How old before you take him out on the boat?

[sunj_e]

So a question for you boating gurus out there. I have been boating for only a couple of years and have 6 year old girl and my wife which we go out all the time. We just had a boy last week and the question came up. How Old before the baby can start joining us on the boat? I know I can tool around with him in the no-wake zones, but how old were your kids before you started taking them out?

[Havasu_Dreamin]

I was about 9 months old for my first trip.

[lucky]

around a 18 months

[H20 Toie]

6 months and she slept most of the time

[cole13]

Congrats on the new addition!! My wife and I are expecting twins here in a month or so. We were talking about the same thing. Last year a friend of ours took thier 3 month old out with no problems! Lots of sunscreen and stayed under the canopy all day. She did really good.

[28Prowler525]

We had our first out @ 5 months. Our friends had their 2nd and 3rd out @ about 2 months. It also depends where you boat. If it is hot you need to wait until they are 5-6 months, because their little bodies won't regulate the heat like ours do. You also can't put sun tan lotion on the until they are about 6 months old, because it soaks in their skin (this from our doctor).
A good idea would be to wait until they are able to were a life jacket.

[HM]

So a question for you boating gurus out there. I have been boating for only a couple of years and have 6 year old girl and my wife which we go out all the time. We just had a boy last week and the question came up. How Old before the baby can start joining us on the boat? I know I can tool around with him in the no-wake zones, but how old were your kids before you started taking them out?
Basically when they can properly fit into a vest and not cry the whole time. We just took our 2 month old out for the first time on our pontoon boat and she did great - slept nearly the whole time. My wife does not want to take her out on the speed boat for another month or two.
Another thing to consider is keeping them out of the sun. You are not supposed to use sunscreen on them for 6 months or more - you will notice there is no sunscreen recommended for infants - and therefore they need to avoid direct sunlight as much as possible. We had our daughter covered up and kept her under the bimini - it was a relatively cool weekend so it made it easy to keep her covered up.

[UltraStealth]

I would say 3 months depending on water conditions. If you go to a mello lake with good water conditions, no problem. Now if it is rough, that is another story, depending on the size of the boat. We took our niece out at 5 month's and she had a blast.

[HCS]

They can waterski at 6 months old. So you better get him out soon as possible.
You want em on top of the game.

[bohica]

Dr. said 6 months. He didn't want us using sun block till they were that age. After 6 months, it was all good to go. Apllied the sun block dipped them in the water and officially baptized them river rats. :D

[Dawn Patrol]

Get em out early and often. :D

[Ziggy]

Our youngest rode with us at about 2 or 3 months old. Now I can't keep her off the boat when we're at the lake 12 yrs later.
Safety #1--make sure to have a proper fitting vest.
#2--keep them covered up, shirt, rashgaurd or equivelent and hats.
.
Oh, and congrats on the new family addition :wink:

[Chris Winn]

great thread, i was wondering the same thing as i have a 10 wwek old boy. we have our 1st trip to havasu planned for fathers day weekend for the whole week.
i was planning to just idle around with my son, mabey go over to the channel and relax, i will have to see how my wife reacts to see how far i take it.
i can fortell that i might only put a few hours on the boat this weekend!

[ROZ]

3 months...

[jbtrailerjim]

We had our oldest out on the water at about 4 or 5 months and our youngest by about 3 months. Just keep lot's of sun block on him, in the shade as much as possible, a hat, and keep him cool with some wet towels. Have fun and congrats to you both on the new addition to the family. :)

[dmontzsta]

I took my son out at around 1 year, he just starred at the water.

[H20 Toie]

Again common sense if it's really rough slow down and hold on to them

[Biglue]

My little guy was about 6-7 months old and he was fine. Just have plenty of shade available for yours. He enjoyed the water very much too. I always keep a life jacket on them.

[Waldo]

Again common sense if it's really rough slow down and hold on to them
Very true here. We had both our kids out on the water at 4 weeks old. However, it was during the week, basically no chop, and I was driving overly careful!!!

[Artv]

Our little one is 17months and she did just fine in the Kilrs boat. She loved going 95mph.

[25Elmn8r]

Our youngest rode with us at about 2 or 3 months old. Now I can't keep her off the boat when we're at the lake 12 yrs later.
Safety #1--make sure to have a proper fitting vest.
#2--keep them covered up, shirt, rashgaurd or equivelent and hats.
.
Oh, and congrats on the new family addition :wink:
Ditto! The only change is she is now only 10 years old.

