Boating with a 2 year old...
 

I've been wrecking my brain over this one. It makes sense to me, but maybe I'm being a total idiot.

Own a 29 Fountain, much younger better half who loves boating, and we have a 2 year old little girl together.

Last summer was one boat trip on the lake with the little one, due to trying to figure out the kid thing and boating and how to make it work together. Moderate success. That isn't going to cut it.

I want to boat as a family. I know others do. So whats the best way to 'transport' the little one when under power?

The male part of me wants to buy a badass car seat and clip the lower straps into the area under the rear seat attached to the engine compartment bulkhead, the upper car seat strap under the engine cover attached to the engine compartment bulkhead, and set her up in the middle of the back seat.
Seems to make sense. Comfortable, well supported, can see where she's going and used to being in car seats.

People freak out when I say I'm thinking of a car seat in my boat. "What if the boat flips over" they say?
I think, what something happens and she's NOT strapped in? What's worse, my kid flying out of the boat and into the water where I'm not - or crashing into the dash / interior of the boat, or the risk of capsize?

Before everyone thinks I'm about to be blasting across the lake at 70 - 80mph, lets get real. That isn't going to happen with the kid on board, and we're responsible parents.
But thats exactly the reason I'm trying to figure out what's safest and asking everyone here.

Anything can happen to any of us. In that unfortunate situation should it ever occur, what's my best option?

1. Strapped in so I know where she is no matter what, and not flying across our boat or into the water, or
2. Being held by Mom, who weighs all of about 108lbs and isn't the biggest / strongest girl around, and who hasn't got a hope in holding onto a 25lb child if we get surprised by a big wake or a boater who turns before he looks?

Isn't trying to hold the kid in your arms about as smart as thinking you can do the same thing in a car should there be an accident?

I'm willing to bet I've have to be dead before anything would stop me getting to that car seat to unbuckle my kid, should the worst thing happen.

Help me out here Dad's. Call me an idiot for considering it, or tell me it makes sense. Or better yet, tell me what you do with your little ones when under way.

Hit me straight. I can handle it :)

car seat idea sounds good to me, or you could just have her down in the cabin, some of my neighbors have a 7 yer old son 5 year old son and 3 year old daughter, the kids are always in the cabin, and that where they have been for the past 4-5 years.... Mommy either stays down their or checks on em occasionally

Man, you rookie parents put WAY too much thought into all this. :evilb:

You don't have to sell your perf boat.
You don't have to ride around at 30 MPH.

A 2yr. old can sit up just fine. Have your wife/gf sit in the back with the child between her and the gunnel. Most boats have a grab rail on the gunnel for back seat passengers. Your wife can hold onto the grab rail with her arm going across the childs chest if necessary. Or, just have the child sit on her lap.

My kids have been boating since 6 mos. Rough water, flat water, hot days, cold days, rainy days, etc. etc. I don't run my boat like it's going to break either.

Good Luck!

im not sure where my buddy got it but he has 2 bad a$$ car seats that look like racing seats with mini 5 point harnesses on them. he takes the kids to the sand dunes all the time in their jeep. dont see why you couldnt rig up something similar

simpson makes one. We used it when our son was first born, for the first summer. By the next summer, he was almost 2, and we didn't need the carseat. He did as mentioned. Sat between mom, and the side. Never had a problem.

My kids are 2 and 3 and they sit in the back seat with their mom and she wraps her arms around them. They are usually wanting to go faster and their mom is yelling at me to slow down lol. Just be careful and use common sense, if it's rough slow it down a bit. And don't forget the life jacket

+1 We have had my son with since 3 weeks old. He is 11 months now, and he either sits on Moms lap or between mom and the side seat. I dont run like an idiot, but I certainly will not stop boating just because I have a kid. I personally think the car seat is severe overkill, and most likely would not be the most comfortable of things for the child if you do get into anything but smooth water.

My first born went for his first ride at 3.....WEEKS!!!! By the time he was 3 months old we were overnighting on the hook in a 26 ft'er. We were pulling 5 day trips before he turned 1. At that age he was placed in a life jacket and left un-buckled in a car seat for support. By the time he was 2 he wanted to sit/stand up and see where we were going.

Put an egg in your lap.......drive like you don't want it to break. The kid will be just fine at 2 sitting in the back with momma.

My parents had a lake house when I was growing up. Me and lots of other kids spent many summers on a 28 foot wellcraft nova that probably did 70-75. There was never a close call, and no one ever thought about strapping us in a car seat. In the cabin, in the seats, it doesn't matter. Teach your kid to respect the boat for what it is, teach her how to swim well, and keep a life jacket on her and then just boat like normal.

Appreciate all the insights.

Certainly not stopping boating or anything like that. Just trying to be smart about it. The kid is a gearhead already, plays with toy cars and boats and couldn't give a damn about dolls and girl stuff. Genetics I guess, Mom is the same way :)

The long term GF isn't a big girl though and wondering about her ability to hold the kid if anything ugly happens. Thoughts on the kid being strapped in, good or bad?

I guess thats the biggest question in all of this...

Keep it coming guys, really appreciate the opinions.

