We are expecting a blessed event in late February. I'm looking for
information on people's experiences in day sailing, weekend cruising,
and longer cruising with infants and very small children.

Considerations, Gear, Sources, etc.

Joe Wood
jlwood3 at erols dot com

Check out the book "Babies Aboard" by Lindsay Green. It has tonnes of
usefull info on dealing
with babies on board. We cruised with 2 kids (since birth) on board our
bayfield 25 (util we got the 30). One
was severely disabled and we found taking care of him on the boat was easier
than at home because
everything was within reach.

We took lots of toys and activities for the kids to do, we're not afraid to
stop early or halfway to
have some fun or do what ever needs to be done. When the kids were infants,
we just kept them
in a car seat lashed to the boat when on deck, and in the v-berth when down
below or in the car
seat at the foot of the companionway. Keep them cool in summer and ensure
they don't get
sun burnt and you'll probably have a very happy time. Lots of food and
later when they're older,
lots of fun food...strawberries, grapes, maybe some chips and chocolats, but
not too much junk food.
Lots and Lots of water.

My daughter is now 6, our son unfortunately succummed to his disabilities.
We still sail a lot.
our daughter is now capable of picking her own toys and last summer was
starting to get some
responsibilities on the boat. Last year was putting flemmish coils in the
mooring lines after we're
tied up. I haven't decided what this years duties will be yet, but it's
important to give them
something to do to be part of the crew.

Chapters location for the book:
http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/item.a...670C7535862424
--
Cheers,
Jeffrey Nelson
Muir Caileag
C&C 30
"Joe Wood" wrote in message
...
We are expecting a blessed event in late February. I'm looking for
information on people's experiences in day sailing, weekend cruising,
and longer cruising with infants and very small children.

Considerations, Gear, Sources, etc.

Joe Wood
jlwood3 at erols dot com

Check out the book "Babies Aboard" by Lindsay Green. It has tonnes of
usefull info on dealing
with babies on board. We cruised with 2 kids (since birth) on board our
bayfield 25 (util we got the 30). One
was severely disabled and we found taking care of him on the boat was easier
than at home because
everything was within reach.

We took lots of toys and activities for the kids to do, we're not afraid to
stop early or halfway to
have some fun or do what ever needs to be done. When the kids were infants,
we just kept them
in a car seat lashed to the boat when on deck, and in the v-berth when down
below or in the car
seat at the foot of the companionway. Keep them cool in summer and ensure
they don't get
sun burnt and you'll probably have a very happy time. Lots of food and
later when they're older,
lots of fun food...strawberries, grapes, maybe some chips and chocolats, but
not too much junk food.
Lots and Lots of water.

My daughter is now 6, our son unfortunately succummed to his disabilities.
We still sail a lot.
our daughter is now capable of picking her own toys and last summer was
starting to get some
responsibilities on the boat. Last year was putting flemmish coils in the
mooring lines after we're
tied up. I haven't decided what this years duties will be yet, but it's
important to give them
something to do to be part of the crew.

Chapters location for the book:
http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/item.a...670C7535862424
--
Cheers,
Jeffrey Nelson
Muir Caileag
C&C 30
"Joe Wood" wrote in message
...
We are expecting a blessed event in late February. I'm looking for
information on people's experiences in day sailing, weekend cruising,
and longer cruising with infants and very small children.

Considerations, Gear, Sources, etc.

Joe Wood
jlwood3 at erols dot com

Congrats!!!

Our son is now 10 years old and spent several years of his childhood
cruising Mexico and our local islands off the coast of Southern
California.

As we had our boat for several years before the birth of our son, we
also had some modifications to do to prepare.

First- plan on swimming lessons as soon as you can! Ryan started at 11
weeks, and it wasn't too soon. His first longer than weekend trip was
at 9 months, and we were anchored around the upper Channel Islands or
off shore for 6 weeks. When he was at the age of 4 we cruised Mexico
for 9 months, and again when he was 6 for six months.

