We're due in June and would like to hear from people who have experience
sailing with a 0-4 month old. Pros, cons, advice and warnings as well as any
product suggestions to purchase are greatly appreciated. We have had
fabulous feedback from our vessel-specific forum and wanted to tap the
veterans here as well.

(Please no stories about how your son started sailing with you at age 6.
Infants only please!)

Thanks so much,

Jay & Michelle
s/v Elixir
Buzzards Bay

Miech wrote:
Not a personal experience, but one I saw at my YC. When the kid is 4
months or so hang a Jolly Jumper from the cabin top and put the kid in
it. Then heel all you want and the kid will never notice.


We're due in June and would like to hear from people who have experience
sailing with a 0-4 month old. Pros, cons, advice and warnings as well as any
product suggestions to purchase are greatly appreciated. We have had
fabulous feedback from our vessel-specific forum and wanted to tap the
veterans here as well.

(Please no stories about how your son started sailing with you at age 6.
Infants only please!)

Thanks so much,

Jay & Michelle
s/v Elixir
Buzzards Bay

Miech wrote:
We're due in June and would like to hear from people who have experience
sailing with a 0-4 month old. Pros, cons, advice and warnings as well as any
product suggestions to purchase are greatly appreciated. We have had
fabulous feedback from our vessel-specific forum and wanted to tap the
veterans here as well.

I wouldn't do it. That's what grandparents are for.....
A break for you and a treat for them...chance to get close to the little
nipper.

"Miech" wrote in
:

cons,

NOONE who can't SWIM belongs in a boat, adults or, especially that little
baby....

Test it out, "Worst Case Scenario".....put him in whatever PFD you've got
and throw him over the side of the dock. Think he'll "make it"? How will
you feel when he drowns? You can't save him. Hell, adults are lucky just
saving THEMSELVES! The waves at the dock aren't even 5' swells.

I agree with the other poster.....Leave him with grandparents until he can
swim two lengths of the pool. Babies have no business in a boat which may
sink.....neither do non-swimmer adults.

A man drown, just yesterday, when he fell out of a small fishing boat in
the Stono River near Charleston. Two reasons he drowned....no
PFD...couldn't swim. As narrow as the Stono River is all the way to
Kiawah, if he could swim he didn't need a PFD. He could swim TO SHORE! He
was 53 years old, alone and should have known better. His boat was fine
floating with the tide. He simply fell out of it while fishing.

Please leave the baby with grandma.....for me?

We lined the v-berth with blankets and put one of those things that
keep babies from falling down stairs across the doorway so she couldnt
fall out of the v-berth.

Basic rule, nobody comes out of the cabin without a life jacket. This
means me, passengers and the baby.

Our scariest experience was with our youngest when she was two. We had
anchored at Dog island. She slept in the port berth with a lee-cloth.
Unlike the two older ones who would always sleep through the night,
Katie NEVER sleeps it seems and wakes up at 6 every morn and is
seriously independent. We had not spent the night aboard with her till
she was two so hadn't considered her lack of sleep problem. Around
6:00 am, I woke up in the v-berth thinking "Somethings wrong", poked my
head out and "Where's Katie", then "OH MY GOD, Where is KATIE", jumped
out of the v-berth, no sign of her. Ran out the companionway, no sign
of her My blood turning to ice and suddenly realizing the worst.
Suddenly, she pokes her head over the transom where she is standing on
the boarding ladder, feet in the water points down and says "Hishies
down dere". Next night she slept in the V-berth with us and we piled
all the pots on the companionway steps so they would make noise.
Believe it or not I still sail with them, Katie especially (she is 8
now).
When my son was 3, we were sailing our old 23' boat from Apalachicola
to Shell Point, Fl which means we have to go about 8 miles offshore to
clear a shoal. It was just a little choppy. It was his birthday so my
wife had made a cake. In the cabin, we lit the candles and sang. He
looked at the cake, got an odd look on his face and suddenly puked all
over it.

Miech wrote:
We're due in June and would like to hear from people who have experience
sailing with a 0-4 month old. Pros, cons, advice and warnings as well as any
product suggestions to purchase are greatly appreciated. We have had
fabulous feedback from our vessel-specific forum and wanted to tap the
veterans here as well.

Our daughter was born in August (9 years ago). She came to the boat
almost every weekend that fall, but we only went out if we had a very
experienced crew - people we could trust the boat with if my wife and
I both got preoccupied with the baby.

During the winter she took an infant swimming class at the Y. This
goes a long way towards "drown proofing" a child. The following
summer, she was with us for a full season. The only concession to our
normal cruising itinerary was that we went to the Vineyard rather than
Maine. Our boat at the time was a Nonsuch, with a large, deep
cockpit and easy to handle rig. We put a gate in the forward cabin,
turning the berth into a crib. Padding all around meant that she
would be comfortable and safe even in nasty weather. In one episode
we were coming out of the Cape Cod Canal into Buzzards Bay, and the
current against a strong SW wind had built up the infamous square
waves. Amelia slept through that, but she "took air" on every wave.

Everyone will tell you the baby must wear a PFD, but no one has made
one that will fit a baby under a year old. Ours spent a lot of
cockpit time strapped into an old car seat, which was lashed to the
bulkhead under the dodger. This brings up an other point - a baby can
only tolerate a tiny bit of Sun - make sure you have good shade for
the cockpit.

