Toddler life jacket tantrums.....

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Martin1976

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Afternoon Forum,

Looking for some advice please!!

Taken two years to convince my rather risk averse missus to get the 2 year old on the boat (Nimbus 27) however regrettably it seems the 'terrible two's' are alive and kicking....the mere sight of a pink, Swedish toddler life vest resulted in a monumental melt-down, much to the amusement of the people working on the boat next to us in Hamble Point.

Any suggestions/ideas gratefully received as to how to introduce life jackets to toddlers!!!!


Martin
 
Maybe it's as simple as the child doesn't like the colour? Maybe take him/her to buy one of their own choosing.
 
Well I can't deny that those two replies have both made me smile......and maybe I can see your point, she's thinking, why do you get the nice small black one and i get a massive load of pink coloured foam...........
 
Martin1976 said:
Well I can't deny that those two replies have both made me smile......and maybe I can see your point, she's thinking, why do you get the nice small black one and i get a massive load of pink coloured foam...........
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Exactly, you have to get into the psyche of a two year old. Having past the 50 mark myself this year more of my brain cells have died and I am thus closer to the mental capacity of two year old than you...……..:D
 
You could try taking the child on a quiet evening to the local swimming pool. Introduce her and the life jacket at the same time to the pleasures of the toddler's pool. By association the life vest becomes something of a treat.

???
 
Worth a try I guess!! This is a no option thing, she HAS to like the damn thing.....life jacket with Shaun the Sheep stickers down at the local pool....
 
Oddly enough when our youngest grand daughter first had to wear a buoyancy aid it was no problem at all. The meltdown came when she was told she had to take it off and leave it behind at Granny’s house:)
 
For what it's worth, we didn't bother putting my son in a life jacket at all times, just made sure it was on the boat close at hand, and that he would wear it if we wanted him to.

I know its controversial, but we don't wear life jackets as a matter of course, which is fairly typical round here (mallorca)
 
growing up we never wore lifejackets as they were all big & bulky in the 70's, but if we were sailing and my Mum went below to get them it meant we were out of the Solent and either we were sinking or in a Force 8 or above..

Anyway our boating is more sedate than my parents and although she is all grown up now when we started she wanted an auto inflate lifejacket as soon as one would fit as she also hated her large foam filled affair, think she had to be over 20kg or so for an auto inflate...think we got her in it when she was 4 or 5yrs...fortunately she was quite tall for her age which meant it fitted OK'ish!

….So good luck in the intervening years!!
 
I'm inclined to take that route Simon however the missus then can't help herself but try to stop the meltdown without luck! Anyway, appreciate your comments, given food for thought!!!
 
I always put it on and tested it out by lifting them by the shoulders of the lifejacket a few times, was a bit of novelty.

If you're tied up to a marina, take them onboard without the lifejacket to start with but refuse to go anywhere until they put it on.
Maybe send the missus to the shop for treats, then force the issue of the lifejacket where you can deal with the meltdown behind closed doors.
 
I recently bought a boat again and was dreading the lifejacket argument with my 4 year old, he wasn’t for trying it on in the shop but the excitements of the boat got him to wearing it on board(luckily orange is also his favourite colour).

I grew up with an overprotective parent so I always had my life jacket on however I think if they’re inside there’s no need as long as it’s close by for when they are out on deck or during times when you’re concentrating on something else. We have a rule during mooring/berthing etc he sits in his seat and isn’t allowed to move from there.

Krusaver(I think) do an auto-inflate from 15kg although probably still wouldn’t suit your 2 year old
 
Tantrums are easy to deal with. You simply refuse to give in and never go back on your word. I'e if you say you cannot go on the boat unless yiu are wearing a lifejacket, then stick to that rule. The best weapon in your armoury is a united front, with both parents on message, agreeing the rules and implementing them religiously. Unfortunately, it sounds like you don't have that, so I would say your two year old is not yet ready for the boat.
 
alex_m24 said:
….
I grew up with an overprotective parent
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I am the youngest of 4, as far as my parents were concerned they had one son and three spares. A collection of air rifles from the age of 5, full size archery targets on the front lawn from the age of 6, off-piste skiing from 9, my own car (wolseley 1100) from the age of 12 and the only supervision that may or may not have been paying attention would have been one of my brothers. The fact I only died once when I was growing up, when found floating face down in the swimming pool at the age of 2 I think is quite impressive. My Mum found me in & gave me CPR and apparently I was banned from the pool for the rest of the day....
So when it came to sailing the same laissez faire attitude meant we were foredeck crew from the off and I'm still surprised I only got swept off the deck once, but understandably given a bollocking for an causing a series of unnecessary tacks to come and retrieve.... as I said, my boating today feels much more sedate, my Dad is no longer with us, but if we dared cause a fuss about not doing what we were told all hell broke lose, so if a lifejacket had been presented to us, we would wear it!! ;)
 
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