Babies onboard, tips and advice please

[brandenjg]

Hello all   I'm looking for advice, tips and personal experiences of babies in particular aboard boats.

 My reason for asking is that my daughter will be one in June and we're hoping to be able to take her out on our boat this year for over night trips.

 The main points I need help on are:

1: Safety of getting baby on and off the boat and safety whilst onboard e.g buoyancy aids.

2: How well do babies sleep and play onboard, what are the chances of sea sickness? 

3: Baby underway. Is it best to put baby in travel cot or strapped Into a seat when cruising.

From what I've read you should never have a baby in a car seat on a boat? I could easily bolt the car seat base inside the boat then simply clip baby and car seat into base.

4: Baby balance. With the general movement of a boat would a baby be able to keep it's balance?

Any other points I may of missed or extra tips would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance, Branden 

[Hylander]

As a grandma I would think one necessity would be 'eyes in the back of your head at all times'.      Baby will be fine, its the adults I am bit worried about.     Babies and children love boats.   All that fresh air they will be out for the count at night and no problem with going to bed,   they will be tuckered.

 

 

 

 

[Wussername]

Beware of the sun! On the river welcome the cooling breeze. However, it can hide the intensity and power of the sun. Cover the child in simple, light, loose fitting clothes. A sun hat is a must. Use sun cream, the higher the better. Keep the child in the shade, but remember, the river meanders it's way so the sun may come from many directions during your journey.

As the child gets older, and they do, very quickly, other factors come into play. 

Other forum members may wish to contribute on this important matter. You may feel that the obvious is not relevant. 

I think that it is. To some it may not be so.

Andrew.

 

[jillR]

one of the main danger points I had to deal with as a mum was securing becky while the boat was being  mooring up.

when she was really young, she was put into her bunk which I had fitted a cot side to.

when she was older she understood that she sat in one place and dident walk about during mooring

manoeuvres or she would end up in her bunk.

as your distracted during mooring, this is the time children can get into trouble especially if they decide to

try and help.

[MauriceMynah]

 

Chuck the baby in the car boot and go enjoy your holiday. She'll be fine!

Sorry, I can't think of anything very helpfull at the moment.

[jeffbroadslover]

It depends on how many "crew" you have.

This year we will also have a one-year old with us but we will have enough of us so that someone can babysit whilst others are mooring up or cooking etc.

The golden rule must be THINK & TAKE EXTRA CARE

Jeff

[C.Ricko]

get a mini travel cot, they are not mega bucks and it means there is a clean space free from little things to eat so you don't have to watch baby all the time.. I had a 7 monthe baby on a boat last year, only left the boat a few times the whole week as we were mud weighted.. 

[SteveO]

We took ours on boating holidays from the age of just over 1. The golden rules were: 

i) child to be secured in push chair when mooring 

ii) child allowed in front well of bathtub only when a parent was present

iii) child to wear life jacket aboard at all times when not in cabin or in bed

iv) parental sailing in hired dinghy only allowed when child was taking afternoon nap, with boat doors locked and dinghy to maintain eye contact with mudweigted mother ship at all times.

v) keys removed from doors so that child could not unlock them and get out on deck unsupervised.

Bear in mind that all this happened 30 years ago before we developed our current po-faced and self-righteous views on health and safety, but it worked for us then and the kids still love boating. 

Steve

 

[JennyMorgan]

Tie 'em on a short rope to a mudweight and leave them in the forepeak! 

We took ours boating from birth, as I was, all still alive, just use common sense. We used a small play pen both as a cage and a bed. 

[Gracie]

So agree with the small play pen/travel cot idea, we were lucky in that we normally had our parents on board when the kids were babes so always had an adult with them when mooring etc. I think one year olds tend to stagger like they're drunk anyway so a moving boat shouldn't make much difference, just take it slow and steady, if however, you encounter a speeder be it a day boat or those pesky private owners, a one finger salute normally does the trick  (just kidding).

As they have grown older, with great care and life jackets on we allow them to help moor up and tie ropes etc, they will never learn wrapped in cotton wool, I remember our youngest tripped whilst helping to moor up and grazed his knee, after a bit of tlc and a plaster his very own words were "It doesn't hurt half as much on a Boat" lol

Do not under any circumstances take MM's crossed out advice, he has been known to eat kids for breakfast and I think you'll find you may get arrested lol, just remember with great care and attention we are raising the next generation of Broads boaters, that can't be bad, can it?

