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Infant on Boat? Best practices?


chrisallenhogs

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We had our son in the boat since his first summer, he was 6 months old at the time. We just had either bottles or mom along to feed him and as he grew snacks and sippie cups. Extra diapers and a garbage bag for dirty ones. Lots of sunblock, towels and toys. He sat on a lap any time the boat was moving and was/is allowed some walking around in the main seating area when we are switching riders.

We found putting a few towels down in front of the drivers feat became a very good nap place, there and in the walkthrough if we sheltered it from the sun with towels. Our friends/crew have kids too and all have been in the boat since however old they happened to be when it got warm out. Get them used to it early! He loves the boat now.

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2 kids - 7 and 1 now. The 1 year old was VERY young when he started, the 7 year old was even younger (maybe a month). Here's the key. From the MINUTE they are on the boat - the life vest is on and NEVER comes off until they are off the boat. It takes them about 2 times on the boat to realize that it's not coming off no matter how much they cry. So don't bring to many friends on the first few outings. :) We always brought a car seat along for the "lounging" times - they will ride and sleep in that for quite awhile most times. When they aren't sleeping, they are usually sitting in someone's lap (assuming we have another adult). Otherwise they stay in the car seat the whole time. (not strapped into the car seat though).

And here's the other secret... get THIS lifevest!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.mountainbaby.com/item.php/Salus_Bijoux.html

We tried many others, but this is the only one that was comfortable, and the only one that would for sure put their head above water in the event of an emergency. We practiced in a swimming pool many times before testing it at the lake. It's the best thing since sliced bread for the little guys. I would even get to the point of throwing the baby up in the air a little, letting him plop down in the water and right himself in case there ever was an emergency. By the end of the summer, that was a fun game for him.

The 1 year old will be too big for this lifevest this year , so he'll go to a "normal" lifevest, but that was a lifesaver (so to speak) last year - worth every penny we paid, even if it was only used one year.

And I also agree with everything that was said by others. The biggest thing is if they don't know any different, they will grow up thinking boating is what happens in the summer. My 7 year old now competes in national skiing/hydrofoiling events because he loves the water so much.

Congrats and good luck!

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I grew up living on the lake and in the summer every sunday morning was family time. Our family (only 3 of us total) and another family with 2 daughters older than I am would get together at 7:00 am. We would ski, kneeboard, whatever until 10:00-11:00am, then go get breakfast and park the boat in the middle of somewhere sunny and eat, relax, enjoy the company. Now that my parents don't have that drive to be on the water all the time, we have started with our own and friends with kids. We do this every saturday and sunday and usually skip the breakfast part, but regroup for lunch or grilling out on the pontoons later in the day. Once it is warm, this is how it is. The only problem we've had with the little one so far is when he's tired but the boat is too noisy to nap. Not so much the noise really, but hte stopping. When the boat is underway the purr of the bu puts him out, but when the rider falls, he tends to wake up. We need to record taht sound and play it through the speakers or something.

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We have a 2 1/2 yr old and one due Cinco de Mayo Wine.gif

Last year was pretty good with our daughter and we wear the life vest around the house, looking forward to boating with the whole family this summer.

I will be buying one of the vests linked above, I did not like at all the infant one we had 2 yrs ago, riding up under the chin, she let us know that she did not like it either... The neoprene one we have now for her is much more comfy. Think wifey found it at Costco.

Side note: at what age have you guys legitimately brought along your son / daughter as a spotter?

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2 kids - 7 and 1 now. The 1 year old was VERY young when he started, the 7 year old was even younger (maybe a month). Here's the key. From the MINUTE they are on the boat - the life vest is on and NEVER comes off until they are off the boat. It takes them about 2 times on the boat to realize that it's not coming off no matter how much they cry. So don't bring to many friends on the first few outings. :) We always brought a car seat along for the "lounging" times - they will ride and sleep in that for quite awhile most times. When they aren't sleeping, they are usually sitting in someone's lap (assuming we have another adult). Otherwise they stay in the car seat the whole time. (not strapped into the car seat though).

And here's the other secret... get THIS lifevest!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.mountainbaby.com/item.php/Salus_Bijoux.html

We tried many others, but this is the only one that was comfortable, and the only one that would for sure put their head above water in the event of an emergency. We practiced in a swimming pool many times before testing it at the lake. It's the best thing since sliced bread for the little guys. I would even get to the point of throwing the baby up in the air a little, letting him plop down in the water and right himself in case there ever was an emergency. By the end of the summer, that was a fun game for him.

The 1 year old will be too big for this lifevest this year , so he'll go to a "normal" lifevest, but that was a lifesaver (so to speak) last year - worth every penny we paid, even if it was only used one year.

And I also agree with everything that was said by others. The biggest thing is if they don't know any different, they will grow up thinking boating is what happens in the summer. My 7 year old now competes in national skiing/hydrofoiling events because he loves the water so much.

Congrats and good luck!

