Sailing with an infant

[j]

This is my 1st year sailing. Unlike all the posts I saw, this isn't a technical question. I have a 6 month old who will be sailing with us. In a car, it's easy he goes in the car seat. But what do you do with an infant on a boat? I'd really appreciate any suggestions. I'm nervous enough about learning how to sail without having to worry about his safety.

 

[Tom]

Infant

My son is now age 3 and has been going along on our C30 since age 4 months.My wife built a net screen across the v-berth entrance, reinforced with cloth at the edges. Through the top and bottom I pushed 3/4" diam PVC pipe. Prevented him from crawling under when he could crawl, and provided a firm handhold when he could grab the top to help him stand when he was learning how to do that. Snaps on the edges allowed us to open and close the net. And the berth was filled with toys that he could look at and play with (like a play pen).When he could sit in a chair, we tied a First Years portable booster seat to the seat bench on the port side of the cabin; webbing through the 2 little cubbies and the partition between, as well a line from the back of the seat up to the pinrail prevents the seat from sliding around, even when on port tack. Has a slide-in & out tray so he can eat or play. My son also falls asleep in this chair. He still uses it today.I was more concerned with the easy-to-open engine access doors when he became a crawler. Didn't want him to become attracted to & try to open the doors when the engine was running (moving belt). So, I installed small magnetic locks on each of the 3 doors to the engine, and a magnetic key opens the locks from the outside. Typical baby-proof cabinet latches would still allow him to open the door a little, but these latches lock tight to prevent that.

 

[Tom Soko]

It's Easy!

J,Sailing with an infant is easy. When they get to be 18-24 months old, it's a lot tougher. We had our kids on board most weekends starting at the age of about 2 weeks. When they are young (less than 10-12 mos?), they don't walk. The same car seat you mentioned is perfect for the child. Fasten it somewhere below, and they will sleep for hours. The gentle rocking motion will also put the first mate to sleep! Once they start walking, their balance is not so good. Add to that the motion of the boat, and a football helmet should be required gear. On our 30 I built a gate for the V-berth. It looked like the side of a crib, with vertical slats. With lots of padding, the Vberth was great for napping, even under way. Once the kids started getting mobile, we found a safety harness with a 6' tether, fastened in back, attached to the binacle, much better than a hot bulky life jacket. Just some thoughts.Tom Soko

 

[Tim Dranttel]

Car Seat

Our daughter was 4 months when we started her sailing on our Cat 30. Like the others we kept her in her car seat. Most of the time she slept. Once she got mobile I put up safety netting on the life lines and used a harness on her. Did not like it at first but got use to it. She was (and still is) small for her age so even the infant life jackets did not fit her well. Now that she is three we make her wear a life jacket of course. We did modify it for comfort by removing two layers of flotation from the front of the jacket and sewing it back up. Still has more than enough floatation. With our new 3 month old we put him in a pack-and-play that fits in the salon where the table would go. Fits great and he sleeps like a....baby!Good LuckTim