Some initial considerations a Where will the baby sleep? Do you
have a lee cloth that you can hang to provide a contained area? When
the weather was calm, our baby slept in the V-berth (his 'bedroom'- more
on that later) with a net stretched across the opening, and the walls
well padded with pillows and rolled up blankets. When it was rough, we
were more likely to have him in the aft cabin with us, or in the main
cabin with a lee-cloth.

We lashed a car seat into the dinette for regular use. The baby ate
there, played there in rough weather and slept there when we needed him
to... The model we used had a padded rest across the front, so it
provided a good surface for his activity (or his head!).

I bought a 'Kiddy harness', a cute one for keeping hyper kids from
running away, and remade it with stainless steel hardware, and had the
closures as 'D' rings. The leash that came with it was regular webbing
with a worthless plastic clip. I replaced the clip with a locking
caribiner. When our son was tiny I fastened the harness in the back.
As he got older, we fastened it in the front as he took more
responsibility for his own safety. By the way, I actually bought two of
those harnesses... His Pooh Bear wore one whenever he came above decks,
too. Needless to say, Pooh Bear didn't have a rebuilt model!

We took along a blow-up swimming pool for hot days at anchor when we
wanted the baby to stay in the shade. We used it a few times, but
generally we just played in the water at the side of the boat that
afforded the most shade.

Kiddy life vests come with a convenient handle at the top of the
'pillow'. You can tie a rope to the handle and swing the baby down to
the dinghy (or haul him up to the deck). These life vests have a leg
strap. You DEFINITELY need to use that strap as it's very easy for the
baby to slide out.

We always had used out V-berth as a guest/storage area. We decided to
establish a 'space' for our son early on that he could know was solely
his own. Turning over the V-berth was easy, and provided a a light,
airy, contained inside space as a play area. That became critical! Kid
and toddler toys are a real hazard on a moving boat.

We found that long term cruising with our child was VERY easy, but
perhaps not the best choice for him. He loved the whole trip when he
was 4, but really missed his extended family, his friends and his dog
when we were in the trip when he was 6. It was hard for him to make
friends with other cruising kids and then have them pull up anchor to go
someplace else after a day or even a few hours of play. I'm not clear
on how much or what type of cruising you plan, but you ought to take
these considerations into account.

At 4 our son was responsible for all of the trash sorting, storage and
disposal on the boat. He had an authentic knowledge of what 'Reduce,
Reuse and Recycle' meant! At 6 he was fishing everyday (along with Dad)
and provided EVERY fish meal we ate on the trip (nearly daily). We had
very much a Hunter-Gatherer lifestyle, and our 6 year old was a critical
part of our success. At 10 he still reflects on the fact that he was
able to provide for our family. The whole cruising experience has
provided him an enormous amount of personal confidence.

Of course, you'll want to be reading to your baby all the time (you've
started already, haven't you?) so think about some 'Treasuries'. Many
authors or publishers produce collections of children's stories. The
Treasury of Peter Rabbit comes to mind as does the Little Golden Books
Treasury. These are easier to keep track of and they stand up to the
environment better than smaller books.

I didn't think this response would be so long, and I'm sure there are
dozens of things I didn't think to write about. Cruising with a little
child is just about as good as it gets!

Joe Wood wrote:

We are expecting a blessed event in late February. I'm looking for
information on people's experiences in day sailing, weekend cruising,
and longer cruising with infants and very small children.

Considerations, Gear, Sources, etc.

Joe Wood
jlwood3 at erols dot com

Congrats!!!

Our son is now 10 years old and spent several years of his childhood
cruising Mexico and our local islands off the coast of Southern
California.

As we had our boat for several years before the birth of our son, we
also had some modifications to do to prepare.

First- plan on swimming lessons as soon as you can! Ryan started at 11
weeks, and it wasn't too soon. His first longer than weekend trip was
at 9 months, and we were anchored around the upper Channel Islands or
off shore for 6 weeks. When he was at the age of 4 we cruised Mexico
for 9 months, and again when he was 6 for six months.

