Young children and Infants in the boat

[koberlee]

hey guys i am looking for any advice or past experience I can draw on from all the parents out there. I have a 3 month old son who was lucky enough to be born into a boating family.
one of the first things I did when I found out my wife was expecting was to go buy an infant life jacket that was uscg approved and this works great when we are out on grandpas pontoon boat with plenty of family to hold him and help out.
what I am concerned about is when the wife and I try to take him just the two of us on the "go fast boat" and there are times when I may need her to help me out docking or mooring the boat.
I quess i do not have a specific question I just am looking for any advice or past experience that will help me ensure that my son stays safe and that we have an enjoyable experience.
Any things to expect and look out for as he gets a little older would be great too.

 

[NelsonQ]

Re: Young children and Infants in the boat

The first part of this post may help. Unfortunately at that age, you need an adult to supervise so with just the 3 of you, the child needs to be first and if you need a first mate to help dock, etc, you may need to take along friends or even a babysitter until the child is old enough to be unattended for a few moments.

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=270760

Hope it helps.

 

[haskindm]

Re: Young children and Infants in the boat

Someone's full time job will be caring for the baby. If you need help to maneuver the boat you will need to take another pair of hands with you so that one person can care for the baby while the other helps crew the boat. Fortunately it is usually not difficult to find someone willing to spend some time on the water with you!
Congratulations and good luck.

 

[RWilson2526]

Re: Young children and Infants in the boat

I have to agree with the others....with our 8 mos old, the first time I asked my wife to do something while docking she turned to me with her arms full and gave me that "and which set of hands would you like me to do that with" look!!!. You're on your own with the baby on board.

Just be thankful you get to drive the boat while SHE holds the baby.

 

[RollingWanderer]

Re: Young children and Infants in the boat

We've been camping and boating with our son, who is now 17 months old, since a few months after he was born. When we take our son out by ourselves, I launch and retrieve sole while my wife takes care of our son.

Here's the basic drill...after a few times we have it down 5-10 min each way...

Launch...
-Pull up at prep area & prep for launch (pull straps, put plug in, etc.)
-Position truck/trailer to back down ramp
-Wife and son exit, move clear of ramp area
-I launch boat (see other threads for solo launching tips) and tie up at dock
-Wife and son board boat
-I pull away and park truck/trailer
-I board boat (that's already running) and away we go

Retrieve is just the reverse.

-RW

 

[ekinnee]

Re: Young children and Infants in the boat

I have to agree with the others....with our 8 mos old, the first time I asked my wife to do something while docking she turned to me with her arms full and gave me that "and which set of hands would you like me to do that with" look!!!. You're on your own with the baby on board.

Just be thankful you get to drive the boat while SHE holds the baby.

This is exactly my experience with our 8 month old too. Good thing we have a pair of 13 year olds a 12, 11 and 10 year old too. Plenty of crew once I get them trained up!

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: Young children and Infants in the boat

I didn't take my son out in the boat until he was about 27 months. While I think depends a lot on the size of the boat involved, mine is only 18 feet, and I just didn't feel comfortable taking him out when he was veru samell. I also don't think he would have gotten all that much out of the experience anyway.

 

[OldePharte]

Re: Young children and Infants in the boat

Don't forget that you will have to find some shade for the little one while out and about.

 

[Mark42]

Re: Young children and Infants in the boat

Don't take infants on "go fast" boats. Their necks are not that strong, and their heads are heavy, not a good combo when bouncing over waves and wake at high speeds.

We had our infant on the little MFG wearing a infant PDF and resting in a car style infant seat that could be set on the floor and wouldn't tip. And do not buckle the infant into the car seat. Do Not buckle the car seat to the boat. The reason being if the boat were to capsize, the infant PDF has to do its job by letting the infant float with the head support keeping the infants head and face clear of the water. It can't do that if the infant is strapped into the boat.

We had great trips with the little kids. They learned early about what is allowed and not allowed on the boat. They cannot lean over the splashwell, they cannot lean over the sides to touch the water flying by, etc.

Also a good idea to have some loose seat cushions for the kids to curl up on the floor with a couple of towels and sleep while you take the long way home.

But high speed boats are not for kids, they can fly right out of the boat if you hit a big wake or wave. Easy does it, and you will have a very enjoyable trip that the kids will remember for the rest of their lives.

 

[109jb]

Re: Young children and Infants in the boat

I didn't take my son out in the boat until he was about 27 months. While I think depends a lot on the size of the boat involved, mine is only 18 feet, and I just didn't feel comfortable taking him out when he was veru samell. I also don't think he would have gotten all that much out of the experience anyway.

