Babies on Board

[brian and clare]

Hi,

I may have asked this before, but We are thinking about kids and want to start trying for one pretty soon, but Clare gets very seasick without the patch and the bonine/dramamine dont work for her. The patch is apparently off limits if you are pregnant. We are pretty concerned about having her pregnant underway since she is pretty much guaranteed to be horribly sick without the patch. Has anyone been preggers while doing a cruise? Most legs will only be 2-3 days and I am sure she could be seasick for a few, but dont want it to ruin things for her on the cruise. By the way, we tried just letting her get over it by giving her nothing for a few days, but instead of coming out the other side cured, she just got more and more incapacitated. She had ear problems as a kid and I think it has something to do with that.

Thanks
B

[searcher48]

Has she tried the "wrist bands" a small button on a wrist band that presses on an acupuncture point on the wrist. They work for a lot of people, I used them for "morning sickness" You just have to make sure you position them right.Relieve Nausea and Vomiting during Travel, Pregnancy, Surgery Anesthesia, Cancer Treatment Also ginger in all forms drink ginger beer/ale, chew cristalized ginger etc

[the5]

Howdy,

My wife and I were thinking of getting one of these baby hammocks. What do you experienced baby boaters think of them?

Here is an example:
Motion Bed Packages
Amby Baby Photo Gallery - Product Photos - Amby Cuddle Snugglers Blue Bed

I figured we could hang it in the boat somewhere. Those baby hammocks look so comfortable I think I want one.

Jason

[brian and clare]

sadly tried and failed with teh wristbands. The patch is the only one that works. But then again, she really only gets seasick when things are pretty rough but that is fairly often offshore. We may just have to rough it between islands and fill her with food before the crossings.

[schoonerdog]

Hi there
Baby should sleep with mom and you on the boat. Safest, most secure, everyone gets the most sleep, and close to milk supply. Trust me.
You don't need all of those baby gadgets on a boat. All you need is breastmilk, a sling and backpack carrier, and some good music.
We brought our son home to the boat from birth and would be happy to share more tips of you have specific questions...
gotta run for now....
Cindy

Originally Posted by the5

Howdy,

My wife and I were thinking of getting one of these baby hammocks. What do you experienced baby boaters think of them?

Here is an example:
Motion Bed Packages
Amby Baby Photo Gallery - Product Photos - Amby Cuddle Snugglers Blue Bed

I figured we could hang it in the boat somewhere. Those baby hammocks look so comfortable I think I want one.

Jason

[Fishman]

Hi there
Currently buying a Privilege 42, very excited! We have 2 boys, 3 years old and 5 months old. My wife, kids and I are going to fly from South Africa to Trinidad and basically move straight onto the boat with the 2 kiddies.
We need some tips please to make this move as painless as possible. Obviously with flying we cant bring much...maybe car seat and stroller?
Questions:
Anybody use Mobilert or similar bracelit type MOB system?
Whats the best lifejacket for kids?
Tethers - do they work?
Any interesting entertainment ideas for 3 year old?
Essential toys?
Inflatable pool?
Food ideas?
Netting from Pulpit to pulpit...practical?
How do you keep an eye on them when you are in the galley (galley down) and they are on the aftdeck/cockpit?
Nannies/Au pairs?

We are going to be cruising the southern carib from May onwards...

Any good spots with other kiddie boats?

Thanks
Fishman

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by Fishman

Anybody use Mobilert or similar bracelit type MOB system?

No, I havent used it but I say hello each year at the boat show. Mobilarm - Man overboard safety systems was invented and now made by an Aussie and I think its a damn good product.
he tells me its better than the raython one as each unit has a rechargable battery. sits in a charger on the nav station.

The bit where there is a spare swicth (?) so it can be wired to the auto pilot etc to send the boat into the wind on activation (as well as alarm) which sounds like the only way for a solo sailor to help himself.

For kids the unit looks great, more funky that the raython wrist band. Its not expensive at $1,000 aprox when there's kiddly-winks on board. If they grow up wearing one round their neck they will get used to it.

