You may not have thought about it before, either because you have never been to Disney World or because you haven’t ever been there with a kid but imagine this: You found the perfect spot for Wishes (the fireworks spectacular over Cinderella Castle in the Magic Kingdom), you and your family arm in arm counting down the minutes until the show begins, the excitement is building, and all of a sudden “Wishes” (cue music) and the fireworks begin *Boom* *Boom*…*wahhhhhhhh* your child begins to wail and cry because of the noise. You try to calm him down, people around you are passing annoyed glances your way, it’s no use, now to pack up your things and climb over everyone to just get away from the noise.
I witnessed first hand how frustrating it can be for parents trying to calm their frightened child, and how disappointed they were that they couldn’t enjoy wishes, or It’s a Bugs Life as a family. Your child could be the most laid back kid on this planet yet a loud noise could be just the thing to set them off.
Let’s face it, Disney World is loud and can be overwhelming. It’s like sensory overload sometimes even for us adults. Imagine what it must be like for a baby or a 2 or 3 year old. How can they possibly process all of it?
Well I may just have the solution for you. Before we took our son on his first trip, I was worried that he wouldn’t be able to enjoy his trip because of the noise and sensory overload. I did some research and stumbled upon 3M Peltor Jr earmuffs on Amazon (we chose blue for John.) These earmuffs are specifically designed for babies and children. They feature a small adjustable headband which provides a better fit and more reliable noise reduction and sound protection. They have liquid and gel filled cushions which are comfortable for extended wear.
These earmuffs were the perfect solution for us. My son actually still loves these! We were able to enjoy fireworks in the Caribbean on the Disney Dream, we enjoyed Wishes in the Magic Kingdom, and Illuminations in EPCOT. We even took him in to It’s Tough to be a Bug in Animal Kingdom and the loud noise didn’t phase him. John wore these when he seemed to be overwhelmed and we put these on him at night when we were putting him to sleep in the stroller.
The earmuffs are inexpensive (around $20) and are so worth it! It lessened the noise enough to allow him to truly enjoy himself and also helped him to relax! We now take them whenever we travel to Disney and they also can be used around your neighborhood for fireworks or if you are going to a race track. My son loves these earmuffs and now he even grabs them when he feels overwhelmed in the parks. We plan on getting my daughter Sophia a pink pair for her first trip this December. I recommend all of my friends and family with young children pick a pair up for their trip! I even have recommended these to people with children on the autism spectrum and other disabilities (or abilities as I like to think of them!)
What are some other tips that you have for helping to reduce the stress the loud noise causes at Disney? Please share them with me and our readers!
Heather is a Disney Gal, who loves the chocolate smell of Pop Century in the morning, dreams of being Snow White in a parade, and happily skips down the middle of Main Street USA while wearing Mickey ears!
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I need 3 pairs of these. Even my 12 yr old needs one. He is autistic and does not like loud noises
We always bring ear plugs for my daughter. She was a preemie and even though she is 8 now we find she is still sensitive to loud noises. We’ve been that parent with the crying miserable child. This is a great way to lessen the noise but she can still hear the music at a not deafening level. Honestly sometimes even I reach for them these days!
My son is 5 and he still prefers his hearing protection for fireworks, concerts, and loud shows!