sailing with a baby

[rkane]

We're expecting our first baby in March and are really interested in what sleeping arrangements other sailors have made for babies on their boats. We've got a 32' steel boat and are thinking along the lines at the moment of a baby hammock within a travel cot to counteract the heel of the boat. Any advice or ideas?

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Guest]

Hang your baby-grows and nappy's in the shrouds when moored ...... no-one will raft alongside you !!!! Keeping you nice and clear of 'walkers over deck' - ready to depart when you want !!!!

The hammock sounds great - why anything else - as long as it holds the babe in and is low enough and close to plenty of soft landing materials ..........


<hr width=100% size=1>Nigel ...
Bilge Keelers get up further ! I only came - cos they said there was FREE Guinness !

 

[Georgio]

Hi, not sure if this will help but I first went sailing when I was 6 days old. as I'm sure you can appreciate I don't remember much. However I gather I used to be quite happy in my carry-cot that was tied to the saloon table. The boat was only 27foot so I'm sure you will manage.

Personally, I think it's a great idea to get young babies used to the movement of a boat while young as it should help in the long run with sea-sickness?? afterall, parents are encouraged to take babies swiming when very young... so why not sailing

best of luck!!

G

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[SlowlyButSurely]

We lived aboard our 30 foot steel boat with our baby. We put the baby in the forecabin with an insert fitted in the V between the bunks. We fitted a Mothercare stair gate to the entrance so that he could not escape. All the corners were padded so that he couldn't hurt himself. He slept in a carrycot on one of the bunks, secured by straps so that it couldn't move.
We fitted a baby car seat for him in the cockpit, which he usually slept in during the day when on passage, unless it was really rough. This all worked very well for us.

We had to have a lifejacket and harness custom made. Don't know if these are available now, but we certainly couldn't find them 10 years ago.

Best of luck.


<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Mirelle]

37ft gaff cutter. Probably similar internal volume to you, or a bit less.

Babies do not get seasick, but be warned, we have found out that toddlers DO, even if they have been sailing since they were new babies!

Actually, new babies are easy - they tend to go to sleep.

I am very doubtful about the hammock idea - they tend to develop a swing out of synchronicity with the roll of the boat and will throw the occupant out or bump him. They don't really work in anything smaller than a Nelsonian frigate!

The baby can be chocked in with pillows, and if necessary strapped in, to any bunk with a leecloth, and since they never get sick the motion is of no consequence to them.

It is toddlers that are the real stuff of nightmares.....ours learned how to master the companion ladder at the age of 1.4...

There are no lifejackets or harnesses for the under one year old. Crewsaver do a floatation cot which costs a fortune and we decided to risk drowning the baby. From one onwards, Crewsaver do really good solid foam lifejackets, with harness at the back and crutch straps. The padding comes in quite useful for reducing "impact damage" when crashing into things, and our smallest, now 1.6, likes to put his on - he knows it means boat and water, which (luckily) he likes!

Some people advise a car seat, strapped into the cockpit, but we have not found this much use. This is probably because of the shape of our cockpit, which is very exposed with seats at deck level. Toddlers will want to be on deck....

Being Asian, my wife brings children up a little differently, and he sleeps in her bunk on board - fine in a double bed at home, less fine in a pilot berth! At the moment he seems happy to sleep the other way round to Mummy, and next year he can have a bunk of his own in the forepeak with his brother.

The most important advice is - get used to sailing singlehanded whilst being distracted, because one of you will be wholly preoccupied with baby. It is a good deal harder than just sailing singlehanded. Now would be a good time to start practising....

<hr width=100% size=1><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by Mirelle on 05/09/2003 11:55 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[AndrewB]

Did exactly the same ...

... though I never lived aboard with a baby. We too could not find any suitable lifejacket, so left it at harness only. When they grew bigger they hated those stiff old lifejackets, so we compromised with PFD's when moored, harness when moving. (Of course we carried proper lifejackets for emergencies).

I agree with Mirelle that the problems really start when they can walk. Very young babies are no trouble (well, no more than they are ashore), except for the amount of extra gear.