Wow, thanks for the link. I just ordered one. That thing looks perfect. Thumbup.gif

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I know I'll probably get a lot of flak for this.... but it is pretty hard to find a life jacket that fits an infant.

For the newborns, we strap them in the carseat - (that floats) and catch some sets. As soon as they fit into a life jacket - on it goes....

We did the same thing. Straped the bambino in and then 2 life jackets to the car seat and set it between the drivers and observers seat. Yes it is hard to get an infant in a life vest. Once they fit in a vest it goes on when they get in the boat and comes off at the end of the day when they come out. Do it from an early age and they don't know anything different.

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Side note: at what age have you guys legitimately brought along your son / daughter as a spotter?

In Cali legally it's 12. I used my older boy as an observer when he was 11. Whistling.gif He was too young looking to use him any earlier. :lol: He started driving for me the week-end that he turned 12. Clap.gif His younger brother tunrs 12 this June... Yahoo.gif A second driver / observer.

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Side note: at what age have you guys legitimately brought along your son / daughter as a spotter?

In Cali legally it's 12. I used my older boy as an observer when he was 11. Whistling.gif He was too young looking to use him any earlier. :lol: He started driving for me the week-end that he turned 12. Clap.gif His younger brother tunrs 12 this June... Yahoo.gif A second driver / observer.

Perfect, only 9 more years to wait... :(

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Side note: at what age have you guys legitimately brought along your son / daughter as a spotter?

In Cali legally it's 12. I used my older boy as an observer when he was 11. Whistling.gif He was too young looking to use him any earlier. :lol: He started driving for me the week-end that he turned 12. Clap.gif His younger brother tunrs 12 this June... Yahoo.gif A second driver / observer.

Perfect, only 9 more years to wait... :(

In Texas they can start spotting at birth. Baby.gif:) You just have to have a driver over 13 (who has completed a boater education course) and a rearview mirror... Rockon.gif

Edited by smedman
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Both of our kids have been on the boat since they were born. Robert was a June baby and Kate was born in August. We used an Eddie Bauer car seat for the boat, as it floated. We would put them in the walk-thru, where the bimini would offer some shade.

Once they get a little older, you can let them in the cooler. It helps with the teething....

post-195-1204317097_thumb.jpg

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Side note: at what age have you guys legitimately brought along your son / daughter as a spotter?

In Cali legally it's 12. I used my older boy as an observer when he was 11. Whistling.gif He was too young looking to use him any earlier. :lol: He started driving for me the week-end that he turned 12. Clap.gif His younger brother tunrs 12 this June... Yahoo.gif A second driver / observer.

Perfect, only 9 more years to wait... :(

In Texas they can start spotting at birth. Baby.gif:) You just have to have a driver over 13 (who has completed a boater education course) and a rearview mirror... Rockon.gif

In Ohio, it's 10 years old (although we started way before that).

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Side note: at what age have you guys legitimately brought along your son / daughter as a spotter?

In Cali legally it's 12. I used my older boy as an observer when he was 11. Whistling.gif He was too young looking to use him any earlier. :lol: He started driving for me the week-end that he turned 12. Clap.gif His younger brother tunrs 12 this June... Yahoo.gif A second driver / observer.

Perfect, only 9 more years to wait... :(

In Texas they can start spotting at birth. Baby.gif:) You just have to have a driver over 13 (who has completed a boater education course) and a rearview mirror... Rockon.gif

In Ohio, it's 10 years old (although we started way before that).

In Indiana it is when they can effectively tell the driver the skier is down, or wording similar. Basically we started with ours as soon as they could speak. Our two year old will be spotting for my 5 year old and I when we wakeboard at the same time this year (he likes to ride his board at the same time as me sometimes).

Both the two year old and five year old were on the boat after a couple months (that's just when summer came timing wise). All the advice given above is solid. In fact, we probably could have benefited from some of it. Whistling.gif One more piece of advice would be a floppy hat to cover the head. You can wet it to keep them cool too.

Congratulations on the newborns! It has been a brutal winter and we are REALLY jonesing summer here in the midwest.....

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2 kids - 7 and 1 now. The 1 year old was VERY young when he started, the 7 year old was even younger (maybe a month). Here's the key. From the MINUTE they are on the boat - the life vest is on and NEVER comes off until they are off the boat. It takes them about 2 times on the boat to realize that it's not coming off no matter how much they cry. So don't bring to many friends on the first few outings. :) We always brought a car seat along for the "lounging" times - they will ride and sleep in that for quite awhile most times. When they aren't sleeping, they are usually sitting in someone's lap (assuming we have another adult). Otherwise they stay in the car seat the whole time. (not strapped into the car seat though).

