Taking an infant on the boat?

[lffish133]

We just had our first baby girl. She is one month old. It's starting to get warm outside so naturally I am thinking about heading out to the lake. I'm wondering if I can/should take her out on the boat with us and what is the best thing I can do to keep her safe. State law here requires that all children under 12yrs of age must have a life jacket on, I doubt I can find a life jacket small enough to fit her. It seems like she would be safer in her carseat anyway. However, if something catastrophically bad were going to happen, the carseat won't float her. I figured someone on here has had to deal with this issue so I am turning to you guys. What is the best thing to do here?

Thanks!

[Nautiquehunter]

How about grandma until she is a little older ?

[C.A.]

We've been taking our son with us on the boat since he was 12 weeks old..... You can get an infant life jacket, but it is for 30lbs or less and will be way to big, but it will work. Here is what we have: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...00_i00_details We use it at our discretion. Just take it easy, more for Mom than the baby, but go nice and slow and try to give the best ride possible. I found that having the center ballast full makes the boat handle the chop a little better. Make sure there is plenty of shade for the baby and start with short outings if possible. The main concern is making sure that momma is comfortable with the situation...... Once that happens, everyone can have fun!

[shonuff]

Congratulations! I'm in a similar situation as you. My wife is due any day now with our first baby. We plan to bring him out with us to the lake until it gets too hot out. I bought an infant life vest from Overtons, the one I bought has great reviews with newborns. If you have a Costco near you I saw one there that looked exactly the same as my Overtons vest for a lot cheaper.

I bought something called a Carrycot to keep him in. He's going to stay in the Carrycot under the bimini. That way he can be comfortable in the shade at all times and he'll still have room to move around with his vest on. You definitely need to have her vest on at all times and not strapped down in a carrier. Infant life vests will turn their heads up automatically in the water, if she's strapped down in something that can't happen.

[cedarcreek216]

We have had our daughter on the boat since she was a couple months old and now plan to have our 4 month old son out on the water as soon as the weather gets warmer. We have found the best and most comfortable solution is the infant jacket for safety and then we put them in the car seat but do not strap them in. This way they are in a comfortable seat they are used to and it keeps them from flopping around but if for some reason the seat gets thrown overboard they will float out of it. We found more than anything the engine noise on a boat puts them right to sleep. Brink all kinds of shading devices. I've never gotten more creative with towels woven throughout the tower to give shade even with the bimini.

Good luck and congratulations.

[OKWAKEBDR]

My son went for his first boat ride at 11 days old. We live on a lake, so its easy to go out for a little while and come right back if the kid's not having it.

The boat put him to sleep faster than a car ride does. We put him in his life jacket that completely swallowed him up, but - I still prefer he has it on, and it helps him get used to wearing it. Bimini top is a must of course.

He's now just over 1 month old and we've had him out on the boat 3 times - the longest ride was about 3 hours or so (while several people wakeboarded).

[pennery]

My children are now 2 & 4 and have spent a fair amount of time on the boat. This is the life jacket we used for both of them and they can actually wear it and sit comfortably in their carseats. They usually just fall asleep anyhow.


https://www.mountainbaby.com/product..._9_25_lbs.html

[tandnommah]

We had our daughter out when she was about 2 months old last summer. We found a vest at overtons that fit well. I cringe when I see a baby strapped into a car seat on a boat.

[east tx skier]

We had both of ours out at about 3 weeks. It's not for everyone, but if you decide to do it, get an infant lifevest (ours was neoprene). Very early on, we wouldn't take the baby out without someone holding them. When they were older, what worked best for us was to get one of those cheap bouncy seats from WalMart and set it on the floor next to the driver and set the baby in the life jacket in the seat. We never strapped them into anything. The bouncy seat absorbed what bumps we encountered well.

Again, this is a personal decision for people to make with their own kids. Our children grew up around the boat and water sports. They never complain about wearing their life vests and love being on the water.

[GoBig]

Ditto what east tx skier said. I've been taking my son out since he was about 12 weeks old. We were given two bouncy seats for my wife's baby shower, like this one:

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index...ductId=2508008

One we used for home, the other I stripped all the toys off and used for the boat. Place this right next to the drivers seat under a bimini facing aft and the baby will sleep the whole time. Never strap the baby into this seat or a car seat on a boat. If the conditions or driving style require that the baby be strapped in than the baby shouldn't be on the boat. Always use a vest, even if the baby is being held by an adult, no exceptions. We used an infant vest from Overtons that worked just fine. They will hate it at first but the earlier they get used to wearing a life vest, the better. My son, now 4 will not get on the boat unless he is wearing his life jacket, he likes to remind us that he needs it. Otherwise, congrats and good luck!

[tgator96]

Great advice guys. Does anyone know if the Salus Bijoux Baby Life Jacket is available in the US and if so, where?

[mnovstel]

Congratulations!! I agree with all the previous posts. We used a Naya Water Gear infant pfd for our daughter when she was about 10 days old. We put her in the pfd and then in her car seat unbuckled, but mostly mommy held her while we were moving. We will be using it again this summer for our son who is 7 months now. I also got creative with the towels to create shade as you can't use sun screen until they are 6 months old... Our daughter always has her life jacket on when she is in the boat and she will be 3 this summer.

Here are a couple links: http://www.mec.ca/AST/ShopMEC/Paddli...fd-infants.jsp It shows about ordering in the US, but not sure how it works with mec

http://us.binnacle.com/product_info....oducts_id=5137 something I found for the Salus infant pfd in the US not sure if this helps or not.

[gride]

I don't know about babies, but I do know the observers seat on 09+ 210's makes a great spot for a baby(open of course)

[lffish133]

Everyone, thanks so much for the advice! I'm glad other people have done this, and I had no idea they made such small life jackets. I really like the idea of getting an infant life jacket for her and putting her in her bouncer or carseat unstrapped. It sounds like a great plan. Thanks so much for the links provided, I'll look into them and let you know what I end up doing.

[wskiboy]

Not a bad idea for mom to wear hers as well ,till baby gets a little older ,or dad for that matter .I have three kids and the main rule is float coat must be on before going on the dock or boat