 

[shamrock]

I'd second all that Mirelle said. We now have one at 18 months and another due soon, and we sailed with the little one since 3 weeks old. Our solution (on a 30ft cruiser-racer) is to rig up the car seat from the cabin roof, so we could see and be seen from the cockpit. Worked like a charm many times. We had a gibb hook to the roof and bungee both sides plus back to the mast where it comes through the deck. Experiment.

We used the same on her Grandad's Bavaria 38 including some Force 8 passagemaking - she didn't worry a bit (although we did!). Here we hung the seat from webbing that went out through a roof hatch and round a strong point. With flat webbing, you can close the hatch again.

Now she is 18 months old and we have only been sailing once - actually it was motoring, because with me to look after the boat and my (pregnent) wife chasing the kid, it's all a bit hectic, as you can see. She wants to get out of the cockpit and wander around.

We think that a 'playpen' - an area with soft cushions but a barrier like a gate or netting is essential to keep sailing with her.

Don't let it stop you - our daughter has been more places and done more things in 18 months than most adults do in 5 years - and it's great fun.



<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[clouty]

I think my youngest was about 5 weeks whenm we first wedged her into the cuddy of a flying fifteen, and she went straight to sleep as soon as the outboard went on, sleeping through a force 5 to Brighton. She came with us everywhere, after that. When we graduated, through a few stages, to a 35' Hillyard, travelled distances and days on deep oceans. Best helm on the boat, but only for an hour, aged eight.

Be careful with the pillows. Put them, or any bunched up fabric stuff, under the mattress to create a U shaped cross section. Leecloths need to be large and can do the rest, or hold in the carrycot.. If fixed at both vertical edges to the sideboards/bulkheads, a leecloth makes an effective playpen later.

None of my three get seasick, much, now or then.

<hr width=100% size=1>clouty

 

[tome]

Some good advice here. I've seen the opposite end of the scale with a 6 week old baby on board where mum was below trying to change the nappy and skipper dad wouldn't allow us to tack until the task was completed. We ended up on the Shingles bank and it all became a bit fraught, it ruined mum's trip and she became very anxious thereafter. If dad had thought it through the nappy change could easily have waited until we were clear.

Mums especially become very protective of their little bundles and it pays to forward plan much more than usual. My nephews and nieces (aka the 'Taliban') have all come onboard at a very early age and none of them seem prone to sickness.



<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[wiggy]

we have sailed with our oldest since she was 3 and was scaringly confident from word go. She always wears lifejacket as she leaves companionway. Had a new baby this year and all was fine until she needed a sleep and my wife went below to settle her, baby was firn wife was very sick (down wind rolly waves). Best purchace was tiller pilot it is fantastic to sit with my daughter at the bow and dible our feet in the water while Erik steers.Over the winter I plan to have a cunning plan to resolve all our problems. Next year I will solve world poverty and global warming!!!!

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Ivy]

I don't know much about babies (screeming poop machines) but is it necassary to change the nappy? surely if you tie a rope around a leg, attach the other end to the boat and tow him/her behind for a few mins it will come out clean ! !

just don't do it when sailing down wind





<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Avocet]

We've had very similar experiences to most of the other posters. Our first child is now 5 and we've just had our second. Both went to sleep instantly as soon as the nasty, noisy, harsh single cylinder inboard diesel was fired up! Now the older one doesn't sleep when motoring but it still works like a charm with the 2 month old. I think babies can't get seasick because they don't have a fully developed balance system. The "upside" of this is that they can't get motion sick but the five year old has, just once. The well-padded forepeak works fine for a baby that wil entertain itself but is a horrible place for an adult (usually mum) to have to spend time under way if they need entertaining. My wife often gets sick down below underway. I also had to learn a lot about single handed sailing very quickly. ANY labour or time saving devices (autopilot, roller reefing, laxyjacks etc) are worth their weight in GOLD! We found it best to keep to a large number of very short passages (like an hour or two on the tide) than risk boredom for the kids and nausea for the mum - takes a lot of the fun out of it! Finally, always change a nappy on the leeward berth!

