2 year old in park...mask issue

[maxiesmom]

I've seen images on the internet of hats with built-in plastic face shields. It might be easier to keep such a hat on a small child.

Alternate thought: Consider bringing several types of masks. Instead of fussing about wearing a mask, give him a choice, "Which mask would you like to wear?" Giving him some control over the situation might be the boost you need.

I agree with those who say this is a hard-to-enforce rule for Disney, but wearing those masks is unquestionably the right thing to do.

I'm not sure that a hat with a shield meets Disney's requirements. The rules for a mask state something about it having to tie on or attach.

OP--I wish you good luck. Practice a lot before trying to head to the parks. And have different types of masks with you. I have some that tie on, some of the blue surgical looking ones, and some of the cloth ones. Some days one feels better than another.

 

[KristaZ]

We were there last week - we saw plenty of young children (definitely closer to the 2-3 year old range) being reminded to wear their masks by friendly cast members - even when they were in strollers. Kids were being told "it's Mickey's rules". It didn't seem like anyone was asked to leave if their child wasn't wearing a mask, but we did see an instance of a cast member not letting a 3 year old on Dumbo because she wasn't wearing a mask.

 

[AmberMV]

I have just-turned-2 year old twins and a just turned 3 year old. We went to the AP Preview at MK and our just-turned 3 year old was masked most of the day, exceptions when he was in his stroller drinking water and eating snacks. Every ride we went on he was masked, and he does fine with it. We had practiced for a while and he's pretty smart so we just explain it to him and he gets it. My twin just-turned 2 year olds I've been having to work with every day. One of them only says a few words, and the other is in the midst of "terrible 2" tantrums. We practice with masks every day for the last couple weeks and are planning to return at the end of this month. I am pretty nervous about tantrums or if they are hungry for snacks or thirsty as there are 3 of them and are used to being able to drink water in the Florida summers when we need to as we live here.

 

[delmar411]

Kids are much better about wearing masks than adults that I've noticed. If the parents enforce the rules and the cast back them up, then it is no issue.

Cast will ask the child/parent about their age. Be prepared for that. They will ask that the child put on or correct the wearing of their mask. Same with adults.

My 3yr old grandson wants to go to the parks so he wears his mask. The end. We never wore masks before the parks opened and he was resistant at first, said they were scary. But he really wanted to get out of the house and there was no entry without it. Now, all the stores around us require masks and several surrounding counties so it is easy to have him pick a mask and wear it. He see us doing it, and everyone else. He doesn't seem bothered by it at all. Even when we are hot and fussy about them, he isn't bothered and doesn't mess with it. He is a FL kid though so heat doesn't slow him down much.

He has 4 of the Disney masks and 1 plain one from etsy. We got him the Disney mediums and they fit him very comfortably.

 

[JM23457]

We are heading to Disney in early September with our just over 2 year old son. He’s learning how to wear a mask and is doing ok but what if he has a tantrum or refuses to wear one the entire day in Disney. Would they ask us to leave?

He is supposed to wear the mask whenever he's in the park & is not seated to eat or drink. Yes, they can certainly be strict about it, but from what I've seen in the parks that will likely take the form of having to fix his mask before he's allowed in or onto rides, rather than you all being told to leave. You'll be nagged rather than expelled, unless you blatantly refuse.

Don't plan long park days- just do a few hours at a time. I also recommend renting a car rather than using Disney transport, as masks are required there, too. That's what we did, and not having to wear masks to & from the parks was helpful to us.

 

[JM23457]

My question is are cast members turning kids away in the 2-3 age range when not wearing masks. Is it enforced? He’d be in a stroller most of the time

I saw a CM requiring a 3-4 year-old child to fix her mask (it was under her nose) before allowing her into Magic Kingdom.

Enforcement varies for guests of all ages. A lot of it depends on which CMs are around. Just like cutting in line, people sometimes get away with things. But an alert & engaged CM is going to enforce the rules, and that's masks for kids ages 2 & up, which basically means anyone who doesn't look like a baby.

 

[Jonathan Friedman]

Good news is we’ve been practicing and he has no issues with the masks thus far. He also totally understands that in order to ride tea cups and see Mickey he has to wear one. Lol. Don’t expect any issues.

 

[APiratesLifeForMe2]

Our son is 4 but we took a trip to our local
Zoo to make sure he could handle the heat with a mask. He did great so we were assured he would be ok and booked Disney for later that week (last minute trip). While he is 4 we found the masks and extreme heat got to him a bit. He still has a stroller so mask free snack time was necessary on multiple occasions. He doesn’t like to be without a
mask in public so the stroller made him feel more comfortable being mask free. We only did it while sitting and socially distanced. One day his cloth mask was too hot for him so he switched to one of my blue medical ones. It was big on him but made it much easier for him to breath. That only happened once. Also, while we didn’t use them they have mask free zones in each park if you need it.

 

[MNswimmer18]

We're going to have to start working on our youngest. She just turned 2 last weekend. We haven't been out with them much, but when we have she asks for a mask because her two older siblings have one. I hadn't been putting it on her, but she would try to put it on, but would only last a tiny bit. It's going to be hard to go from, she shouldn't wear a mask, to she must wear a mask. We'll have to start practicing.