Some initial considerations a Where will the baby sleep? Do you
have a lee cloth that you can hang to provide a contained area? When
the weather was calm, our baby slept in the V-berth (his 'bedroom'- more
on that later) with a net stretched across the opening, and the walls
well padded with pillows and rolled up blankets. When it was rough, we
were more likely to have him in the aft cabin with us, or in the main
cabin with a lee-cloth.

We lashed a car seat into the dinette for regular use. The baby ate
there, played there in rough weather and slept there when we needed him
to... The model we used had a padded rest across the front, so it
provided a good surface for his activity (or his head!).

I bought a 'Kiddy harness', a cute one for keeping hyper kids from
running away, and remade it with stainless steel hardware, and had the
closures as 'D' rings. The leash that came with it was regular webbing
with a worthless plastic clip. I replaced the clip with a locking
caribiner. When our son was tiny I fastened the harness in the back.
As he got older, we fastened it in the front as he took more
responsibility for his own safety. By the way, I actually bought two of
those harnesses... His Pooh Bear wore one whenever he came above decks,
too. Needless to say, Pooh Bear didn't have a rebuilt model!

We took along a blow-up swimming pool for hot days at anchor when we
wanted the baby to stay in the shade. We used it a few times, but
generally we just played in the water at the side of the boat that
afforded the most shade.

Kiddy life vests come with a convenient handle at the top of the
'pillow'. You can tie a rope to the handle and swing the baby down to
the dinghy (or haul him up to the deck). These life vests have a leg
strap. You DEFINITELY need to use that strap as it's very easy for the
baby to slide out.

We always had used out V-berth as a guest/storage area. We decided to
establish a 'space' for our son early on that he could know was solely
his own. Turning over the V-berth was easy, and provided a a light,
airy, contained inside space as a play area. That became critical! Kid
and toddler toys are a real hazard on a moving boat.

We found that long term cruising with our child was VERY easy, but
perhaps not the best choice for him. He loved the whole trip when he
was 4, but really missed his extended family, his friends and his dog
when we were in the trip when he was 6. It was hard for him to make
friends with other cruising kids and then have them pull up anchor to go
someplace else after a day or even a few hours of play. I'm not clear
on how much or what type of cruising you plan, but you ought to take
these considerations into account.

At 4 our son was responsible for all of the trash sorting, storage and
disposal on the boat. He had an authentic knowledge of what 'Reduce,
Reuse and Recycle' meant! At 6 he was fishing everyday (along with Dad)
and provided EVERY fish meal we ate on the trip (nearly daily). We had
very much a Hunter-Gatherer lifestyle, and our 6 year old was a critical
part of our success. At 10 he still reflects on the fact that he was
able to provide for our family. The whole cruising experience has
provided him an enormous amount of personal confidence.

Of course, you'll want to be reading to your baby all the time (you've
started already, haven't you?) so think about some 'Treasuries'. Many
authors or publishers produce collections of children's stories. The
Treasury of Peter Rabbit comes to mind as does the Little Golden Books
Treasury. These are easier to keep track of and they stand up to the
environment better than smaller books.

I didn't think this response would be so long, and I'm sure there are
dozens of things I didn't think to write about. Cruising with a little
child is just about as good as it gets!

Joe Wood wrote:

We are expecting a blessed event in late February. I'm looking for
information on people's experiences in day sailing, weekend cruising,
and longer cruising with infants and very small children.

Considerations, Gear, Sources, etc.

Joe Wood
jlwood3 at erols dot com

Our baby was on board at 10 days old (in August), however for the remainder of
the first season we only took her out with a very experienced crew.

That winter she took the swimming for infants class at the "Y" she has since
become "water baby" with no fear of the water.

