how young is too young to be on a boat...

[vickersfan]

hi everyone,

we have a three year old and a 9 week old infant. the three year old is fine on the boat in her life jacket for a short while but what about the 9 week old? i've never seen life jackets that small and if they dont exist is it illegal to have infants on a boat? does it go by boat size etc.? any help would be appreciated.

thanks vickersfan

 

[ddennis]

Re: how young is too young to be on a boat...

hi everyone,

we have a three year old and a 9 week old infant. the three year old is fine on the boat in her life jacket for a short while but what about the 9 week old? i've never seen life jackets that small and if they dont exist is it illegal to have infants on a boat? does it go by boat size etc.? any help would be appreciated.

thanks vickersfan

I would check your states department of natural resources. They usually have a boating resources page with all of your local state laws and boating rules.

 

[QC]

Re: how young is too young to be on a boat...

We've had them on board that young. In life jackets. Not an issue. They often slept on the floor while cruisng and sat in Mom's lap when they weren't. Do NOT go without a Life Jacket, it's like riding in a car without an infant seat . . .

 

[ziggy]

Re: how young is too young to be on a boat...

in nebraska, i believe there's no age limit. but everyone aboard must have a uscg approved pfd that fits properly........i'd also be concerened about a newborn that wouldn't be able to turn itself face up in the water if needed.

my girlfriends daughter found a type III (i think) pfd for her child that's under 2 that fit. but don't know if they make anything small enough for a newborn......

 

[EricR]

Re: how young is too young to be on a boat...

I have had my six month old in an infant preserver, he's 16lbs and 22" "LOA" and it works out alright. If he's fussy, he gets set under the bow and he goes to sleep. I will try and post a pic.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: how young is too young to be on a boat...

in most states now, it is required that until they are a certain age the PFD must be worn at all times. above 25 feet in length there are different regulations.

 

[sea wolf]

Re: how young is too young to be on a boat...

In my opinion, only a moron would take a 9 wk. old infant boating. How will you know how uncomfortable the baby is? A 9 wk. old can't talk. Hire a babysitter, you'll have plenty of time to take the kid boating once he/she gets older.

 

[vickersfan]

Re: how young is too young to be on a boat...

hey sea wolf,

way to be rude man....

 

[bass buster]

Re: how young is too young to be on a boat...

I don't think Sea Wolf meant to be rude.

I do think that 9 weeks old is a bit too young, unless your are piloting a CC/ yacht type vessel that has a full/partial galley, with the conveniences of home. The young one will not be able to fall overboard, if he/she is kept below deck.

How big is your boat,and what type is it? I would never take an infant out on a small, open bow, 14' fishing boat, for example.
Just my opinion.

Yeah, hire a babysitter, that would be safest.
It is great to enjoy the water with your kids, don't worry, that time will come!

 

[AguaSki]

Re: how young is too young to be on a boat...

Gosh, at that age I don't know. My suggestion would be to do what feels right. The fact that you have to ask the question may be your answer. I would rely on mother's instinct in this case. If Mom says OK, then have fun. A 9 week old is fairly high maintenance. Between diaper changes, feeding, burping, sleeping, etc., I don't know that it is worth the trouble. There is a whole new set of complexities if Mom is nursing the baby. Good luck and enjoy the season the best you can.

 

[sea wolf]

Re: how young is too young to be on a boat...

hey sea wolf,

way to be rude man....

You asked for opinions, ya got mine. Take it or leave it. Want me to sugar coat it for you? If so, ya came to the wrong place. I have a feeling you're going to take the 9 mos. old out regardless of what anyone here says, so why bother?

 

[vickersfan]

Re: how young is too young to be on a boat...

ya sea wolf...

its called tact try it sometime! i was looking for opinions not insults...

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: how young is too young to be on a boat...

No swimee, no boatee.

 

[tommays]

Re: how young is too young to be on a boat...

When i had my 24 foot sailboat the baby was allways in a safe dry place and short of getting ramed buy a boat it was just not going to sink


I would never do the samething with my current 19' cuddy cabin the pounding alone in the chop in this area even at 8 MPH would be bad for a child of that age



Tommays

 

[GatorTom]

Re: how young is too young to be on a boat...

9 weeks is way too young in my opinion. Hire a babysitter. I started working with both my boys swimming at about 6 months. By the time they were 2, they were swimming like fish and I could take them out on the boat with no worries (with life jackets of course). Yes, there were times before that that we did not get to go out on the boat because we had no one to watch the kids, but that's the price you pay for having kids. Now we are able to enjoy it much more because we know the kids are safe.

 

[sea wolf]

Re: how young is too young to be on a boat...

ya sea wolf...

its called tact try it sometime! i was looking for opinions not insults...

No you aren't. You're looking for someone to tell you it's ok to take your infant out on your boat.

 

[scrobo]

Re: how young is too young to be on a boat...

Infant stage I would hold off.

Maybe toddler age... small life jackets... they cn turn themselves around on their back if they go overboard and they can tell you how they feel.

Time to call gramma and grampa and have em take the baby for a day

 

[valkyr]

Re: how young is too young to be on a boat...

Think about this. A 9 wk old doesn't even have control of their head/neck muscles. Think about how a boat sometimes hits some pretty hard chop. You "might" could do some damage to your newborn just by catching a wake the wrong way and jarring him/her. You'll have to drive slow to keep that from happening and the rest of your family might not enjoy that.

Now if its a pontoon boat or something, that might be different, but I think they can get bounced around some too by passing boats.

 

[dlngr]

Re: how young is too young to be on a boat...

no swimmee no boatee sounds like a good rule to me.

 

[Mark42]

Re: how young is too young to be on a boat...

I had our baby out in our 14 footer when he was still less than 1 year old. Got the right PFD and set him in his portable car seat on the floor.

One important thing, do NOT strap a car seat into the boat with a baby. If the boat sinks, you want the baby to float.

It all depends on your level of experience, condition of your boat, and your own comfort level.

Go with your conscience.