Boating with baby
 

Is there anyway I can boat with my 4 month old alone? I think the baby is suppossed to be held while moving, but I can't hold him and pilot at the same time. Just trying to find a way to get more use out of the boat.

Thanks for any info,
Steve C.

My advice is don't do it! if any thing happend you would never forgive your self. its not worth the risk.

1003 uses ?
 

West Marine will sell you a PFD for an infant, but also note that they don't recommend infants, even in PFDs, in boats. They don't give particulars, but it may be that babies don't float the same way that adults do.

(Most of my problem-solving involves duct tape, but I'm still working on this one).

re: Boating with Baby
 

Hey Steve. First of congrats on the baby! Now, to answer....... When my son was an infant we had his PFD on him, and strapped him into his infant carrier (detachable from the carseat base) and that fit snugly between the bow seats. I also had him and his seat attached to me with a wrist-band thingy you can get from West Marine (for the life of me I can't remember what it's called) so that just in case something happened, he didn't get too far from me. Good Luck!

boating with baby
 

Check past postings, this was discussed last year.
I boated with my boy's when they were still in car seats. Put a PFD on them and let them sit in the car seat. Most of the time they fell asleep.
Don't be like the bone head I saw tooting across Winnisquam today.
Looked like he had his family in the boat. One young kid looked to be kneeling in the front looking over the bow. He wouldn't have stood a chance if he ever went over.

boating with baby
 

I think I started the thread last year. I thought I read that there was a law that stated a baby had to be held in a lap. I don't like the idea of putting him in a infant carrier. He is just about grown out of it anyway (19lbs, 26" @ 4 months :eek: ). Is there any specific regualtion about this? I have perused the regs, but didn't see anything. Guess I could just call MP. If I don't end up going out alone with him, anyone looking to buy a 21' bowrider :look:

Steve C.

Sounds like a boat safety seat for infants is just waiting to be invented. Something super buoyant that will always will flip upright in the water. Used in conjunction with an infants PFD of course.
Congratulations on your new little one!

Thanks for the congrats....Rattlesnake Gal, you might be on to something :idea:

Steve C.

:eek: You'll wish you never did :( . Wait a while , kids love the he!! out of boats. ;)


Even if you have to wash it , wax it , winterize it and shrinkwrap it for a year.

Baby On Board
 

Congratulations on the 4 month old. If you really want to boat with the baby consider a very short ride to an anchorage and hang out at anchor. Proper sun protection for the baby of course. I'm all for kids starting to boat young. I can not find any regulation about holding a 4 month old while boating but I do not have all the RSAs. How do you get along driving the car alone with the baby?

Do you still have to support the head and neck at 4 and 5 months old?

One of my concerns would be the chance of shaken baby syndrome due to the potential bouncing or repeated slamming of the boat. Car seats securely fastened in the boat may give you a good sense of security but can still get the baby all shook up. They do make PFDs for that age (weight).

My best suggestion is to hire a babysitter. Then you decide if you want to go boating with the baby and the sitter or just go solo.

Good luck.

We have a 9 month old and for the past couple of months we bring his stroller on board and if fits in the middle of the two seats. We put the infant life jacket on and put him in the stroller, NOT STRAPPED IN of course, and with the brakes in place. He falls asleep in about 2 minutes. When we stop he wakes up. He loves the sound and the breeze.

I'll second that one. Mine have been boating since they were infants.
Steve for what it's worth. The car seat worked great for my kids. I'd put the childs PFD on them and place them in the seat. Usually within a short time they were out like a light. If they fussed a short cruse at headway speed with them strapped in usually put them out, then I could undo the strap in case something happened. A larger car seat might be a lot cheaper than selling the boat and wishing you hadn't at a later date.
Good luck with whatever you decide.