Does anyone here sail with an infant? We go with a 10 month old (light winds only ). If so, what tips/tricks/techniques do you use to make the journey enjoyable.
My daughter really dislikes the life vest, even the least bulky one we could find. We bought a plastic swing that fits well in the companionway and the SS hooks attach to the lifeline stanchions so that she can swing and will be at an angle level to the earth. We also temporarily removed the dinette table and used that area for her to play with toys (I have to avoid upwind sailing when she is doing this.) We also have a harness and a lifeline for her that we attach. When the boat isn't healing much and the water is reasonably calm we let her stand in the cockpit and move around a bit. My wife ends up working hard to be with her and take care of her as I run the helm. Unless we stop I can't help too much.
I originally connected some lifeline netting in the V-Berth with some pillows around the walls and my other 2 daughters (9/7) stayed up there with her and stood up in the hatch. She is now more mobile and can climb over the lifeline netting so I need to go back to the drawing board. Maybe a taller and more rigid moveable wall from the forward dinnette back to the port bulkhead by the v berth?
Any sharing of ideas of things that did/did not work would be nice to read.
My daughter really dislikes the life vest, even the least bulky one we could find.
She will have to get over that one! A lifejacket is an absolute must at all times. Our little guy wasn't crazy about it at first either, but now he loves it, and often doesn't want to take it off after we have gone ashore. He has to wear it whenever we are at sea, as well as any time he is on deck or on the dock. The only time he takes it off is when he goes to bed at night. Not only is it for his safety, but it has a handle on the collar that is very handy. If we need to quickly move him out of harms way, we can use the handle. Last weekend we were at our club's outstation and he was playing on the dock while I barbequed dinner, and he fell in for the first time. It was no big deal since he had his lifejacket on and I was able to easily snatch him out of the water. The lifejacket also provides padding so that they are protected from some of the bumps and spills that come with learning their sea-legs while sailing.
While sailing, our rule is that he stays in the cockpit or down below unless he is with one of us. To keep him entertained we have a toy boat on a long string that we can tow behind us. He loves to tug on the string and watch the boat bounce in the wake. Many people put netting all around their lifelines for their toddlers or pets. Perhaps we will too, once he is big enough to move around the boat on his own. We have a harness, but he seems to get tangled and hung up on things. I also worry that he could end up with the tether around his neck. I would put it on him if we got caught in bad weather, but otherwise we don't.
Now that Alec is a bit older now, (2-1/2yrs) we make a point of including him in the procedures as much as possible. For example, whenever we tack or gybe, he has his own rope to pull (the furling line)which just happens to be located in the back of the cockpit which is the safest place for him. He gets quite upset if we tack before he can get to his rope! He loves to turn winches so we always have a handle in one of the unused winches for him to play with. There are lots of little things like that you can do. He also has his own pair of binoculars that he can look around with. In other words, rather than come up with things to distract him from the trip, we are finding things to keep him interested in it. As a result he is turning into a great little sailor!
I have a 3 yo who has sailed with us since birth. First netting around the cockpit helps. At the enterance to below I fashioned a piece of plywood about 3/4 the way up. It slides into the groves and the baby can't climb over or fall down into the cabin. Behind the helm seat I put the bulk head door so he can't crawl under. We have a lifevest on him or a harness. I have a harness for boats and also one of those harnesses for keeping your on a leash. I have the rubber padding on the floor in the cockpit area to keep it soft for him. In the end you do what you have to do with all children that's watch them all the time. Teach him about sailing and make him part of the crew, give him a job to do and it won't be long before he becomes good at the job. The memories will be lifelong.
Ken
I did many of the same things, we actually put a swing on the (secured)
Boom when we are motoring. For the interior we also removed the table, I put a piece of thick plywood in there so we can play around and not have to worry about the stress on the table. I also mounted a 15inch flatscreen so she can watch her videos.
Also the most important thing, we removed the ladder, when your little one starts walking it will make all the difference in the world and allow to brethe a little bit when you are all below.
When my kids were toddlers we had a prindle. Seems the boat moved around so much that they learned to cling at a tender young age.