One more thing - an infant has a very limited horizon. Not only will
your child not remember anything from this age, he will not really
notice it either. Taking him out a this age will not make him a
better sailor, and will not be any more stimulating than a lot of much
safer experiences. You didn't mention what size or type of boat you
have, but if its small, or tippy, or bouncy, you should be very, very
cautious, at least until the child is a year old.

Not sailing, but had my son when living on the Yukon river; he went canoeing
and spent his seventh night and years after in camps along the river. Our
strict policy was this: On the river one of us ALWAYS wore a PFD and had
responsibility for ONLY him if confronted with an emergency. I strongly
disagree with Larry and others on this; with careful preparation you can
avoid confining your offspring to a skinner box for their first years, and
reap handsome rewards later for your efforts.
Padeen

"Miech" wrote in message
...
We're due in June and would like to hear from people who have experience
sailing with a 0-4 month old. Pros, cons, advice and warnings as well as
any
product suggestions to purchase are greatly appreciated. We have had
fabulous feedback from our vessel-specific forum and wanted to tap the
veterans here as well.

(Please no stories about how your son started sailing with you at age 6.
Infants only please!)

Thanks so much,

Jay & Michelle
s/v Elixir
Buzzards Bay

dbohara,
That was a good story with a funny ending. I could just picture it. :-)
Paul


wrote:
We lined the v-berth with blankets and put one of those things that
keep babies from falling down stairs across the doorway so she couldnt
fall out of the v-berth.

Basic rule, nobody comes out of the cabin without a life jacket. This
means me, passengers and the baby.

Our scariest experience was with our youngest when she was two. We had
anchored at Dog island. She slept in the port berth with a lee-cloth.
Unlike the two older ones who would always sleep through the night,
Katie NEVER sleeps it seems and wakes up at 6 every morn and is
seriously independent. We had not spent the night aboard with her till
she was two so hadn't considered her lack of sleep problem. Around
6:00 am, I woke up in the v-berth thinking "Somethings wrong", poked my
head out and "Where's Katie", then "OH MY GOD, Where is KATIE", jumped
out of the v-berth, no sign of her. Ran out the companionway, no sign
of her My blood turning to ice and suddenly realizing the worst.
Suddenly, she pokes her head over the transom where she is standing on
the boarding ladder, feet in the water points down and says "Hishies
down dere". Next night she slept in the V-berth with us and we piled
all the pots on the companionway steps so they would make noise.
Believe it or not I still sail with them, Katie especially (she is 8
now).
When my son was 3, we were sailing our old 23' boat from Apalachicola
to Shell Point, Fl which means we have to go about 8 miles offshore to
clear a shoal. It was just a little choppy. It was his birthday so my
wife had made a cake. In the cabin, we lit the candles and sang. He
looked at the cake, got an odd look on his face and suddenly puked all
over it.

My baby was born last June and already has more sea time than most
adults I know. For me, I was concerned about finding a properly fitted
PFD and to make sure it did it's job. I bought three different types
(all type 3 but different styles) and tried them out. The one that
worked best and looked fairly comfortable on her. It was purchased
from West Marine and was the least expensive of the three. I first
tried it out in a tub and then a few weeks later in a pool.

Aside from that I used the car seat last summer (didnt strap her in).
Even though she still fits in it, I dont think Ill be using it this
summer.

Miech wrote:
We're due in June and would like to hear from people who have
experience
sailing with a 0-4 month old. Pros, cons, advice and warnings as well
as any
product suggestions to purchase are greatly appreciated. We have had
fabulous feedback from our vessel-specific forum and wanted to tap
the
veterans here as well.

(Please no stories about how your son started sailing with you at age
6.
Infants only please!)

Thanks so much,

Jay & Michelle
s/v Elixir
Buzzards Bay

My parents raised 9 kids and took us all on crazy trips. They never
sailed but did seem to do everything they could afford to do with all
of us, mostly involving a canoe on various Fl bodies of water. If I
suggested they babysit while we went sailing, they'd think we were a
family disgracce. Besides, with 18 grandkids ( I may have lost count),
atking time to babysit in anything except an emergency would make it
impossible for them to do anything. Your kids are part of your life,
you should be able to figure out how to take them.
Congratulations on the little one BTW.

kth wrote:
My baby was born last June and already has more sea time than most
adults I know. For me, I was concerned about finding a properly
fitted
PFD and to make sure it did it's job. I bought three different types
(all type 3 but different styles) and tried them out. The one that
worked best and looked fairly comfortable on her. It was purchased
from West Marine and was the least expensive of the three. I first
tried it out in a tub and then a few weeks later in a pool.

Aside from that I used the car seat last summer (didnt strap her in).
Even though she still fits in it, I dont think Ill be using it this
summer.

Miech wrote:
We're due in June and would like to hear from people who have
experience
sailing with a 0-4 month old. Pros, cons, advice and warnings as
well
as any
product suggestions to purchase are greatly appreciated. We have
had
fabulous feedback from our vessel-specific forum and wanted to tap
the
veterans here as well.

(Please no stories about how your son started sailing with you at
age
6.
Infants only please!)

Thanks so much,

Jay & Michelle
s/v Elixir
Buzzards Bay