains under safe watch at all times.

The rider switch service is a great way for select members of the group to enjoy the bigger and more intense rides. However, this does not mean that the child will be left out the whole time. You’ll still have plenty of opportunities to enjoy your vacation together. As I mentioned before, Disney has a lot of rides and attractions that have no height requirement. You can read all the height requirements for both Disneyland and Walt Disney World's height requirements to get an idea of what to expect. 

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