"Capt" Rob wrote:
... We're trying to get Thomas used to the boat....
But today he put up the biggest fuss of all time when we put his
lifejacket on and he kept taking it off.

In other words, you're letting him be stupid & spoiled, just
like you.

.... It finally got to the point
where we just put a Stearns belt on him, but that's not the right PFD
for a toddler. He also wears a harness so he can't fall off the boat.
We all wore vests and that was working up until today. He really has
fun on the boat...but hates the PFD, though it fits him properly.
Suzanne thought it might just be too warm and he's aware of such things
now.
We obviously need to get this working right before we take weekend
trips with him.


He wears it. Period. If he takes it off or makes a fuss,
then put him in time out if you can't paddle his butt. Most
parents can't nowadays, having been raised poorly themselves.

Putting a float belt on is the worst possible choice, that
would drown a child more quickly than just floating free would.



"silverback" wrote:
I've seen pictures of you sailing... you don't wear a life jacket at all
times. I do.... despite the fact I'm ten times a better swimmer than you
could hope to ever be.

That's a stupid thing to say when you really don't know how
good a swimmer Boobsie is (although evidence suggests he is
not).


... That being said... kids copy what they see. Get him a
comfortable vest and make sure he puts it on at the same time you do... upon
boarding any boat.


Guy Aerts wrote:
Poor advice. The vest goes on before they set foot on the dock. Docks are
perhaps a greater hazard to little kids than a boat.

Bingo. Having rescued a kid from under a dock, I can state
for sure that it's a nightmare scenario.


... There are no rails or
lifelines, and someone carrying a cooler or sailbag can turn to look at
something and knock a toddler off a dock without even realizing it.

Which isn't unlikely, and it's even more likely for little
kids to trip over a cleat or line, or lean over just a bit
too far looking at something, or just plain fall (hey it
happens to the everyone once in a while).

.... If the kid
goes off the dock and comes up under it, you've got a serious situation all of a
sudden. How fast can you find them when they are jammed up between some blocks
of styrofoam under water?

My other advice is go to the store and let Thomas pick out a PFD HE likes. Maybe
Spiderman or Spongebob or something will make him WANT to wear the jacket...
even around the house.


Yes. Make a game out of wearing it, reward him for wearing
so he'll get to like it... but don't let a lack of parental
spine keep the kid from being protected. And don't make the
mistake of assuming that nothing can go wrong because he's
wearing a life jacket. It is quite possible to drown while
wearing one (or have some other harmful accident).

In many states now (and probably soon to be universal)
children must be wearing life jackets any time they are
aboard any boat, unless they are inside the boat's cabin.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King