wakeboarding w/baby on board..TIPS NEEDED!!!

We have a six month old and we want to take her with us when we go wakeboarding..any tips and suggestions would be great!!! we will have more than just 2 people in the boat....should we leave her in the car seat? we do have a life jacket her size but I don't know if she will wear it without protest. HELP!!!

I know you have to ask your doctor.
You don't want you baby to be to much shaken in the boat (Shaken baby syndrome).

For sure a baby seat is a must.

I am curious as well... I have 6 month old twins that wouldn't protest about the life jacket but I am not sure about the shaking...

I've done it with 3 or 4 infants. We just put the car seat under the dash at the drivers feet. When they get a little older THE BEST way to do it is get a stand up walker seat. Then they'll be happy like this.

We have small life jackets that we put on them when they aren't in the seats.

My kids started boating at two weeks old.....

First, and SO VERY IMPORTANT! Shade! You really, really, REALLY don't want your baby getting sunburned.

Be advised that to be legal the baby has to be in a life jacket. I have never had any problem getting kids to wear their life jacket, even visitors. It is a rule, stated up front, and is non-negotiable. More often than not the kids take to wearing the life jacket just because it is something new. If they are non swimmers (or better yet, weak swimmers) they may actually like the life jacket because it gives them freedom in the water.

I wouldn't worry about "shaking". Making a quick turn and sending the kid flying across the boat can be a problem, however.

Beware: My daughter's favorite pasttime while riding in the boat was finding loose objects and throwing them overboard!

Great idea with the walker Jeremy....

E.J.

Baby seat? What if you have an unexpected emergency? Will a baby seat float right side up in the water? Maybe it would be ok to sit the baby in one but I would NOT strap them into it. Life vest is 100% required, if they fuss then don't take them. I agree shade is important too!

I used to take my 6 month old all the time. I will say though it always made me a little nervous. They should have the life vest on even before you head onto the dock.

cool!! thanks for all the tips. we have a bimini on the boat so she will be in the shade...i think the saucer is the best idea although i am not sure mine will fit...i'll have to try it out. thanks again for all the helpful info!!

I had a 6 month old last season. I bought an infant life jacket and she wore it at all times. She stayed in her car seat about 75% of the time. Water and boats tranqulize infants for some reason. Mine stayed asleep as long as the motor was running. Also, you must keep them in the shade as much as possible. Also, keep a rag in the boat so you can dip it in the water and kinda pat them with it to keep them cool. MOST IMPORTANTLY LIKE SAID ABOVE YOU MUST NOT BOUNCE AROUND IN ROUGH WATER OR DOUBLE UPS.. IT WILL CAUSE BRAIN DAMAGE

Our daughter first went out at 7 months (this spring) and seems to have a good time. She could sit up on her own, roll over etc, but was not very mobile.

- We checked with the Doctor first and several times, main advice was don't go out in extremely rough water
- Bought an infant neoprene for comfort, it stays on her the entire time.
- Sunscreen is put on .5 hour before we go out and applied throughout the day every time
- She has a hat with wide brim and tie string that she wears
- Bimini and or similar is a must if your out in mid-day sun
- Cooler with food/milk etc.
- To keep her entertained we bought one of those $9.99 inflatable ducks used for giving baths and it fits perfectly between the driver and passenger seats...plop her in their with some toys and, if you want, a little water for her to splash in and she has her own pool/play area on the boat. She could sit in there for hours.

Now that she's more mobile at 11 mos, we've eliminated the duck, but keep her toys out and let her crawl around between sets. BTW - she is enthralled by watching someone wakeboard, "driving" the boat, and splashing in the water...and is only 11 months...I got a good one!

(Message edited by patoloco on September 17, 2004)

my uncle has a little kid we out him on the boat and in about 30min the kid is out slepping so ya there you go make sure that its around nap time

That picture of the baby with no life vest is frightening.

This is my brother with my niece. She is 7 months now, not sure what she was when the picture was taken. She is wearing the lifejacket I got her for Christmas (ok, if you do the math, she wasn't born yet, but it was so cute!). Anyhow, in Canada, infants under 9kg (about 20lbs) are not required to wear a lifejacket - not sure why that is. Keep in mind that a diaper, if soaking wet, will weigh a lot - so you might want to consider this if you're at the upper end of the lifejacket weight range. She doesn't even fit well into this lifejacket - I think it starts at 20 or 30 lbs, but they don't make them smaller! I think my sister in law asked, and was told that you just don't bring a baby on a boat until it's that size (who are they kidding?).

Anyhow, she is pictured 'driving' I think a sailboat. I think she's more interested in napping than driving.

First, PerfectPass is a must when you have kids in the boat so you can actually drive and hold a baby/child. As far as safety, these are our favorite life jackets for the kids: http://www.childrenstoybox.com/cgi-bin/FULLPRES.exe?PARTNUM=TEX10201 They are super comfortable and are Coast Guard approved...and they come in pink for the little girls. When our kids were small they stayed in the car carrier and once they were 6 months old we had them in their life jackets full time. I would actually wrap an adult neoprene vest around the infant carrier and snap it in place just in case of an accident. My son was on the boat starting at 3 mos and my daughter at 6 days...we have new twins at home so needless to say we're outnumbered now and the days in the boat have been limited this year. Question: I've thought about trying to design a floating/Coast guard approved child carrier (or seat)...would any of you buy one if there was something like that on the market?