What's the worst case?

Is a 100lb woman going to be able to hold onto a 25lb kid if you run smack into a wall at speed? No

Would it be better for the kid to get thrown from the boat with a life jacket then be strapped in if you turned it over? Probably

Is either of those circumstances likely to happen? I wouldn't think so.

Granted my opinion is one of a bachelor without kids, but it seems like you're over thinking this just a bit.

At two weeks old my wife grabbed my son, we jumped in my father's 27 wellcraft and went to town. When we were parked he sat in a bouncy - when we were under way she held him in her arms.

The next weekend we spent almost the entire weekend on the CIG - he never fussed at all, and slept like a clam when the engines were running.

We haven't gone fast yet in the CIG because we don't have any ear phones yet, but as soon as we get them we will either place him in the car seat in the cockpit, or just let his mom hold him. He isn't going anywhere - if I thought the risk of ejecting people from the boat was that great I wouldn't own one (or at least I wouldn't let other people go out on it).

I think the obvious and most important thing would be to just not drive like an ass.

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My 2 year old son stole mommys seat and usually sits in her bolster and she stands behind him and holds on.....if it gets froggy he goes below or they sit down in the back... never have felt unsafe

Don't strap the kiddo in - last year, a blowboater's kid drowned here, despite having a lifevest on, when he was unable to detach the lanyard he was wearing - so he would be Ok if he fell out. Boat drug him down. Even if the boat doesn't sink but lands upside down you will have no time to free the kid before they drown.

Buy a good infant vest, or if the 2 yo is too large for that, a good offshore vest. Both provide impact protection and keep them haed up in rough water. Have the GF hold her or have her sit up. Mine has been boating like this since he was 3 mos.

Take it eaiser if it makes you (or her) feel better, and get a sitter when you need to get your speed fix.

Hahahaha........your an idiot! Hahahaha. No, but seriously, Im afraid if you strap a child that young in, he/she may be jarred alot over every little bump! You kinda need that "weightless" effect just so you dont feel EVERYTHING......just my 2 cents

I also have a 2 year old and he had been boating since he was 6 months old....

Usually I hold on to him while underway and 9 times out of 10 he falls asleep!

Yes, it can be tough to hold on to him with his life jacket on but I have found sitting in the back helps with the bumps keeping a grip....

Also I made sure my kid knows how to swim, he was taking swim classes since he was 6 months old. I found it gives him respect for the water....

I'm in the same situation....planning to take my 3 month old daughter on the boat for the first time this weekend. I don't really have a plan yet, and I'm a bit concerned, but I'm sure we'll figure it out.

Here's my thoughts....

If something bad enough happens that she can't hang on to him all of you are probably screwed so it really doesn't matter.

The main thing you have control over is speed under given water conditions. You and I both know you won't be going any faster than you need to in order to keep him safe. That's all that matters.

I wouldn't care for the car seat myself, but that's just me.

Both of my girls were on the water at just a few weeks old and haven't missed a beat since. I've never sold a boat or any toy due to having a child. I've never missed a weekend of boating due to having a young child either. On the other hand, as they get older all of the sports can definitely put a damper on some of our weekends. :(

Just keep a good life vest on him and drive safely. I agree with the other comments about over thinking the scenario.

Buck

I don't have kids....but I can tell you when my wife and I do they will be in the boat in weeks, the wife agrees!! (Only if it is boating season....well, i may go sit the kid in the boat anyway while in storage while dad cleans on it!!) Put the kid in their transportable car seat, sit him/her between the captain/co-captain chair and hold onto them while just cruising at a comfy speed. I would not recommend to strap them in. My dad had me out at a few weeks and never turned back. Good luck. It is good you have thought about it in detail too.

Our son has been boating with us since he was about a year old. The thought of strapping him in never crossed my mind.
Mom always sat in the back with him either in her lap or with him sitting between her and the side of the boat.

One thing that made it easier for her was that in those early years, he always had life jackets that had handles on the back so it was easy for her to hang on to him let let him move with the boat a little as well.

Now that he is 7, she has lost her front bolster seat to him which is fine since she likes to stand and she will stand behind him and hang on to his jacket at the shoulder.

Never liked the down in the cabin theory as you can get bounced around to easy. Although I did think about putting velcro on his jacket and ceiling of the cabin and see if the first good bump would get him to stick!:drink:

What it really comes down to is this though. You have a wife/GF and your child in the boat with you and even though you may get the itch to hammer down when one of your buddies goes flying by, you need to remember who is with you and that you as a parent would stop at nothing to protect them and make sure they have fun and go home safe with you!

It can be hard at times but as they get older, you get to play a little harder with them as well.

Our son gets a little scared every now and then when it starts getting snotty out on the water and he reminds me from time to time that I promised him I would never let anything happen to him so we back it down a little and make sure he wants to go back out the next time.

