Boating with Babies and Toddlers
We just had the PERFECT boating trip last weekend with a baby and a toddler! My 10 month old is walking y’all! So she’s not so baby anymore. There was ZERO crying. Nobody had a meltdown AND the boat ran smooth! We have an older SeaRay boat with a small cabin that is perfect for the girls to play and nap in. We spent about 4 hours on the lake and this is what we did and brought to help entertain the girls.
Here’s Emma pretty excited for her boating trip. Her boating must haves are a hat, purse, and a maraca! Toddlers are so funny! Inside her little purse there is a couple of her favorite mini toys.
MUST HAVE: Safety Life Jackets!
I was curious if they even made infant lifejackets BUT they DO! There’s extra support around the neck to keep their head afloat. My baby has been wearing hers since she’s been about 2 months old and doesn’t seem to fuss much while she’s in it.
My toddler’s lifejacket is a vest that she whines about sometimes but it never comes off. There are 3 safety clips to keep the jacket secure when she’s in the water.
Lots of Snacks.
Each of the girls has a small tackle box that acts as a snack carrier. I stuff these with their favorite stuff: something sweet, fruit, fruit pouches, and some type of crackers.
Backpack filled with Essentials
-Diapers
-Wipes
-Bottles/Camelbak
-Sunscreen
-Mini Fan spray to keep them cool
-Toys: something that makes noise, Teether, Mini figurines, water toys
-Hats
-Sunglasses (if they keep them on)
-Water shoes
-Extra clothes
-Towels
Launching
My husband usually backs up the truck into the ramp close enough to the water. He then jumps in with the girls and I reverse the truck the rest of the way until it launches. I go park the truck and come back and get on from the dock. I wasn’t always this brave to park the boat! If its busy and spots are tight, we launch and tie the boat to the dock, put the girls in and I wait until he comes back from parking the truck and trailer.
Once that chaos is done, we’re off to cruise the lake! Depending on how the girls are feeling they’ll either play in the cabin and start eating snacks OR sit in our laps and enjoy the cruise. My toddler loves being my husband’s co-captain and my baby LOVES the wind in her face while we’re cruising! Silly girl <3
After a nice little cruise, we find a spot to anchor down. Usually we try to anchor down in a no-wake zone so we’re not constantly rocking back and forth.
Go Fishing
There are tons of adorable character fishing rods for kids! Some children fishing kits even come with a small tackle box and sunglasses. It’s fun for them to pick out their own rods and see them get excited to use them.
My daughter loves to fish and has been fishing for some time. She hasn’t learned to cast yet but she loves to reel them in. She can last at LEAST a half hour to an hour fishing until she gets tired of it. Our boat is pretty deep so the baby can walk and crawl around without us having to worry about her falling off the edge which gives us a piece of mind.
Swimming
We sit on the back of the boat and put our feet in the water and when we eventually have enough guts we jump in. My toddler isn’t a fan of bath time BUT she will swim in the lake. Go figure!? She kicks and kicks which eventually tires her out and she’s ready to nap soon after that. Parent win! I’ll sit on the edge with baby girl and she’ll kick her legs in the water until she gets tired. Instantly TWO napping babies! Love it!
Boat Retrieval
We usually dock the boat. My husband goes to get the truck and reverse it. Depending on how my toddler is acting, my husband will take her with him. I stay back with the baby. Before he puts the trailer in the water I load up the baby while he gets back into the boat. I’m the guide to help my husband put the boat in since I’m not overly confident driving the boat yet. Once he gets the boat close enough I catch it with the winch. He jumps out of the boat and I get into the driver seat to adjust the trailer in and out of the water. This is the hardest part when we go boating. We’re still novice and trying to figure out what works for us with two littles. So far this seemed to work great.
Have fun out on the lake! Be adventurous y’all. ‘Til next time <3
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