The following several summers she stayed mainly in a car seat lashed in the
cockpit under the dodger. The forward bunk acquired a "door" so it turned into
a crib; parents were forced to sleep in the main cabin. Our boat then was a
Nonsuch 30 which has a large, deep, secure cockpit. With that and full netting,
we never worried about her falling overboard. You'll find there is no good
infant PFD, but as early as you can, get them used to wearing a PFD when
necessary. Also, make sure you have a good, lightweight stroller. The big
heavy ones have their place, but if you want to do dinghy/launch trips with the
little one, you have to use minimal gear. And you'll discover interesting
things, like diapers are great for changing the oil filter on your diesel!

For toys, the normal stuff is good, but you'll want water and beach toys.
Amelia spent a lot of time playing with a bucket of water in the cockpit. Which
reminds me, make sure you acquire proper submersible gear - its a bummer when
you find your VHF in the bottom of the bucket. Also, we had a TV/VHF combo;
nowadays a DVD player might get more use.

When she was 3 we bought a catamaran, partly because the level sailing is so
child safe. Also, the immense amount of space, below, in the cockpit, and
especially forward on the trampoline was greatly appreciated. Of course,
everyone got their own cabin! We spent a year doing the ICW & Keys when she was
5. Now the big cat is overkill for simple summer cruising, but the space is
still appreciated.

--
-jeff www.sv-loki.com
"The sea was angry that day, my friend. Like an old man trying to send back soup
at the deli."





"Joe Wood" wrote in message
...
We are expecting a blessed event in late February. I'm looking for
information on people's experiences in day sailing, weekend cruising,
and longer cruising with infants and very small children.

Considerations, Gear, Sources, etc.

Joe Wood
jlwood3 at erols dot com

Our baby was on board at 10 days old (in August), however for the remainder of
the first season we only took her out with a very experienced crew.

That winter she took the swimming for infants class at the "Y" she has since
become "water baby" with no fear of the water.

The following several summers she stayed mainly in a car seat lashed in the
cockpit under the dodger. The forward bunk acquired a "door" so it turned into
a crib; parents were forced to sleep in the main cabin. Our boat then was a
Nonsuch 30 which has a large, deep, secure cockpit. With that and full netting,
we never worried about her falling overboard. You'll find there is no good
infant PFD, but as early as you can, get them used to wearing a PFD when
necessary. Also, make sure you have a good, lightweight stroller. The big
heavy ones have their place, but if you want to do dinghy/launch trips with the
little one, you have to use minimal gear. And you'll discover interesting
things, like diapers are great for changing the oil filter on your diesel!

For toys, the normal stuff is good, but you'll want water and beach toys.
Amelia spent a lot of time playing with a bucket of water in the cockpit. Which
reminds me, make sure you acquire proper submersible gear - its a bummer when
you find your VHF in the bottom of the bucket. Also, we had a TV/VHF combo;
nowadays a DVD player might get more use.

When she was 3 we bought a catamaran, partly because the level sailing is so
child safe. Also, the immense amount of space, below, in the cockpit, and
especially forward on the trampoline was greatly appreciated. Of course,
everyone got their own cabin! We spent a year doing the ICW & Keys when she was
5. Now the big cat is overkill for simple summer cruising, but the space is
still appreciated.

--
-jeff www.sv-loki.com
"The sea was angry that day, my friend. Like an old man trying to send back soup
at the deli."





"Joe Wood" wrote in message
...
We are expecting a blessed event in late February. I'm looking for
information on people's experiences in day sailing, weekend cruising,
and longer cruising with infants and very small children.

Considerations, Gear, Sources, etc.

Joe Wood
jlwood3 at erols dot com

We sailed with my daughter from the time she was 3 months old. The
infant lifejackets are bulky, and the infant didn't think much of them,
but you have to endure it. We had a hard dinghy and little reserve
buoyancy in the event of mishap.

The boat I had then was a wooden Alberg that had the icebox as part of a
quarter berth. No cushion came with the boat, and I never had one made,
but for the first summer, it made a great place for a large plastic
storage container, with sides about 1 foot high or so, that served as
her bed.

