So have a mini crew due soon.
It's mum's happy for it be a boat baby (small yacht) in calm conditions
So reckon it can be foreman on non-toxic boat jobs and enjoy some family river boat trips
Only rule been set is 100% safe land-boat transfer process (fair enough) but otherwise no issues with it chilling inside cabin.
Current paddling a 3man canoe and keen to keep it on the cheap
How have sorted this? Floating capsule? Cheap tinny?
This is part of the Seabreeze sailor sustainability project - Help a new sailor into the game from birth
Congrats.
How young are we talking? What sort of boat?
I didn't take my son on board until he was able to unassisted float the right way up in a life vest. They of course have huge heads which makes them prone to face down even in an approved vest.
I would get that sorted and then look at a cheap small tinny.
We used to tie up along side and my wife went aboard first and I remained seated and passed him up. Exiting I would get seated in the tinny and get alongside and she would pass him down. We didn't have a drama and now he hassles me constantly to go out boating with him. He does have a habit of falling asleep when we start sailing.
I have had my two girls on a 14ft catamaran from a bit over 2yrs old on a nice calm day and they enjoy it.
Under that its all a bit grey with saftey regs and you cant get a baby life jacket in aus unlike advertised in Europe.
Two years sounds forever but it will go quickly. Splashing on the beach and sitting in a canoe is a good start.
The big thing is if they have a bad experience it can be difficult to get the young ones interested again, so i've been told. My girls are now 5 and 3 and both still enjoy getting out on the water. We choose good conditions and everyone is happy. I just add some local club racing so i can enjoy a stiff breeze and a bit of heel.
Thanks, Bub due in a few wks, future Top Hat 25 crew.
Hoping to have it onboard from a few wks in extra safety.
Not really sure what to expect but figure some people have crossed oceans with bubs, so short river trips on sunny/light days are possible with right setup.
Then do water safety asap and learn to sail in later yrs.
Slammin - agree with your tinny process that sounds good.
Gyc - yeah I reckon once they develop more to a couple years then there will be an important learning steps. Can this be fasttracked by safe boating experience near-birth I wonder?
Not sure if over/under-estimating options, as this is our first
We've just had a grandchild aboard from a few months old.
You can get baby(ish) lifejackets which certainly are designed to get an infant floating head up; but I haven't tested it and don't want to. But our transfer is from a jetty or inflatable.
The problem with these lifejackets is they leave the kid sitting like they are in a sumo wrestler suit and it's not long before they start objecting. A compromise arrangement is like a one piece swimsuit with sewn in buoyancy tubes. They won't keep the head up but at least keep the child on the surface for a rescue. Because I like to have them wearing it all the time; not just for the transfer.
If you really are thinking of taking a baby, I think you might want to think about a proper inflatable tender instead of a kayak/ canoe. Much safer all round.
There are water safe baby courses that can start as early as a few months. They are designed to teach babies to roll face up and then float. There are times on a boat things happen out of your control. (D...heads on Jet skis come to mind!)
They are also useful to prevent backyard drownings.
What about bringing the boat alongside to get baby on board?
BTW don't forget that in most states it is a legal requirement that children wear lifejackets. Victoria at least.
We took our babies on board without issues. Smallest lifejacket we could find was 10kg.
Yeah definitely plan to get it either the 'sumo suit' and/or 'suit with buoyancy bags' and keep it in it at all times.
Any links to baby lifejackets your using?
There is one jetty that could load it aboard but it would mean car/boat shuffle
Inflatable is a good idea, I have one that prob takes 2 adults that might do the trick (safer then canoe or tiny glass tender).
Maybe something like this. They are trailable. Babies come with lots of accessories and a stable platform can be a benefit. Plenty of shade and the ankle biter can be kept in side.
I thought I'd do a more general search to see what else is around these days.
Here's the Google page
www.google.com.au/search?q=baby+life+jacket&source=lnms&tbm=shop&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj2r8qjmdXVAhVH2LwKHakrBDEQ_AUICigB&biw=1242&bih=589#spd=1812663066212808152
I note this one goes down the 3 kg
www.waveinn.com/nautical-fishing/lalizas-baby-100n/1231790/p?utm_source=google_products&utm_medium=merchant&id_producte=1283071&country=au&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI0OyNqpnV1QIV1wQqCh2obw4NEAkYBiABEgLPE_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
To me the crotch flap is critical on whatever you use.
However the real problem with them all seems to be that in order to incorporate enough frontal buoyancy for the head float to keep their head face up out of the water instead of floating face down, the chest buoyancy is so bulky that the child is basically immobilized sitting bolt upright in your lap with his/ her arms out horizontally to the side (the sumo suit effect). It was OK when she was 3 months old, but by 9 months she wouldn't tolerate it for any length of time.
our son now 21 did his first race at 6 weeks old lashed down baby capsule in cabin which was also used to take him out to the boat in 8 foot rowing tender be careful of lifejackets as said they tend to float upside down we weighted ours to make sure he floated upright but as a toddler he wasn't allowed on deck without a harness on and before he could talk would hold it up to have put on so he could go on deck
have fun babies on yacht are great