[MAINEVENT]

Our kids were 6 mos old only because they were born in Nov but they were two months in the dunes :D

[riverbound]

My son's first boat ride was when he was 2 weeks old. He has loved it ever since. we used to go for a boatride just to put him to sleep.

[Mohavekid]

We never stopped boating, even while my wife was pregnant. My son was born 5-11 and we were boating on Memorial Day.
Just make sure you have a life vest that fits and keep them covered from the sun.
When my 3 were small, we had a jump suit outfit that had built in sun protection something like spf 30 that we put them in to protect their skin.
Now they all love boating, skiing and just cruising.

[SHAKEN Not Stirred]

I agree with ROZ.....
We waited for 3 mos with both of ours.....
Also correct on the "Cant put sun block on them" statement.....
and....gotta' make sure they stay hydrated......
CJG
:D

[dean51267]

can't start to early............

[Mandelon]

SDLifesaver and his wife had their new one on the water at 15 days....... :cool:

[sunj_e]

So it looks like we can take him out any time, just be careful. Thank you everyone for the congratulations and the answers. I might not post much but love this forum because the people here are great.

[tamalewagon]

A reminder: sharp jolts to a childs head may damage the brain or even be fatal. I'm not trying to be a "doomsday" informant, but the possibility is very real in babies and toddlers. Just my $.02.

[Wet Dream]

Last weekend would have been a great start. Just keep them sheltered from the sun.

[Mrs. Restless22]

This is great to read!
Were having a little one within the next few weeks and we have his first trip planned Labor Day weekend.
He'll be a little over 2 months old and I cant wait to get him out there!

[Screemy1]

I have a very low, 20' jet with basset headers... very loud, My son was 1 1/2 last summer.... he did fine.... and actually slept on the seat right in front of the motor... while it was moving at speed..... just get a vest that fits good and never let'em go...... I am in the process of putting thru transom exhaust and covering the engine.... I don't want him burned..... but he loves it :rollside:

[Nord]

My mom went to the river and waterski'd while pregnant with me!!!!!! No Kidding!!.........So thats whats the matter with me :confused: :confused:

[JackieV]

We took our daughter out on the boat when she was 6 months old, but I definately had her covered in sun block and a hat and plenty of Pedialyte to keep her well hydrated and food. She also had her well fitted life vest and was helled very tight when riding on the river.
Take it easy, when you take your little one out this summer. And congrats to the addition in your family.
JackieV :)

[RiverOtter]

So a question for you boating gurus out there. I have been boating for only a couple of years and have 6 year old girl and my wife which we go out all the time. We just had a boy last week and the question came up. How Old before the baby can start joining us on the boat? I know I can tool around with him in the no-wake zones, but how old were your kids before you started taking them out?
Since mine were born in November they were 6 mos old for their 1st trip. Must make sure you have lots of shade :cool:

[JackieV]

One more thing, they sleep very well afterwards! Like little logs! ;)

[HM]

If you can, pic a day to do a test run with your infant at a local lake, so if he/she doesn't like it, you both are not miserable for very long.
The biggest obstacle for your infant to be happy will be the life vest. All my kids had no problems, but I have a couple friends whose kids just screamed the whole time with the vest on. I would get them used to the vest at home before heading anywhere.

[little rowe boat]

Our first trip out for the season will be on fathers day weekend,we purposely waited to start our boating season late this year because our boy will be 9 months old as of 6-15.
So I would say 9 months.

[Mrs. Restless22]

So where can you get life vests for infants?
Are there any that are safe for 2-3 months old? All the ones Im finding are more for 6 months +.

[ULTRA28]

Both of my kids were on the water at less than two weeks. My youngest was born on Aug 25th and was on the water Labor Day. You just need to be careful and keep them out of the sun. Make sure it's not too hot.
When my wife was born, her parents went straight to the river from the hospital.

[racecar.hotshoe]

So where can you get life vests for infants?
Are there any that are safe for 2-3 months old? All the ones Im finding are more for 6 months +.
http://www.wesellcrewsaver.co.uk/100n-foam-lifejackets.htm
http://www.mypoolpal.com/