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[david_bagshaw]

My daughter Abigail started boating from 4 months, was totally used to any noise or motion, The bow thrust is near her cabin, even that would not wake her, doesnt now at 12, but that is different.

Use to attach a swing to the boom for hours of fun, & had one basic rule, sit on the skippers chair , see all hear all touch nowt!

have fun & enjoy some of the best times

<hr width=100% size=1>David
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.euroboating.net>http://www.euroboating.net</A>

 

[richardandtracy]

Just one very real 'Watch it' that happened to us on the Norfolk Broads.

Number one Brat at the age of 18 months was dying to copy Mummy & Daddy doing the steering and driving. The first opportunity she got was when both of us hopped off the boat to moor. Brat, safely in her pen found she could reach the throttle & steering wheel, slammed the throttle on full and pointed the bow back out into the river.

Fortunately, I had just enough time to put a couple of turns around a tree before I was dumped into the water. My wife was left on the bank having had the mooring rope pulled out of her hands. Scared us witless.

Brat, however, was as happy as anything because she'd been able to copy her parents.

Urgh! Children, who'd have em?

Regards

Richard.


<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[yachtcharisma]

Just a little to add to the above from experience with our two, now 22months (sailed from 3 months) and 6 weeks (sailed from 2 weeks).

I'm not quite sure Mirelle is right about the lifejacket issue - I agree the Crewsaver ones are excellent, but I seem to remember that ours wore hers from about 6 months not a year. The harness has been the most important bit and provides peace of mind when she's walking along the pontoon too, free to wander where she wants knowing that if she steps off the edge daddy will just suspend her from her harness before she hits the water! Before six months we've not found an entirely satisfactory solution - strapped to us, and us harnessed on is generally what we do. Although we've recently tried the car seat in the cockpit, which worked will, especially the rocking motion when hung from the backstay (with, as others have said, a bit of cord to restrain lateral movement a bit too)!

Sleeping, well we had the first when we were sailing our corribee (21'), so certainly had no space for a travel cot. After spending a long time trying to work out how to build unclimbable cot-sides for one of the berths we actually just bought some foam and cut it to the shape of the cabin sole, which made an excellent bed with nowhere for her to fall. Only disadvantage was that with only one cabin we all had to go to bed at the same time! We now have a bigger boat, and she sleeps in a padded forecabin, which we intend the new one to share with her once he stops crying so much in the night!!

Cheers
Patrick

<hr width=100% size=1>Sailing a Victoire 25 on the Scottish West Coast

 

[DaveParry]

It's great to see so many people taking their kids on the water. I was interested in similar threads before we had our kids and they gave lots of encouragement. We sail a 26'er and have not had any problems, although we keep our outings fairly tame on the Clyde so as not to scare them off while still young. Oddly enough, the newborns are the easiest to deal with - as others have mentioned, just strap a car seat to the saloon table. We've even had the pushchair on board fully reclined for overnights. When they start crawling they're much more difficult as they can't stand up but you can't leave them strapped down for long. From toddling onwards it geats easier again. We've used the forepeak surrounded by sail bags and they are quite used to sleeping and playing in there. I rigged up some gaurdwire netting across the cabin door and they love having their own 'den'!

Best advice I think is have a go but always turn back while they are still enjoying it if you want them to crew for you when they are older!

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[MADFISH]

We put a Tomy bed guard ( the things that stop oler kids falling out of a normal bed) in the forepeak. This stops kid (21 months) falling out at night. On passage after getting board on deck he likes to play in the aft cabin padded with duvet and pillows. This usually results in sleep!



<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[rachelgreen]

I think it's inappropriate to take a baby to the boat!

 

[gliptus]

I lived on a boat from 12 days to ten years old, I thought that people who lived in houses had rather missed the point of things.

 

[BrendanS]

I think it's inappropriate to take a baby to the boat!

Why? and why did you feel so strongly you had to restart a thread from 2003?