Boating can be one of the most enjoyable ways to spend time together as a family. Family boating is a great way to slow down the pace of your daily life – getting back to nature, cruising to new destinations and making family memories that last a lifetime.
Of course boat safety should be at the
forefront of all family boating activities. The number one concern for
families with kids on a boat – especially young kids – is to keep them
safe around water. Whether at the dock, anchored out or going on a
cruise, you want to make sure they are comfortable and safe on the water
and on a boat.
Here are some boat safety and cruising tips to keep in mind for families boating with kids
Boat safety with a baby. Many people wonder if it is safe to have a baby on a boat. As with kids
of any age, boating with a baby is safe as long as you take the proper
safety precautions. Use an infant life jacket that is sized correctly
for a baby. We use an infant life jacket labeled “Infant” that is less
than 30 lbs. Never cruise with your baby strapped into a car seat or
other device that doesn’t float.
Kids should wear life jackets on or near the water. Young kids should always be in a life jacket if they are near the
water. We make sure that the minute we start walking toward the dock we
put our four year old daughter into a life jacket. Young toddlers that
tend to wander a bit walking down a dock can get easily distracted and
fall into the water. Younger kids that don’t necessarily understand
water safety yet should be in a life jacket on a dock or even sitting in
the cockpit of the boat.
Have enough life jackets for friends.
As kids get older, they are going to want to bring friends onto the
boat that will need to wear a life jacket. Or, if you invite friends to
your boat with young kids you’ll need to make sure you can accommodate
them with appropriately sized youth life jackets. You should make sure
that you have extra life jackets for a variety of sizes on board for
toddlers, kids and adults.
Teach kids how to swim.
This is more of a preventative measure, but ensuring your kids know how
to swim is one of the best ways to be safe around water. Of course
accidents can happen to even the best swimmers if they are careless, but
kids that know how to swim will be safer and give you more peace of
mind. But even as kids learn how to swim, life jackets or other Coast
Guard approved swimming jackets (such as Puddle Jumpers for toddlers)
should still be used.
Cruising safely with a baby or kids.
One of the biggest challenges of family boating is how to cruise with
kids so that everyone is comfortable and safe. As a rule, you should
always have two adults on board so that one person can focus on
operating the boat and one person can focus on keeping the kids safe and
comfortable while cruising.
Always put our baby in a lifejacket and held the
baby while cruising. Most babies will drift off into a deep sleep as
soon as the boat starts moving. And a life jacket with a head support
(mandatory for all infant and toddler life jackets) has the added bonus
of a built-in pillow to support the snooze cruise. Again, never cruise
with a baby strapped into a car seat that doesn’t float. The safest
place to have a baby when cruising is in your arms.
It is also important that young kids always wear a life jacket while cruising on a boat. But even on 41 foot boat
we require all kids under 13 to wear life jackets while we are
cruising. You never know when the boat might hit a large wake a knock a
lightweight kid overboard – so we personally feel it is better to be
more cautious than the law enforces.
If boat is a fast moving cabin cruiser, so also have
a rule to stay seated while boating. There is always an adult seated
next to a kid – either holding them tightly or with an arm around them
(depending on the child’s age). If your boat is bigger and handles the
water well for a smooth ride, you might also be down in the cabin during
a cruise with kids. If you have a larger boat
(41 feet) with a nice stable cruise, so you can often go into the cabin
and take a nap in the aft cabin bed (the most stable part of the boat).
But as a rule never let kids walk around in the cabin of the boat alone
during a cruise. For smaller boats, it is not recommended to have
anyone in the cabin while cruising.
Keep kids entertained during cruises.
When kids are bored or restless they can get into trouble. Make your
family cruises fun for kids by keeping them interested and entertained.
Let them sit at the helm with the captain. Get them involved with the
cruise by pointing out markers or landmarks and teaching them about how
to follow charts as you navigate through your cruise. Have kids watch
the waves or wake behind your boat and make hitting wakes from other
boats something fun by saying “hold on, here comes a big one… weeee!”
You can keep younger kids entertained by letting them hold onto a
special toy to keep them company or showing them picture books to keep
them occupied during the cruise.
Sun safety for kids and adults on a boat.
Sun protection should also be considered an important part of your boat
safety practices as a family – and sun safety on boats for kids is
especially important. Getting sunburn after spending a long day on the
water will not only ruin your day, but it will also increase your risks
for skin cancer. Make it a rule to lather up with sunscreen several
times throughout the day. Keep shaded by spending time under your canvas
and wearing hats and sunglasses.
Docking a boat safely.
Maneuvering your boat in and out of a slip with kids on a boat can be a
bit challenging. Typically one person should be in charge of operating
the boat and one person should be in charge of watching the kids. If you
have younger kids, the captain may have to handle the lines and operate
the boat alone while the “first mate” tends to the kids. If you are
juggling multiple kids, another option is to have them safe in the cabin
while two people assist with the lines and docking or leaving a slip.
Then, bring the kids back out into the cockpit before you get underway
(wearing life jackets of course).
To be safe, also make sure kids know to remain
seated and keep hands away from the side of the boat (particularly when
passing pilings). Make sure you have a plan when docking your boat or
leaving the slip, and then communicate it to the entire family so
everyone knows what they should or should not be doing to be safe.
Another consideration for boating families is
if the first mate is expecting. Boating while pregnant is safe with
proper precautions, but plan for less cruising the further along you are
in pregnancy. If you have a smaller boat you may not want to go
cruising fast and will definitely want to avoid hitting wakes. Docking
can also be a challenge, as a very pregnant first mate should avoid
navigating a bow and reaching for lines.
The most important thing to remember is that a
safe boating family is a happy boating family. If you make boating
safety a routine practice for your family then your boating activities
and cruises will be much more enjoyable for everyone. Establish rules
for safety, make sure everyone knows the rules on your boat and always
continue to stress the importance of boat safety as a family.