[Joli]

Both our kids have been aboard since they were 1 week old. At that time we were sailing a 35 foot mono and found the baby seat was great to have aboard. The kids would sleep easily in most any sea condition. Regarding life jackets we bought the style that had a large high collar and a loop so we could pluck them from the water if the went in. They wore the jackets on deck and on the dock always. They were not allowed on deck alone at any time till they were older. We had lots of fun sailing and being aboard with the kids. Today they both love to sail and race every chance they get.

[schoonerdog]

I am not a big believer in gadgets for children. Luckily they are constantly evolving and are smarter than we give them credit for. Our son was brought home from the hospital to the boat and is 3.5 now. We have worked very long and hard to teach him the rules so that he may be safe and that we may have peace of mind. He KNOWS not to leave the cockpit without a grownup or a lifejacket. Period. You just need to spend that time teaching them and making it non-negotiable.

A stroller would be a big hassel I'd think. We never had one, though we only have one child. An Ergo Carrier (ERGObaby - baby carrier - back pack - sling) was our best tool for our son... so we could get on board with him strapped to ur backs and have our hands free for groceries, holding hands of little friends, etc.

Keep toys open ended, battery free, and simple. Play silks, play animals and dolls, a few trucks, some blocks, dress up clothes. Our son LOVES playing make believe and incorporates everyday objects from shells to buttons to tupperware to coconut shells with his set of small animals and dolls. Lots of books and books on CD are fabulous for bad weather. Art supplies are great and you can make play-doh and have play-doh tools to stay busy.

Most days toys will be left for pure outside play. Shovels, buckets, funnels, ropes, nets are endless fun!

You won't need an inflatable pool in Trinidad... you'll have the beach and ocean!

Netting is a good idea, but lifejackets and firm rules can do the trick too.

Your little ones may fight the lifejacket (floaties) lifestyle at first, but I PROMISE if you stick with it they become second nature and second skin and they can do everything in them.
The best lifejacket is one they will wear. Take them to West Marine or wherever you shop and let them pick one out and try them on. Get extras for friends.

Nannies? Hmmm, I guess that a personal choice. I always thought the point of cruising was to be together as a family.

Go with the flow, don't over-prepare food and toys. And just enjoy the experience through your children's eyes.

Cheers
Cindy

Originally Posted by Fishman

Hi there
Currently buying a Privilege 42, very excited! We have 2 boys, 3 years old and 5 months old. My wife, kids and I are going to fly from South Africa to Trinidad and basically move straight onto the boat with the 2 kiddies.
We need some tips please to make this move as painless as possible. Obviously with flying we cant bring much...maybe car seat and stroller?
Questions:
Anybody use Mobilert or similar bracelit type MOB system?
Whats the best lifejacket for kids?
Tethers - do they work?
Any interesting entertainment ideas for 3 year old?
Essential toys?
Inflatable pool?
Food ideas?
Netting from Pulpit to pulpit...practical?
How do you keep an eye on them when you are in the galley (galley down) and they are on the aftdeck/cockpit?
Nannies/Au pairs?

We are going to be cruising the southern carib from May onwards...

Any good spots with other kiddie boats?

Thanks
Fishman

[Fishman]

Thanks for all the great info...hopefully there will be a west marine on Trinidad. As far as the nanny goes...our kids go to bed strictly at 7 pm, (95% percent of the time) and sleep in their own rooms till 7am...we think its unfair to them (and us!) to lug them with us if when we go out for dinner or whatever when in port...so it would be nice for us to hire a trustworthy nanny or au pair when we are in a marina occasionally...I did not mean taking a nanny with us for cruising...

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Fishman

T...hopefully there will be a west marine on Trinidad ...

There’s no West Marine in Trini’, but there are several decent chandleries, including:
Budget Marine
Caribbean Chandleries: Budget Marine in St. Maarten/St. Martin, Trinidad, Grenada, Bonaire, Curacao, St Thomas, Antigua.