The second summer, I had to rig netting to isolate one of the settee
berths, as this particular boat had storage, a head and hanging lockers
instead of a V berth.

The second summer, when she was 15-17 months old, was a little more
exciting, as she could and would reach out and touch/fiddle with things.
The natural location for her car seat, at the head of the cockpit, by
the companion way was also the location of the key and starter button
for the engine. We had to remember to keep the seat away from the key,
when the engine was needed, and eventually took the float off it to make
it less attractive.

In the cockpit she wore a Lirakis child size harness that would shrink
enough to fit her at 12 mos, and which she wore until she was about 7-8
(I forget now)

One thing I did was take with us, on the spur of the moment one day, was
her swing, a red plastic bucket with a strap. I hung it toward the end
of the boom, where she could see everything going on in the cockpit, and
she could reach the main sheet and reorient herself to look at other
boats coming into the cove where we were anchored. She had a grand time,
and drew a lot of attention. The boom was sheeted tightly so that she
was always over the cockpit.

We bought plastic holders for the little juice boxes that you will
become very familiar with, this cuts down on the amount that is spilled
by little hands squeezing the box too hard.

Initially, buy extra pacifiers, and a stuffed toy or two to keep on
board. Getting underway from the house is going to be much more
complicated. I remember a whole weekend made extraordinarily difficult
because we could not locate, in a store near the boat, an exact
duplicate of the currently favorite pacifier/binkie.

When she was old enough to understand, the rule was she could not come
out of the cabin without either the harness or the lifejacket on. She
could not leave the cockpit, period, without the lifejacket on.

When she started to be ambulatory, I started leaving the bottom
washboard in the companionway, so she could not wake up quietly and
sneak out into the cockpit with out us hearing her. My companionway was
straight up and down, so every board has to go all the way to the top to
come out, those that taper, meaning you only need to lift the washboard
a couple of inches, should probably have a barrel bolt on the outside,
bottom, so little arms cant reach it.

Always have plenty of fluids, finger food and paper towels.

Have fun.

Jonathan


Joe Wood wrote:
We are expecting a blessed event in late February. I'm looking for
information on people's experiences in day sailing, weekend cruising,
and longer cruising with infants and very small children.

Considerations, Gear, Sources, etc.

Joe Wood
jlwood3 at erols dot com

We sailed with my daughter from the time she was 3 months old. The
infant lifejackets are bulky, and the infant didn't think much of them,
but you have to endure it. We had a hard dinghy and little reserve
buoyancy in the event of mishap.

The boat I had then was a wooden Alberg that had the icebox as part of a
quarter berth. No cushion came with the boat, and I never had one made,
but for the first summer, it made a great place for a large plastic
storage container, with sides about 1 foot high or so, that served as
her bed.

The second summer, I had to rig netting to isolate one of the settee
berths, as this particular boat had storage, a head and hanging lockers
instead of a V berth.

The second summer, when she was 15-17 months old, was a little more
exciting, as she could and would reach out and touch/fiddle with things.
The natural location for her car seat, at the head of the cockpit, by
the companion way was also the location of the key and starter button
for the engine. We had to remember to keep the seat away from the key,
when the engine was needed, and eventually took the float off it to make
it less attractive.

In the cockpit she wore a Lirakis child size harness that would shrink
enough to fit her at 12 mos, and which she wore until she was about 7-8
(I forget now)

One thing I did was take with us, on the spur of the moment one day, was
her swing, a red plastic bucket with a strap. I hung it toward the end
of the boom, where she could see everything going on in the cockpit, and
she could reach the main sheet and reorient herself to look at other
boats coming into the cove where we were anchored. She had a grand time,
and drew a lot of attention. The boom was sheeted tightly so that she
was always over the cockpit.

We bought plastic holders for the little juice boxes that you will
become very familiar with, this cuts down on the amount that is spilled
by little hands squeezing the box too hard.

