Mickey's not so scary, Scary after all?

[momof3+twins]

I was just looking at some pictures on another site. And I saw some scary looking things. In the parade there were zombies among other scary things. How will 2 year olds do with these types of things? Is it not as scary as it looks? I am concerned with my wimpy 2 year olds enjoying things like HM but I don't want to give them nightmares from the parade. And when I say wimpy, I mean it lovingly.

[Sean Riley Taylor's Mom]

The pics you probably saw are of the dancers from the Haunted Mansion. They, along with the grave diggers which are really cool, were not an issue for my four year old. I did not hear any kids getting too nervous about them. I am sure there were some but, they go by you pretty quickly.
There are also the skeleton looking guys that sing "Its good to be back". My kids loved that song so, their appearance was not an issue to them.

I can send you some more pics if you want. I really did not think there was anything that was that scary at the party.

[biodtl]

My 2 year old didn't find any of it scary. I think that seeing a photo of those characters out of the context of the whole not-so-scary event might make them seem scarier than they realy are. But when they are surrounded by Pooh & company dressed as flowers and bees and other cute sights, it's no big deal.

My DD thought the HM part of the parade was great because of their shovel/sparks dance.

[Jasper]

I have not been down there for the party so I can't put the parade in context. However, my wife owns a costume rental store and I can tell you that some kids will scream and run from any costumed character, even Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny! My point is that you have to know your own children, if they are the kind to be frightened easily than you might want to rethink the parade.

I also have to get a plug in for parents to be careful with their own behavior because that can cause a child to be scared as well. If you take a relaxed approach and don't spend a lot of time dwelling on what they are going to see you will generally be fine. What I have observed is that some parents spend so much time talking about how wonderful these characters are that when the child finally sees them the child doesn't know how to handle the situation.

Bottom line is that spending too much time "preparing" a child can cause as much problem as not saying anything at all. Somewhere there is a happy center and that is what you have to look for.

[FaithTrustPixieDust]

My kids, ages 4 and 6, did not seem to pay any attention to the more scary stuff. They were a bit freaked out by the hyenas who got near the crowds and jumped at people's faces. (they did this to the lady right next to us) But of course they would only do that to grown ups, not little kids.

[momof3+twins]

So, it may not be as scary as it looked then. We are going regardless. I just need to know if I should leave the chicken twins with their Grandmother in the room. I don't want to buy her a ticket and then decide to leave her and the twins behind. Thanks for the great advice!!

[Stan]

I hope I'm telling this story right. A couple of years ago I met some clients (http://flmemories.com/files/images/WebY_04P.html) to deliver portraits, the day after they'd been at the party. Apparently their little guy was pretty unhappy about the Big Bad Wolf, who got a little too close during the parade. As I recall they said that was the end of the party for them, they had to leave.

So I guess it depends on your child, and perhaps how perceptive the characters are.

[Off to Never Land]

I have not been down there for the party so I can't put the parade in context. However, my wife owns a costume rental store and I can tell you that some kids will scream and run from any costumed character, even Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny! My point is that you have to know your own children, if they are the kind to be frightened easily than you might want to rethink the parade.

I also have to get a plug in for parents to be careful with their own behavior because that can cause a child to be scared as well. If you take a relaxed approach and don't spend a lot of time dwelling on what they are going to see you will generally be fine. What I have observed is that some parents spend so much time talking about how wonderful these characters are that when the child finally sees them the child doesn't know how to handle the situation.

Bottom line is that spending too much time "preparing" a child can cause as much problem as not saying anything at all. Somewhere there is a happy center and that is what you have to look for.

I love your thoughts on this one. My daughter is only 17 months but when she is old enough, she be coming with! I like the idea of not making a huge deal out of it...thanks for sharing!

[GrmGrninGost]

In the context of the parade, with the music playing and everybody having fun, I don't think you'll have any problems! I would think your "wimps" will have a great time! I always held my little ones in my arms for the parades, so they could see better. It also makes them feel safer! I see so many little ones at the parties, and they all seem to have lots of fun, I would surely let them try it! It is a wondrous experience!

[FlaTinkRAMESAM]

We went when my DD was about 3 months shy of turning 3. She absolutely loved it. But she's a kid that sings along in HM... so really, like others have said, it depends on the kid. You know your kids and if you think they'd be scared, maybe skip the parade... orrrr... stand a little farther back during the parade. There is a great place over by the trading post in Frontierland that has these wooden bench kinda plankish things around the trees... I dunno what to call them, but the little ones can stand on there, and they aren't as close to the parade as being in the very front which might make it a bit scary when they come right by. The rest of the party is just a lot of fun. The dance parties are great for the kids and the trick or treating is fun too.