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CMATT21
03-06-2007, 02:18 PM
Wife will be having our first in August. Just wondering how the little one affected your river trips in the first years, if it did at all. Any heat releated issues?
Thanks for your comments. :D

little rowe boat
03-06-2007, 02:20 PM
Our little guy was 9 months when he made his first trip out. First trip was a nightmare, each one after got better and better.

Jyruiz
03-06-2007, 02:25 PM
We tried going with our first when he was 11 months and almost 2, he didn't look like he was having much fun, so we stoped going for a while. Once our first two turned 3 and 5, we started going again and they were enjoying it. With our third, we started going when she was 6 weeks old, it was June and she was alway in the shade, kept taking her back every other weekend after that and now she is 22 months and screams any time she sees a boat. We can't keep her out of the water when we are at the river now, glad we got her use to it early.

cxr133
03-06-2007, 02:33 PM
We checked with our doctor first...
but our little one was 2 months old when we took her out to Mohave for a 4th. of July weekend. Just limit exposure to sun by keeping them in the shade. i think this is the youngest age (2 months) you are supposed to give them water. and limit your hours.. go out very early in the morning and come back in around 11-2.. or go out after 2 and stay out until around 6pm.

HocusPocus
03-06-2007, 02:45 PM
our first kid now 17 was born in january, by march she was at the river with us. i think the key is to get them a life vest that is comfortable for them. we have taken all our kids (4) to the river within a few months of being born. we usually went out early in the morning and then left before the major heat of the day.

Ziggy
03-06-2007, 02:50 PM
We took our kids from very early on, especially our daughter, she was only a few months old on her first boating trip. They acclimate well so long as you take precations on the obvious things like sunscreen and too much direct sun.
We had our grandson out last year, he was still under a year old then(10mo or so).
Now that I think about it, our daughter was still in the womb for her first Havasu trip ;):D
.
Use common sense is what I'm telling you basically.

MR.rvrluvr
03-06-2007, 02:52 PM
my first ones first trip was when he was 6 mos. Keep them out of the sun as much as possible and pleeeeenty of liquid. They will overheat quik. Most first time kids I see screem and cry from the noise and wind, just take it easy at first and they will get useedd to it by the end of summer. Remember the liquids.....

cxr133
03-06-2007, 03:49 PM
are you guys sure about sunscreen.....
i thought anyone < 1 yr. old was not supposed to use sunscreen.
but anyway we are all in agreement about:
LOTS OF SHADE
PLENTY OF LIQUIDS
LIMIT EXPOSURE to a couple of hours
INFANT LIFEVEST (is a must)

Magic34
03-06-2007, 04:17 PM
I installed A/C :hammer2:

HatenWinter
03-06-2007, 04:36 PM
We took both of ours out when they were very young. We would just go out early and only stay out for a few hours (Windsor to the Channel and back). We also just went during the week. We were able to find infant life jackets as well. The best thing we did was buy a 12V fan to plug into the boat and kept it on them with the bimini up. Both kids did great!
Here the link for the fan we bought, it worked great.
http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/rv-converters/12-volt-fans.htm

blackcloud75
03-06-2007, 04:58 PM
Wife will be having our first in August. Just wondering how the little one affected your river trips in the first years, if it did at all. Any heat releated issues?
Thanks for your comments. :D
Congrats Matto!!!!!!!
3 weeks for ours.............you have the best situation with the location of your pad.....too hot, beach the boat and retreat to the A/C
I have been meaning to give ya a buzz to check up on ya..

Flyinbowtie
03-06-2007, 05:05 PM
Lots of good advice here.
I just want to add kudos to you and your wife for having the mindset that your child is coming into your family and will be part of it and part of your activities. Involving your children from an early age in outdoor activities and providing them an outlet for the energy they have is the one of the best moves you will make.
Our sons are 19 and 23 respectively, and the 23 year-old was on the beach camping in a camper shell when he was 3 months old. He got his first ride in a sandrail that weekend too. (Idle around camp in mom's arms) We had a tent pitched for my wife to feed/change him etc., and we never looked back.
Too damn many young parents out there think they have to change their lives completely when a child comes into the world, either handing the kid off to a sitter/grandparents and going off on their own or staying at home until the child is old enough to not "be a burden" when they are on the lake/in the dunes/fishing/hunting/etc. Everybody looses when that happens.
Everybody wins when you make the effort you and your spouse are making.
Good for you.
(Rant over, sorry):D

rodnjen
03-06-2007, 05:39 PM
Just limit their exposure and use your head. Early morning are always better, then get them in for nap and out of the heat. Keep them hydrated. The key is to make all your decisions based on THEIR needs and not yours, you will all be fine.