Initially, buy extra pacifiers, and a stuffed toy or two to keep on
board. Getting underway from the house is going to be much more
complicated. I remember a whole weekend made extraordinarily difficult
because we could not locate, in a store near the boat, an exact
duplicate of the currently favorite pacifier/binkie.

When she was old enough to understand, the rule was she could not come
out of the cabin without either the harness or the lifejacket on. She
could not leave the cockpit, period, without the lifejacket on.

When she started to be ambulatory, I started leaving the bottom
washboard in the companionway, so she could not wake up quietly and
sneak out into the cockpit with out us hearing her. My companionway was
straight up and down, so every board has to go all the way to the top to
come out, those that taper, meaning you only need to lift the washboard
a couple of inches, should probably have a barrel bolt on the outside,
bottom, so little arms cant reach it.

Always have plenty of fluids, finger food and paper towels.

Have fun.

Jonathan


Joe Wood wrote:
We are expecting a blessed event in late February. I'm looking for
information on people's experiences in day sailing, weekend cruising,
and longer cruising with infants and very small children.

Considerations, Gear, Sources, etc.

Joe Wood
jlwood3 at erols dot com

"Jeff Morris" wrote in message ...
Our baby was on board at 10 days old (in August), however for the remainder of
the first season we only took her out with a very experienced crew.

That winter she took the swimming for infants class at the "Y" she has since
become "water baby" with no fear of the water.

The following several summers she stayed mainly in a car seat lashed in the
cockpit under the dodger. The forward bunk acquired a "door" so it turned into
a crib; parents were forced to sleep in the main cabin. Our boat then was a
Nonsuch 30 which has a large, deep, secure cockpit. With that and full netting,
we never worried about her falling overboard. You'll find there is no good
infant PFD, but as early as you can, get them used to wearing a PFD when
necessary. Also, make sure you have a good, lightweight stroller. The big
heavy ones have their place, but if you want to do dinghy/launch trips with the
little one, you have to use minimal gear. And you'll discover interesting
things, like diapers are great for changing the oil filter on your diesel!

For toys, the normal stuff is good, but you'll want water and beach toys.
Amelia spent a lot of time playing with a bucket of water in the cockpit. Which
reminds me, make sure you acquire proper submersible gear - its a bummer when
you find your VHF in the bottom of the bucket. Also, we had a TV/VHF combo;
nowadays a DVD player might get more use.

When she was 3 we bought a catamaran, partly because the level sailing is so
child safe. Also, the immense amount of space, below, in the cockpit, and
especially forward on the trampoline was greatly appreciated. Of course,
everyone got their own cabin! We spent a year doing the ICW & Keys when she was
5. Now the big cat is overkill for simple summer cruising, but the space is
still appreciated.

--
-jeff www.sv-loki.com
"The sea was angry that day, my friend. Like an old man trying to send back soup
at the deli."





"Joe Wood" wrote in message
...
We are expecting a blessed event in late February. I'm looking for
information on people's experiences in day sailing, weekend cruising,
and longer cruising with infants and very small children.

Considerations, Gear, Sources, etc.

Joe Wood
jlwood3 at erols dot com


10 days old and sailing, ok our daughter got you beat, she was 7 days
old.

Best thing we ever did with our kids when sailing was to partially
flood the cockpit under the bimini and they played for hours. We
cooled our feet in it.

All went well till our third who is amazingly hyperactive and also
doesnt sleep. The first two were so little trouble we didnt expect
this problem. One night we anchored and she slept on the main cabin
setee. About 6:00 am, I woke thinking "Somethings wrong", poked my
head out of the v-berth and there was no sign of 2 yr old Katie. Ran
out naked into the cockpit, and she was over the stern standing on the
boarding ladder. Pointing to the water as she saw me she said
"Hishies down dere". Next night she slept with us and we also put
every pot and pan on the companionway steps as an alarm.