And here's the other secret... get THIS lifevest!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

<a href="http://"http://www.mountainbaby.com/item.php/Salus_Bijoux.html"" target="_blank"><a href="http://www.mountainbaby.com/item.php/Salus_Bijoux.html" target="_blank">http://www.mountainbaby.com/item.php/Salus_Bijoux.html</a></a>

We tried many others, but this is the only one that was comfortable, and the only one that would for sure put their head above water in the event of an emergency. We practiced in a swimming pool many times before testing it at the lake. It's the best thing since sliced bread for the little guys. I would even get to the point of throwing the baby up in the air a little, letting him plop down in the water and right himself in case there ever was an emergency. By the end of the summer, that was a fun game for him.

The 1 year old will be too big for this lifevest this year , so he'll go to a "normal" lifevest, but that was a lifesaver (so to speak) last year - worth every penny we paid, even if it was only used one year.

And I also agree with everything that was said by others. The biggest thing is if they don't know any different, they will grow up thinking boating is what happens in the summer. My 7 year old now competes in national skiing/hydrofoiling events because he loves the water so much.

Congrats and good luck!

Wow, thanks for the link. I just ordered one. That thing looks perfect. Thumbup.gif

Yes Thank you for the Link.

My 3 week old Future Wakesurfer Thanks You as well... I was wondering how I was going to do it this year while being safe...

And ordering from a company out of Nelson B.C. was Great too...

Edited by pennery
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  • 4 months later...
2 kids - 7 and 1 now. The 1 year old was VERY young when he started, the 7 year old was even younger (maybe a month). Here's the key. From the MINUTE they are on the boat - the life vest is on and NEVER comes off until they are off the boat. It takes them about 2 times on the boat to realize that it's not coming off no matter how much they cry. So don't bring to many friends on the first few outings. :) We always brought a car seat along for the "lounging" times - they will ride and sleep in that for quite awhile most times. When they aren't sleeping, they are usually sitting in someone's lap (assuming we have another adult). Otherwise they stay in the car seat the whole time. (not strapped into the car seat though).

And here's the other secret... get THIS lifevest!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.mountainbaby.com/item.php/Salus_Bijoux.html

We tried many others, but this is the only one that was comfortable, and the only one that would for sure put their head above water in the event of an emergency. We practiced in a swimming pool many times before testing it at the lake. It's the best thing since sliced bread for the little guys. I would even get to the point of throwing the baby up in the air a little, letting him plop down in the water and right himself in case there ever was an emergency. By the end of the summer, that was a fun game for him.

The 1 year old will be too big for this lifevest this year , so he'll go to a "normal" lifevest, but that was a lifesaver (so to speak) last year - worth every penny we paid, even if it was only used one year.

And I also agree with everything that was said by others. The biggest thing is if they don't know any different, they will grow up thinking boating is what happens in the summer. My 7 year old now competes in national skiing/hydrofoiling events because he loves the water so much.

Congrats and good luck!

Does anyone know where I can get this life jacket in the US?

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That's exactly where ours spent the majority of his time in the boat early on. Now he watches, waves and points when the rider is down or behind the boat. Also, he found the horn button...he loves it, it's not funny so make sure you don't laugh at it.

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2 kids - 7 and 1 now. The 1 year old was VERY young when he started, the 7 year old was even younger (maybe a month). Here's the key. From the MINUTE they are on the boat - the life vest is on and NEVER comes off until they are off the boat. It takes them about 2 times on the boat to realize that it's not coming off no matter how much they cry. So don't bring to many friends on the first few outings. :) We always brought a car seat along for the "lounging" times - they will ride and sleep in that for quite awhile most times. When they aren't sleeping, they are usually sitting in someone's lap (assuming we have another adult). Otherwise they stay in the car seat the whole time. (not strapped into the car seat though).

And here's the other secret... get THIS lifevest!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.mountainbaby.com/item.php/Salus_Bijoux.html

We tried many others, but this is the only one that was comfortable, and the only one that would for sure put their head above water in the event of an emergency. We practiced in a swimming pool many times before testing it at the lake. It's the best thing since sliced bread for the little guys. I would even get to the point of throwing the baby up in the air a little, letting him plop down in the water and right himself in case there ever was an emergency. By the end of the summer, that was a fun game for him.

The 1 year old will be too big for this lifevest this year , so he'll go to a "normal" lifevest, but that was a lifesaver (so to speak) last year - worth every penny we paid, even if it was only used one year.

And I also agree with everything that was said by others. The biggest thing is if they don't know any different, they will grow up thinking boating is what happens in the summer. My 7 year old now competes in national skiing/hydrofoiling events because he loves the water so much.

Congrats and good luck!

Does anyone know where I can get this life jacket in the US?

They sell them here, but the are temporarily out of stock.

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That's exactly where ours spent the majority of his time in the boat early on. Now he watches, waves and points when the rider is down or behind the boat. Also, he found the horn button...he loves it, it's not funny so make sure you don't laugh at it.

My 4 year old has graduated from this:

post-195-1215799964_thumb.jpg

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my son Trevon now 16 months was on the boat at two weeks old

would sleep until the boat stopped

i mounted a belt tie down on the passager side seat so we could secure the baby seat down worked like a charm

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