bohica
03-06-2007, 05:43 PM
Dr. did not want us to use sunblock on the kids until they were 6 months old. As soon as they turned 6 months, all was good to go.:D

Mrs.Killer
03-06-2007, 05:51 PM
We had Grandma watch our kids so we could relax, their first trip was ages 3 & 4 ....now we have no choice, we live here.

riverbound
03-06-2007, 05:57 PM
My oldest had his first trip at 2 weeks old.
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c146/Riverbound/Dylan2wksoldStoker.jpg
My youngest went at a couple months old.
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c146/Riverbound/IMG023.jpg
Like has said before, common sense is key.

Mrs.Killer
03-06-2007, 06:00 PM
My oldest had his first trip at 2 weeks old.
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c146/Riverbound/Dylan2wksoldStoker.jpg
My youngest went at a couple months old.
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c146/Riverbound/IMG023.jpg
Like has said before, common sense is key.
How sweet, i think i want another one:devil:

riverbound
03-06-2007, 06:01 PM
How sweet, i think i want another one:devil:
Are you asking me to help you out?? ;-)

Mrs.Killer
03-06-2007, 06:05 PM
Are you asking me to help you out?? ;-)
ummm, ooohhh, im not sure....

Ziggy
03-06-2007, 06:09 PM
Too damn many young parents out there think they have to change their lives completely when a child comes into the world, either handing the kid off to a sitter/grandparents and going off on their own or staying at home until the child is old enough to not "be a burden" when they are on the lake/in the dunes/fishing/hunting/etc. Everybody looses when that happens.
Everybody wins when you make the effort you and your spouse are making.
Good for you.
(Rant over, sorry):D
Can't tell you how true this is. My wife and I took our kids everywhere we went(I had child much earlier than my friends). All my friends said they wanted to be just like us and do it all with their kids, when they have them.
When they all did have kids we never saw them again, we'd be the only ones doing anything anymore. Some we almost never see anymore they've retreated so much. We spend many years going to Glamis or the river by ourselves and our children while our friends sat home eating cheeto's and gulping soda while playing video games. :rolleyes:
It's too bad for their kids more than anything, so much they do not get to experience.

riverbound
03-06-2007, 06:09 PM
ummm, ooohhh, im not sure....
LOL:D

riverbound
03-06-2007, 06:11 PM
Can't tell you how true this is. My wife and I took our kids everywhere we went(I had child much earlier than my friends). All my friends said they wanted to be just like us and do it all with their kids, when they have them.
When they all did have kids we never saw them again, we'd be the only ones doing anything anymore. Some we almost never see anymore they've retreated so much.
It's too bad for their kids more than anything, so much they do not get to experience.
I agree, I have friends that did the same....My kids do it all. We are almost NEVER home when I have them. Its either off to Pismo, Big Bear or the River. There are so many things they can experience. Why keep them home.

Queenbee
03-06-2007, 06:17 PM
We took our kids out early and it helped with the fear of the noise. It is just a different experience with kids. Last season (our first with our own boat) we took the kids out almost every time we went. This season is similar with a few kid free weekends just for mom and dad.:devil:
However, we don't know anyone with kids that are our kids age that have boats, so it gets kind of boring for them. Our oldest is 3 and our baby is almost a year.
Oh yeah, Walmart has some great different kinds of floater toys that alleviate you having to hold them 100% of the time (once they're able to sit up on their own.) My boys like to look around and some of the sit in type of innertubes have shades and allow their feet to dangle and some water to sit around their waist to help with the overheating.

CMATT21
03-06-2007, 06:57 PM
Great advise everyone. This is what this site is great for!!!I'm really looking forward to those trips now. It's giving them the experience at a young age that is key. I didn't have that growing up and it's time to change that.
Thanks

wolfie
03-06-2007, 07:48 PM
Took my son everywhere I went from the time he was born. Dragstrips, lakes, it didn't matter. They get use to going places.
Lots of shade and drink.
By the way, he turns 17 tomorrow so I guess I didn't do anything wrong.

