infants, lifejackets, wee one issues: not looking good...

[LittleMissMagic]

Wouldn't a life jacket below decks be potentially dangerous in the event of a catastrophic sinking, pinning the wearer below? I know this would not matter much in the case of an infant I'm just curious about my older kids and non swimming passengers.

[USCGRET1990]

Originally Posted by sailingdog

USCG-

Paranoia aside, I don't believe you need to have PFD on the little ones if they are below, in an enclosed cabin space.

I guess it's all what you are comfortable with. I suppose if the boat sinks and you're down below, your not gonna float anyway.

[sailingdog]

Actually, having a PFD on in a sinking boat can badly interfere with your ability to get free.

[Sailormann]

The only time I sailed with an infant on board he slept in a net hammock that we had in the V-berth - the nylon ones that we usually stow bedding in. According to my brother, who owned the child, this is a popular method of keeping them out of harm's way, and they seem to find the swaying to be soothing.

[ref_123]

Hi Jak,

my answer is - get yourself a similarly looking "traditional" PFD. Babies are OK to do whaever if their parents do it. My girl was REQUESTING to get into the PFD when she saw me putting mine on ).

On the other hand, although our girl (2.5 now) got on a boat at a very early age, she sailed only in the main cabin until she was over a year old.

You can get her a great baby hammock so that she is comfortable underway - Hammocks - Hammock Heaven, check the Bambi line. Attaches to cabin handrails in a second.

Regards,
Stan

[T37Chef]

Originally Posted by Sailormann

According to my brother, who owned the child, this is a popular method of keeping them out of harm's way, and they seem to find the swaying to be soothing.

Hey how much did he pay for that kid?

[sailollie]

I would give it a few months too. There's a world of difference between a 5 month old that can barely sit and an 8 or 9 month old that crawls. But definitely keep trying--and good luck!

[Cruisingdad]

Well, I see this is a bit of an old thread. Sorry Jakmedic, I did not see it at the time.

I would not go with ANY other PFD other than a Mustang. I am a huge fan of their products. Our fist son was on board at 5 days old and we lived aboard and cruised. Life jackets are a must and should be worn a bunch to get them used to it. As was mentioned earlier, they WILL get accustomed to it and it will not be an issue.

You can take them swimming in their jacket to try and start getting them used to it. Taking it off when they cry about it is a great way to start a bad habit. They will just cry everytime you put it on. Once they figure out it is not debateable, they will deal with it.

I will tell you our rules: If at the marina in the cockpit without someone in the cockpit with them, they typically need to wear their lifejacket. Reason being is that if the fall overboard at the marina, chances are that they will bang their head. Not so at anchor. However, without adult supervision, they are always required to have their jacket on anywhere outside. When underway, my kids do not wear a jacket down below. THey do when we are under way and they are in the cockpit.

You are going to HAVE to get her used to wearing that jacket because you will be doing a lot of rides in the tender, and it is neccessary in the tender.

Also, when our kids were infants, we rarely put the jacket on them. You can strap them into a car seat or a play pin and they are fine with that. Even when in the cocpit, we typically did not put them in a jacket except if the weather began to get questionable. At those times the kids go down below anyways. When the kids get a bit older and they can move around, the rules change. But I guarantee you that they will get used to it. All kids do. Just stay firm and don't give in.

For your information, we are going to be putting togther an article on cruising with kids. It appears we will get a lot of participation from many cruisers with children - including Melanie Neale, whom I have been in contact with.

Hopefully it will be informative, helpful, and fun.

All the best. Hope the post made sense. I am running today and not writing my best.

- CD

[jakmedic]

Hey Cruisingdad, just found your post, thanks! Sure am inspired by your experience with kids growing up on board, and dreaming to make that happen with us. Your rules for the kids make a lot of sense and were very helpful...I'm sure you're right, our little one will eventually deal with the PFD issue and get used to it just fine (still haven't gotten her on board yet!). Can't wait to make this whole thing really happen....

Have you gotten your cruising with kids article together yet? I'd love to read it...

Thanks again...

[CLucas]

My daughters are aged 8 and 11 and PFDs are non-negotiable, period. When it's hot, or dead calm or "hey Dad, the kids on THAT boat over there don't have them on..." -- tough darts, gotta wear 'em. Don't give in, ever, and it quickly will become habit. Most important is that they fit properly and are comfortable (not all are, of course).

Best suggestion... Take the kids to the store to pick out their own -- ones with cartoon characters on it perhaps, as long as it's a 'legal' type xxx (III? sorry, it's early) pfd. They'll actually *like* wearing it if has SpongeBob, Dora, etc on it.

If we're cruising and are below for the night, the pfds can come off. Until then, they're on - from when we board the launch to when we get on shore.