 

[mu51c10rd]

We’re here now and i have a daughter who is almost 3. We had to work for months to get her to consistently wear a mask, but she doesn’t have any issues with it anymore. The key (for her) was to get a mask that fits well and ties rather than one with loops behind the ears. We also told her she has to wear it to go to Disney and she is happy to do so. Now, saying all that, there are toddlers in the 2-3 range that don’t have one on, especially while sitting in strollers.

To be fair, my 1 year old is very tall and big for his age. I was asked his age a few times at the parks. My 5 year old had no issues wearing a mask all day.

 

[LSUmiss]

How would they know/check whether your child is 2 and not 1 (the cutoff for the mask requirement)?

They don’t/won’t. Speaking from experience.

 

[LSUmiss]

My question is are cast members turning kids away in the 2-3 age range when not wearing masks. Is it enforced? He’d be in a stroller most of the time

It wasn’t at all for us. DS turned 2 in April & no one said a word to us on rides or otherwise.

 

[LSUmiss]

Kids are much better about wearing masks than adults that I've noticed. If the parents enforce the rules and the cast back them up, then it is no issue.

Cast will ask the child/parent about their age. Be prepared for that. They will ask that the child put on or correct the wearing of their mask. Same with adults.

My 3yr old grandson wants to go to the parks so he wears his mask. The end. We never wore masks before the parks opened and he was resistant at first, said they were scary. But he really wanted to get out of the house and there was no entry without it. Now, all the stores around us require masks and several surrounding counties so it is easy to have him pick a mask and wear it. He see us doing it, and everyone else. He doesn't seem bothered by it at all. Even when we are hot and fussy about them, he isn't bothered and doesn't mess with it. He is a FL kid though so heat doesn't slow him down much.

He has 4 of the Disney masks and 1 plain one from etsy. We got him the Disney mediums and they fit him very comfortably.

Ok but with a just turned 2 yr old they don’t get the concept of “if you want to go, you wear it, the end” stuff.

 

[MickeyWaffles]

Ok but with a just turned 2 yr old they don’t get the concept of “if you want to go, you wear it, the end” stuff.

Right, so wouldn’t an option be ... not go? Or at least prepare for lots of pool time at the resort ... I know both my kids who are 4 & 5 now and wear masks just fine would definitely not at 2 years old. So, we simply would not have gone (or, gone and expected to spend lots of time at the pool) because they would not have been able to be mask compliant. Even if we had a boatload of DVC points to lose.

Are we really advocating for rule breaking here? Isn’t that against the Dis rules? IMO, telling people their child who is of the age required to wear a mask that they won’t be checked is enabling rule breaking. I don’t understand how this continues to be able to be discussed.

I don’t really think the 2 & up rule is up for debate on Disney’s end or they wouldn’t have the rule. But I’m sure people are breaking it left and right because most 2 year olds can’t be 100% mask compliant, they feel they’re an exception and they don’t like the rule.

 

[LSUmiss]

Right, so wouldn’t an option to be ... not go? Or at least prepare for lots of pool time at the resort ... I know both my kids who are 4 & 5 now and wear masks just fine would definitely not at 2 years old. So, we simply would not have gone (or, gone and expected to spend lots of time at the pool) because they would not have been able to be mask compliant. Even if we had a boatload of DVC points to lose.

Are we really advocating for rule breaking here? Isn’t that against the Dis rules? IMO, telling people their child who is of the age required to wear a mask that they won’t be checked is enabling rule breaking. I don’t understand how this continues to be able to be discussed.

I don’t really think the 2 & up rule is up for debate on Disney’s end or they wouldn’t have the rule. But I’m sure people are breaking it left and right because most 2 year olds can’t be 100% mask compliant, they feel they’re an exception and they don’t like the rule.

Nope not advocating for it. Pp made it sound like it’s as simple as threatening the child that they won’t go if they don’t comply, but that’s not as easy with a younger child.

 

[delmar411]

Nope not advocating for it. Pp made it sound like it’s as simple as threatening the child that they won’t go if they don’t comply, but that’s not as easy with a younger child.

I see tons of kids under 3 wearing masks each day and not being any problem about it. Maybe I'm just seeing the compliant kids because they are out and about and the non-compliant are at the pool or in their rooms. But really, kids are fine with it. Even those who start off against it, really turn around quick.

I just said what worked for us. We live local and he is highly motivated by going to the parks.

 

[rjb123]

My kids are older, so it is a non issue, but how about telling him that Mickey won't let anyone in his house unless they wear a mask. And you don't want to make Mickey sick or cry, right? Mickey WANTS us to come and play with him, but ONLY with a mask! Mickey can't wait to see your mask and you can SHOW it to him from a distance! If you take the mask off, Mickey will make you go home so he doesn't get sick and that will make him so sad. Lets practice.

 

[LSUmiss]

I see tons of kids under 3 wearing masks each day and not being any problem about it. Maybe I'm just seeing the compliant kids because they are out and about and the non-compliant are at the pool or in their rooms. But really, kids are fine with it. Even those who start off against it, really turn around quick.

I just said what worked for us. We live local and he is highly motivated by going to the parks.

A child who just turned 2 is very different than one who is just under 3 developmentally.

 

[Ensusieasm]

If you get there and your two year old and the mask rule is just not working out, you and your husband could take turns going to the parks solo for like 3 hours a day each, while the other parent stays at the resort with the child. Not ideal, but better than skipping the parks entirely.

 

[WantToGoToWDW]

If your child is 2 or older, it is your responsibility to make sure the rules are being followed. If your child won’t/can’t wear it all day, then going somewhere where they are required is not a good idea.