Make sure that you test their life jackets as some of the kiddy jackets look like life jackets but we found through experienc that some of them cause the kids to turtle in the water. (head down)
Now that theyre older, no worries as all of them love to sail even the teens get bummed if we dont wait for them to get off of work or wake up. It doesnt hurt that they have freinds from school with boats at our dock.
Lastly there is no suck thing as too much sunscreen!!!!!!
My oldest went on her first sail when she was only 3 weeks old. At that age, all they want to do is sleep. We would use a car seat tilted back which was nice and stable. I would tie an infant life jacket to the car seat so that it would be immediately available in case of an emergency. When she was that young, she would stay in the cabin of our O'day 272 so it isn't even illegal as kids don't need to wear life jackets while below decks in Florida. I have 4 kids and they have all gone out at a very young age, once they get to be older than 6 months or so and can move around, then lifejackets are manditory whenever they are not down below. They respect this rule pretty well and don't mind wearing them. I've also used a baby walker wedged into the cockpit foot well with pretty good success around 5-7 months (when they don't want to lie down anymore). Once they get a bit older and walk around, the occassional fall is inevitable. I think two of my kids have busted a lip walking around in the cockpit while todlers (1-2). After 2, they become pretty sure footed. One of the reasons I bought a 26X is because it has a lower companionway which is a shorter fall into the cabin than most other sailboats. We had to guard the companionway all the time with the O'day.
I had safety netting all the way around my O'day. It had decent side decks so it made sense, and I used to let the older (older than 3 or so) kids go up on deck. I had originally planned to put safety nets on the Mac but with the trailerability and lack of sidedecks, I decided to not use the nets and just make the deck off limits to anyone but me (and I only go up there as little as possible). They don't mind this since they can stand on the V berth and have a good view out the front hatch. The large hatch can fit 2-3 kids when they are not in a fighting mood.
also mounted a 15inch flatscreen so she can watch her videos.
Nooooooo!
Why can't we get away from the electronic babysitters?? Surely the child can survive a weekend or vacation without watching TV! Let them find their own ways to amuse themselves rather than plugging them in to the damned purple dinosaur! We are breeding a generation of couch potatoes!!
Maybe Schock,
I might have agreed with you a couple of years ago, but have changed my tune a little. My kids are 3-6 and for the most part are great in the boat. They do have their limitation though, and a 25 ft boat can only hold their attention for so long. We are on the boat 4-5 times a week and will spend quite a few weekends this year overnight. The TV is great on those weekend trips. The kids are so wond up it is hard to settle them down for bed. We will put in their favorite movie (Shrek, Peter Pan, ...) or cartoon Scooby Doo and within 1/2 hour they will both be a sleep. This also give me and the wife so time out in the cockpit, without worrying about them bouncing of the walls to enjoy sometime by ourselves.
We also take quite a few spur of the moment sunset cruise. While the kids are not that excited about watching the sunset, my wife and me love it. It is a great time for us to sit back a talk about what is happening in our lives. It is wonderful to be able to idle slowly out while the kids are below watching the TV. Ive also found this year my daughter 6yrs old has started to come out to watch it with us. My son still is more interested in the Wiggles, but Im sure overtime he will be joining us more and more.
Yes, I would have to agree with the TV crowd, the portable DVD player is the best invention for long car and boat trips. In a perfect world, small children would be interested in the same things that adults are. Shock, keep us informed on how it goes with your little one! My kids will get interested in helping with the boat stuff for about 5 minutes and then they get bored. The 3 yr old likes boating the best at the moment. I'm hoping that their willingness to crew will increase as they get a bit older (mine are 1-7 right now) but in the mean time, I'll do anything it takes to spend MY time out on the water
Our two year old gets plenty of time without the TV, most complaints about TV come from folks who do not have little ones!!! Sometimes the parents need a break and on such a confined space the TV comes in handy. I have it connected to an isolated battery so once it is gone - that is it. On a weekend trip usually only use it for two hours max......so I don't feel bad about it, not that I have to defend it to anyone.
You need to be careful about being critical of others parenting habits
). If so, what tips/tricks/techniques do you use to make the journey enjoyable. 