Grace

[deebee29]

10 hours ago, JennyMorgan said:

Tie 'em on a short rope to a mudweight and leave them in the forepeak! 

We took ours boating from birth, as I was, all still alive, just use common sense. We used a small play pen both as a cage and a bed. 

Don't forget to untie them before deploying said mud weight.

 

sorry couldn't resist    

[ranworthbreeze]

Hi Branden,

I agree with all of the above which is all just common sense.

As you know we have a canopy on board Ranworth Breeze, which in its self is a contained area, to retain the confines of the upper deck when the canopy is fully down or the doorway sections are rolled up, we attach canvas dodgers that we had made so small children can not rush out onto the railed walkways around the boat.

Never leave a child unattended, we have all seen children sat on their own or with siblings sat on the back or even on the roofs of boats without life jackets on. 

Children do like boats, just make sure they are safe.

Regards

Alan

[Polly]

We had toddler and baby aboard. Lifejacket at all times and a line on the back tied to the boat to allow a bit of wandering but no overboard activity! 

Travel cot is good. Very sensible. I'd not use the car seat idea.

Seasick? On the Broads? Nah!

I'd avoid transferring baby ship to shore in anything whatsoever except your arms and a lifejacket! 

I'd not do Steve's dinghy sailing unless solo with an adult left with baby at all times, but I am a born pessimist!

[JennyMorgan]

Many children's lifejackets have broad waist straps. We used to pick our babies up by those straps, like we would a shopping bag, and hand them from boat to shore.

Learning not to worry, to have confidence, is the biggest hurdle to overcome.

[Springsong]

I went on the Broads from age 9 months and my daughter from a similar age, absolutely no problem for either of us. When we hired with Windboat they made some removable barriers to keep us in the cockpit, I then 30 years later had them reproduced on my Windboat to keep my daughter in the boat. Takes much of the worry away when they are at that inquisitive stage.  When off the boat I was always on reins as a toddler, not fashionable any more, I don't know why.

[Polly]

They have fetching little backpacks with leads these days Barry. Our family's small has a dinosaur backpack.

[brandenjg]

Hi everyone, thanks for all the responses, some useful, some interesting( a new use for the mudweight).I've left it a few days to reply as I wanted to give my wife a chance to look through the responses first as she wanted me to start the topic.

 We're taking the little one down tomorrow to see if the travel cot fits on the boat and give her a chance to have a little look around. Thanks to the replies backing up a lot of what I've told her, The wife seems a lot happier about the idea of taking little un out when she's one( only 4 months left).

Thanks again and keep an eye out this summer for a baby on board sticker in the window. 

Branden

 

[brandenjg]

She loved the boat  spent a few hours on the boat having a play and a feed then she fell asleep. 

Luckily the travel cot fits where I hoped it would. Little one even sat at the helm and soon got her sea legs (wonder how she'll be when we're cruising).

Branden.

[Polly]

Lovely what a sweetie! Stay with the lifejacket training, if she is used to it, then you will not have to establish it later .

[brandenjg]

On 9 February 2016 at 9:49 AM, Polly said:

Lovely what a sweetie! Stay with the lifejacket training, if she is used to it, then you will not have to establish it later .

She loves the jacket but can't see the whistle surviving her teething

[Polly]

Oh bless! What a happy little soul.

[Viking23]

A month or so before the holiday, squirrel away some of their favourite toys, and let them magically appear on the boat, one by one.

That way they have something familiar to play with.

If they are toilet trained, they may have difficulty reaching the loo, maybe a folding step would be ok.

When mooring up, prior to the manoeuvre, make sure everyone knows what is expected of them, especially the child carer.

[Vaughan]

On 3 Feb 2016 at 9:42 AM, JennyMorgan said:

Learning not to worry, to have confidence, is the biggest hurdle to overcome.

All of you are right in what you say, and there are some great ideas here. In the hire boat business in France, when asked, we always said that a child under one should be in its mother's arms, not just a life-jacket, and that means the mother cannot be involved in the process of mooring up. This may not suit just two people, but it is not a bad policy.

The worst risk is when they are toddling, as they can vanish from your sight in a second, so a length of line tied to the steering column gives you peace of mind, and the child some freedom of movement.

As you know I was brought up on a boat, full time, and so for me Peter's comment is the most poignant, as it applies to the child as well as the parents.