Devil's Advocate
03-06-2007, 08:03 PM
Great advise everyone. This is what this site is great for!!!I'm really looking forward to those trips now. It's giving them the experience at a young age that is key. I didn't have that growing up and it's time to change that.
Thanks
Congrats to you guys btw!! It will be nice to see the little one when he/she arrives.:) Say hello to Tina for me.;)

Mattman
03-06-2007, 08:51 PM
Both of our girls were between 6 and 8 weeks old for their first trips. Just do what everybody else is telling you and you will be fine. They are 3 and 1 now and we can't keep them out of the water. Hammer the throttles and it's nap time!! Life doesn't stop just because of the kids, you just pack more crap and drag 'em everywhere with you!!!!

blackcloud75
03-06-2007, 09:01 PM
I forgot to mention.............................buy a
SUBURBAN!!!!!!!!
you'll need every inch of that thing now!!!!

RaceFace
03-06-2007, 09:07 PM
We waited until 6 months on both boys (they're 3 years apart)...when the Dr. said we could use sunblock. Lotsa fluids and when they would get cranky, we would just start driving...the harmonic sound of the motor at 3200rpm would put them to sleep. If it got bumpy, wifey would sit on the back bench, still under the bimini. Start 'em young ;)

RaceFace
03-06-2007, 09:08 PM
I forgot to mention.............................buy a
SUBURBAN!!!!!!!!
you'll need every inch of that thing now!!!!
OH YEAH!!! With a VIDEO SYSTEM!!! Best freegin investment I have EVER made was a video system in the Suburban!!!!!

Magic34
03-06-2007, 11:47 PM
Can't tell you how true this is. My wife and I took our kids everywhere we went(I had child much earlier than my friends). All my friends said they wanted to be just like us and do it all with their kids, when they have them.
When they all did have kids we never saw them again, we'd be the only ones doing anything anymore. Some we almost never see anymore they've retreated so much. We spend many years going to Glamis or the river by ourselves and our children while our friends sat home eating cheeto's and gulping soda while playing video games. :rolleyes:
It's too bad for their kids more than anything, so much they do not get to experience.
100% correct. We are the only ones on our street who are gone most weekends doing stuff. It seems if I am not out of town on work, we are spending the weekends on the boat, toy hauler, or rhino.
All the other families on our street hang out at the park in the neighborhood and do the same thing over and over again. Then the neighborhood drama begins.
Before I actually added A/C we would make sure that we stayed at a hotel close to the water so taking breaks in the rooms for naps and such was a very simple task.
At 2 1/2 months, we took her out for 4th of July, but also had the toyhauler out there to get out of the sun and heat often.
We started her at about 5 months bringing her on a regular basis. It is simply too hot for a 2 month old in the middle of summer in my opinion, but once September came, she has been 95% of the time ever since.
This really helps..... There are 2 fans blowing on her and she 5.5 months old here.
-http://www.hotboatpics.com/pics/data/500/16348IMG_1519-med.JPG

Stingray69
03-07-2007, 07:28 AM
Bought my boat when my kid was 4 months, but it was late August '89, so he was on it once or twice, that first year, and it got put away. From then on, he went EVERY TIME I went, which was pretty much every weekend for most of the first 15 years. We kept the Anchorshade up during the middle of the day, took him for a putt just after noon to knock him out and that let Mom out of the boat for the rest of the afternoon. In the first half of the day, Mom was always in the boat, so beers fetching was automatic.
He would float around us in the late morning, in various little inflatables, learned to swim and then swim underwater off the back of the boat swim platforms, and later, when a little older, would tube behind the boat- thru hulls and BBC. He could drive it by himself at 5-start it, putt out of shallow water, drop the drive, nail the throttle to 3K, trim it back up some after getting on plane, and cruise to anyplace I told him by name to go .
PROFOUND effect on his personality and character-graduated a year early from his high school, first ever, with a weighted 4.3GPA-because of classes at MSU from 8th grade on. Now at UofM-chemistry. I told him to study, get good grades, because I wanted a 27' Fountain on Tahoe and its gonna cost big money so find something he can make a lot of money doing. :D
Never been in ANY even MINOR trouble.
Grenaded the 454 in mid-'04, been all this time getting the boat finished with a built 502, and it WILL be wet this spring-and he turns 18 in April. Do not underestimate the power of being out on the water!