My youngest son has been a going out in the boat since he was about 3 months old. That one was a mighty 16 foot Starcraft Supersport. It turned out to be a great big pacifier and would put him to sleep everytime in about 2 minutes of hearing that powerful 3 cylinder Johnson 70 HP motor humming like a sewing machine. Had that effect for about the next 2 seasons. 16 foot was no problem, just wouldn't take him out if the water was rough at all. My wife and I would go out with him, just the two of us and I would usually dock myself.

 

[captlee]

Re: Young children and Infants in the boat

Any things to expect and look out for as he gets a little older would be great too.

Be careful when he gets older.... hes gonna want to drive

But actually thats pretty cool too, 2 yrs ago my oldest daughter could take my 25' pacemaker back to the #'s on the GPS and set the boat up on another drift, was fun to watch. She grew up on and around boats but now she has a BF and no time to fish . Enjoy em while theyre young, they grow up too quick (and then they want money! )

 

[OhWellcraft]

Re: Young children and Infants in the boat

As stated above be very careful in rough waters, their necks are not strong enough to take the pounding a boat can dish out. On good water with your wife holding the baby secure you would be okay. I did it with both of my sons when they were infants. I kept the trips short and took advantage of the nice water in the morning. You may have to do all of the launching,retrieving,docking, solo but it is still worth it for a few great hours out on the lake. If you wife is comfortable with backing the trailer down in that would help you out a lot. just have her get the trailer into the water then exit the truck with the baby as you load the boat etc. Some may say it is dangerous but so is driving down the highway at 65 with a boat in tow, Id almost rather take my chances on the ramp if I had a choice. Good luck it is doable and still fun even with an infant.

 

[sportsnut87]

Re: Young children and Infants in the boat

heres one to think about. I posted awhile bach regarding a boating mishap that threw 5 adults overboard. TOTAL accident and freak. Having said that, when we docked the wreck and boat was boarding at the dock. 2 adults, 3 kids that could walk none over 10 and 1 strapped in a car seat. Now anyone under the age of 16 needs to have a jacket on in Wis. they jumped into an older boat that was being rebuilt. NO SEATS IN THE BOAT. 1 plywood bench. so you have 6 people in a fixer upper, 1 for sure cant swim, and 3 maybes. what the hell are they thinking. That came right after I thanked god that my kids werent in a boat that just tossed 5 overboard. and my 4 kids swim like fish.

On the other hand, I love to see kids out camping and boating I think it is an awesome family adventure. I once had an older lady yell at me for taking my daughter camping at 4 weeks old. no different than having her in the back yard. Boating a little different story.

Good luck, its a hard choice, but sounds like you are taking a lot of safety measures. I like the suggestion of having addition help. You never know what will happen and 1 set of extra hand is much better than not having them when and if you may need them.

Have fun boating, enjoy it, and already looks as if you are putting safety first. WELL DONE. You can always buy a new boat, you can never replace little arms and legs, and kids are awesome. They will drive you nuts, (my 13 year old daughter, who pretty soon maybe for sale or rent until shes 18, hahahahah) but I thank God every night that I have her.

 

[cbear34]

Re: Young children and Infants in the boat

Actually in WI the state law is under the age of 13 must wear a pfd. I have all children 14 and under wear one on my boat.
I take my 6 and 7 year old out by myself all the time and when I do I always wear mine.
When I go out with just the kids, I tell them where to sit and not to move. I have launched by trailer and from dock solo with just the kids and all goes well as long as they do what they have been told. I always tell them I have them do what I want them to do on the boat for safety! When launching off the trailer they stand away on land with their pfd's on. They do not get in the boat until I am ready and everything is set. As they get older they will be able to help with the launches. Right now I figure they are getting a lot of experience by watching!
Good Luck!

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Young children and Infants in the boat

one of the first things I did when I found out my wife was expecting was to go buy an infant life jacket that was uscg approved

I did the same thing. Kinda a waste though as my wife won't let him go in the boat Mine's now a year old and he MAY get his first boat ride this weekend if the water is like glass.

 

[eavega]

Re: Young children and Infants in the boat

My wife has absolutely refused to allow our girls (age 2 and 3) to get on any kind of boat until they know how to swim. That has kept me from getting a "real" boat for the time being. I grew up in Florida, so I spent every summer as far back as I can remember on some kind of floating platform, from cabin cruisers to homemade rafts. She is not comfortable on water unless its a very large vessel.

She may be softening her stance somewhat, though. Last weekend we were doing some shopping at the local Target, and she stopped by the clearance isle (all summer stuff is going for like 60% off now), and actually pulled a couple of toddler PFDs with the crotch straps off the shelf and tried them on our girls. Maybe by next boating season she will have warmed up to the idea...
-Eric