My kids are soon to be 6 and 2 and 1/2years old. My son was 8 months old when he started boating. He wore his lil mustang life jacket and my wife bought a hip hammick which worked perfect in supporting him whether she was sitting in the bolster seat or on the rear bench seat. My daughter started at 4months with the same set up. Never had any problems. Now, they sit with her on back bench seat. Never have any problems with that, but I also don't push the throttles too hard with them.
I would advise against a car seat for the main reason that seat would most likely not support your kids weight appropriately with the life vest on. If there is an accident on the water, sitting in the seat and restrained inappropriately may cause more injury. Also in the worst case scenario if your boat flipped, you would most likely be thrown out of the boat, disoriented, confused with your kid strapped in a car seat. Do I need to go further?

Will that scenario happen? Probably not being a responsible boater, but you don't have control of the knuckle-heads out on the water who may be drinking and driving too fast for the conditions, or the jet-skiers that ride with tunnel vision and decides to cut right in front of you and you have no other choice but to either plow into him or make a sharp evasive maneuver.
Good luck with your decision. Happy boating.

Great info! !!! I got a little girl 8 weeks old an trying to figure out when to take her out. I only have a 28 foot powerquest

Some of you are probably correct, I'm probably over thinking this a bit. Its just my job as a parent to make sure I'm not making dumb decisions.

Maybe its just because now that I'm into my early 40's I dont have the balls I used to have :)
Or maybe its because I already lost my first son when he was 19 and I'm a bit more aware of not wanting to deal with that again.

I grew up in a rough and tumble family, so over protective isn't my style. Just trying to be smart about it I guess.

I bought one of the Simpson child seats that looks like a race seat. We're a race car family so that fits...
I think the decision will be to see how it fits around the life jacket, use it if it does, but not strap her in.

Hopefully it will encourage her to not be wanting to walk around while we are under power, and she'll be able to see over the side of the boat by being a little bit higher.

Always have the option then if it gets a bit rough and bumpy on the way back to dock of doing up the straps, or if we're docking Mom can grab the rope without worrying about if the kid is trying to climb out for a swim.

Chances of a 29 Fountain going upside down at the speed we'll be traveling with kid on board is slim and none. But it still has to do a decent clip to stay on plane, its not a big boat but also not a 19ft Bayliner.

Thinking I might fabricate a mini bimini top frame for it too out of aluminum tube, for a sun shade.

We'll see how it works out this weekend. Either be a handy booster seat or a waste of $200 and a days work in the race shop :)

My how times have changed... Lol...

My boys were boating at 5 months and at 11months. (They are now 7 and 10yrs). My wife always sat on the rear bench with them when they were younger. We had an infant carrier that we would keep on the floor when they were really young.
They will hate the lifejackets for sure, but will get used them. The wind noise used to bother my youngest more than anything else.

Our son has been boating with us since 6 months. Now have a baby girl she goes out too. Don't strap them in, just drive gently and let mom hang on to them. Most of our time on the water is going somewhere and sitting still anyway. Life vests are mandatory of course, but other than that, just be careful and all will be fine. enjoy!

I think she's ready to go! :eek::drink:
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Is that an LSx I see back there? Details?

*edit*
I just looked under your name :lolhit:

The sooner they're boating the better!

Same daughter at 7 driving our last boat. She just turned 9 and likes the 342 even more!

Both mates last week. They're allowed to take their jackets off if we're anchored and they stay in the cabin or cockpit. They know as soon as they start the climb to the sunpad they better have it on.

That's pretty much exactly the plan I followed with my son - now almost 19. When he was little, he's fall asleep immediately when we came up on plane and wake up as soon as we came off. His mom held him in her lap until he figured he was big enough to sit up on his own - which was probably around 4. He's the connsumate boater now and we never had a problem.

Good eye :party-smiley-004:

Not to take the thread off topic, but here's a couple links for you.

http://www.lsxtv.com/news/swap-insan...ered-jet-boat/

http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/conver...-jet-boat.html

And now to bring it back to topic, we'll see how things shake out for my daughter's first ride in the 288 this weekend. She does great in the hot-rod, so I'm sure she'll probably fall asleep as soon as the engine starts.

Very cool

i think you have your answer, no seat, go slow, keep your eyes open for every other boater out there.

that being said you have the car seat all ready. rig it up and try it. you'll know within 10 minutes (probably more like 1 minute) wether or not it is good for the kid. if it your kid is not enjoying the seat take her out.

i have two daughters 9 and 7. we go out on my friends and brothers 18-21 foot jetboat every summer in barnegat bay, nj. it can get pretty rough...(i know they are older but i hold on to them and they weigh 65-80lbs)

Yeah, thats the plan.

Rig up the seat and see if she likes it and is comfortable. Won't bother using the straps.

If she's not into it, plug the seat into my other truck and leave it there instead of swapping two car seats between four vehicles.

I'll let you know how it works out, maybe someone else can learn something from my 'experiment' :)

As you say, it'll probably be very obvious within the first minute, as soon as we get past the no wake zone.

My son is almost 2 1/2 and been boating since 6 months.....sits on my wife's lap in bolster and still falls asleep a couple mins after getting up on plane. He loves the boat....Just use common sense.

I would wait until she can hold her head up on her own. It'll will make the life vest less uncomfortable and holding her comfortably isn't quite so hard.