We always put all of our kids in life vests. Even the 12 year old. Our yongest is 3 now and he falls asleep within 30 minutes of being on the boat. Never fails. He has done it since he was a baby. We stop when it gets hot and hop out in the water for a few minutes to cool him down. Bimini top, hat, sunscreen, and plenty of water is a must for the young ones. I'm not sure about the car seat. The chances of one flying out of the boat are slim but if it does they are not designed to float face up or even float for that matter. I responded to an accident where the vehicle went into the water and had a car seat in it. The carseat wasn't attached and was partially submerged. Just a heads up. Usually your local police will have information on car seats. As far as the "Shaken baby syndrome" I have no idea. I would consult your family doctor.
Have fun and play safe!

I'm no expert by far but, from what i know, Shaken baby syndrome comes from the babys head going back and forth and hurting the child where the brain stem attaches. So as long as their head is supported that shouldn't happen.

lucky....
not to sink your boat (npi), but a wet diaper in the water has no bearing on the weight of the child (and all attached articles), it neutralizes when in the water.. just a thought, so go ahead and max out those vests !! I got one coming October 18...pray for me.

I dont care about a protest,my kids wear a LIFE jacket with no questions asked!Us people sink right to the bottom and it takes around two weeks to float to the top again.Perris still has a body in it from a guy or man that was on a see-doo and no jacket.His people are there still waiting for divers to get him.I vote for jacket

Personally, I'd just say to have an adult hold the kid at all times, life jacket a no-brainer. A parent would know how to keep a baby from bouncing too hard, so that's my best suggestion. just keep the little 'un away from teh sides and sharp stuff

Six month old in the boat? Put her in her lifevest, buckle her into her carseat, and make sure she is sheltered from the sun. My kids were older when we got our boat, but have had friends with little ones aboard; I have found that the motion puts them to sleep for most of the trip. When their not in the car seat, they are usually happy on Mom's lap. Good luck, and be safe.

I remeber a while ago, some on made a harness for there kid in the boat. I think they used the seat next to the driver. That might be worth looking into, sorry I can not remeber more.

You have had a lot of good advice on this thread. The only thing I can add is a seating idea we used. We had a wire framed "bouncy seat" that we used for our babies when they were at home to give them a nice rocking or vibrating motion to keep them from crying. This was also used on the boat as a sort of shock absorbing boat seat on the floor. It absorbed any bumps or shocks and let them sleep comfortably while we played.

i have a 9 month old son and there is absolutely no way whatsoever that i would buckle him into a car seat in my boat. my wife holds him & he has a life jacket on. luckily, i have the option of him hanging out on my buddys pontoon boat with the girls while we ride. i'm not trying to be an ass, but that is one of the stupidest things i have ever seen posted on any message board. we have all seen the jackasses on the lake and have horror stories to tell. no one goes out expecting to have an accident, so how will u be prepared to reach for the car seat at the moment of impact? what if the seat gets thrown from your grasp? i could go on and on... just use some common sense. when i go out to only ride my son stays at home with my wife or his grandmother. i'm sure childrens services would raise an eyebrow at some of these posts. if u put them in a seat with a jacket on & did NOT buckle them in then i see no problem with that, but the rest of these ideas are insane. i apologize if i upset some parents on here, but i will never put my son's life at jeopardy. good luck with your decision, i hope you make the right one.

i wanted to say that the posts stating to buckle a child in a seat or dont have the child in a lifejacket or both are what my previous post is directed at. there are some good ideas posted. i just saw a couple that really struck a nerve. enough said..... LET'S RIDE!!!!!

I agree with Chuck. We had our daughter out at 1 month and has been out most weekends from 2 to 4 months. She wears a sweet hyperlite jacket, no questions asked. She fusses sometimes when the boat isn't moving, but for the most part is good. If she fusses to much and I want to ride the wife takes her to the beach. Yeah the days need to be shorter, but at least we get on the water. We only get out when the water is calm and we simply slow downwhen we cross other boat wakes. As far as shade, bimini works ok but the sun always seems to still get in on an angle. Use a light blanket to help keep it shady.

My son is 15 yrs old now, we have raised all of our kids going out in the boat. Now if it is right or not this is what we did, we DID buckle them in their car seats, but we strapped rubber bouys on both sides so as in case there WAS a mishap, the baby (with a vest of course) AND the car seat would float. As they got older, they would be in a vest at all times, but if they got fussy, they would always just crawl beneath my legs (driving) and sleep there. They all remember those times fondly. And my kids learned how to sleep in the choppiest conditions!!
Just my two cents

(Message edited by teamvaldez on September 21, 2004)

robyn i thought your first boat was a 99

Hey Charlie, are you for real?? I used to wish I was funny, now I wish YOU were!!!!

We used a car seat but did not strap her in and as many have stated, a life jacket is a must. She complained about the vest at first. In fact several of our first boat trips with the little one were cut short because none of us were having any fun (oh, the sacrifices parents must make). Now she wears the vest with only an occasional amount of minor fussing.

Another problem we had was that when Mom hopped into the water for a run our little girl kept trying to climb out the back of the boat to get to her. Now she has figured out that Mom is going to stay right behind the boat and we are not going to run off and leave her.