Is Legoland Right for Our Family?

The first time we visited Legoland, Matthew was too small to ride on almost all of the rides. Someone always had to stay off of a ride to watch Matthew. While many theme parks are under scrutiny for ride safety, Legoland seems to have a contradicting approach to their attraction height requirements.

Very simple track rides, such as the Safari Trek, have a height requirement of 34 inches. This means that I cannot take my infant son on this ride to accompany his older brother. Meanwhile, at the Fairy Tale Brook, when my son was two, he was tall enough to ride the boats alone. Now, I would never allow a two-year-old on a boat ride alone! I could easily see him standing up in the boat, leaning over the edge to play in the water, and possibly falling out of the boat!

A parent traveling to Legoland solo with a child and an infant can be presented with an unfortunate dilemma. Children under 40 inches tall may not ride many rides alone, but an infant cannot ride them at all. Who will accompany the child on the rides? Some of the rides my son is tall enough to ride alone, but would not allow him to for his safety. Nevertheless, I cannot accompany him with his infant brother.

For me, an obvious comparison to this situation is Disneyland. Ever since Matthew was an infant, he has been able to ride numerous comparable attractions at Disneyland. From water rides such as Jungle Cruise and "it's a small world" to track rides such as the dark rides of Fantasyland, Matthew had ridden all but the roller coasters by his first birthday. When we visit now, with his baby brother, all three of us can ride together so that I can make sure Matthew's safe and we can enjoy our time as a family.

In addition, I share the story of my close friend, Princess Erin. When Erin was 2 1/2 years old, she visited Legoland with her family. As her older brother and sister rode the train through Duplo Town, Erin stood by the fence crying. Although this train ride appears to be quite gentle, she was too short to ride it. After some time has passed, Erin still bitterly remembers the disappointment she experienced at Legoland when she was prohibited from riding several attractions throughout the day, but especially that train. (Since Princess Erin's last trip, I'm happy to report that the height restriction on the Duplo Train has been removed. However, several others remain in place.)

The restrictions on infants and young children at Legoland and the implications for their siblings, parents, and friends disturbs me. Many children in the 3 to 12 year age range have infant siblings, cousins, and friends who would be accompanying them to the park for the day. The needs of these families are not well met by Legoland's contradicting restrictions.

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