Measuring a child before you travel

Measuring at home before the trip avoids the worst possible moment: reaching the entrance of the attraction that has been promised for weeks and having the sign say no. And the good news is that doing it properly takes two minutes.

How to measure so it matches the gate: standing, completely straight, not on tiptoe, with heels and back against a wall, and wearing the shoes they will have on that day — a trainer with a thick sole can add a centimetre or two, and that is exactly the margin that decides whether they ride. Mark the height with a book or a ruler resting flat on the head and measure from the floor to that mark, not by eye.

Which figure you are measuring against, and which attraction falls under each, is in The minimum heights, one by one, on this section's page. There are ten attractions; everything else is ridden without checking anything.

A specific warning for anyone near the limit: between 118 and 121 cm there are three attractions of difference. A single centimetre, measured badly at home, can take a child out of one of the ones they were most excited about. If yours is in that band, it is worth measuring twice, on different days, and keeping the lower of the two — that is the one that will not spring a surprise on the day.

And if the day comes and that centimetre is missing: the sign at the entrance always wins, with no exception. What does exist is baby switch on six of the ten attractions with a barrier, and Baby switch, step by step covers it in full. On the other three there is no alternative: if they are not tall enough they do not ride, and there is no way to solve it that day.

The best thing you can do with this information is the dullest: measure before booking anything, not the day before travelling. That way, if expectations need adjusting, they are adjusted at home and not in the queue.