[svbeausoleil]

diapers
The only way to go is cloth, for who has the room or the money for those terrible polluters paper diapers. My son wore a variety of cloth diapers for 18 months, then he was toilet trained, but that is another story.
We were on our engineless 24' Columbia, Tola, and had only a limited amount of fresh water, which we used only for cooking and drinking, I wouldn't waste drinkable water on diapers. We tied a clove hitch to one corner of the diaper and tossed it off the stern to give it a wash. For pee we dragged it about 30 minutes or so. For the soiled ones it needed at least one hour. We then pegged the diaper to the handlines and the wind blew the salt out of the cloth and the sun bleached it white. I made sure that the diapers came in and were folded as soon as they were dry; the night air will only make them feel damp.
Our son never had diaper rash from the salt water washed cloth, only from the paper ones I would use if we were on any land excursion. (They were difficult to find and costly twenty years ago in the Med.)
When the original pile of diapers wore out for their intended purpose, they became great rags. I then cut up old flannel sheets, hemmed them and used them till they too met their end.
But the best thing is why does the child have to wear diapers at all while in the tropics, visiting lovely sandy beaches or running around in the dinghy? Let them sit on a diaper while in the cockpit, not in one.
Using the toilet on a boat is not a private as in the house. The small ones will learn very quickly how it all works, for there are few secrets.
Want to learn more?

sailingbooks - Â*Â* Mike Riley's Sailing Books PageÂ*

Enjoy
Karen
SV Beau Soleil

[mkrautha]

We aren't yet cruising I have to say, but we do get out day sailing as much as we can, while we get our lives in order (and a vessel in order) for cruising for a bit. We bring our 2-year-old daughter on board every time we go out. Her first time out was a year ago.
Some tips we picked up are as follows:
1) Bring plenty of water, snacks and the right gear for her (like for everyone else)

2) A well-fitted, comfortable life-vest for the child is crucial. If they're constantly fussing with the vest they'll be miserable. It helps if you can get them interested in the vest while on the hard. Make it "special"

3) Start teaching terminology as soon as they can talk.

4) Take them to look at boats, read to them about boats etc. Make sailing a special thing and they'll be thrilled to go.

5) Safetywise, there is an inherent risk in sailing for everyone, so obviously be smart in choosing your craft and your weather. There is also an inherent risk in crossing the street, driving a car, eating tomatoes...

Michael
http://theperfectsailboatproject.blogspot.com/.

[2divers]

Just got back from our summer two weeks in the bay with our daughter who is 18 months. Lots of surprises.

Started with the first day at dock, she climbed the companion way stairs, and then back down. The following day it was done with a sippy cup under one arm. So much for the idea of that being a kid barrier. The good news is she only slipped once and slid about three steps. It was because she was wearing a sleeper with footies and they slid. Had she been bare foot it would not have happened.

Sleeping the first two nights was with us in the main berth and after that was in the quarter berth on her own. What was really nice was getting her in the morning when she first woke up and then laying her down with us to nap for another hour till we all were ready to get up.

We webbed the life-lines in the cockpit only this time, so safety rules were pretty simple.
1) Not allowed out of the cockpit with out mom or dad.
2) Not allowed to play on the companion way stairs.
3) Life vest any time we were moving.
4) Clipped in any time there was only her and one adult in the cockpit.
(ie managing sails on deck, anchoring, etc.)
5) No dangling of anything over or through the netting.


The real surprise was one afternoon about halfway through the trip we were getting back aboard the boat from the dingy and my wife stood her up on the boarding ladder (eyeball level with the deck or so) while she threw a bag up on deck with the other hand. Bree climbed up the boarding ladder on her own and scrambled onto the deck. No mean feat since the steps are almost hip high on her.

Diapers were disposable and we used a 'diaper genie' container from any of the big box stores. Never smelled a dirty diaper the whole time and it would hold about 2-3 days worth of diapers before we would have to empty it into a trash bag and take the trash ashore.

Things to do differently next time.... Hmmm... lots of boat things to change, but nothing to do differently with the kid.

2divers

[clausont]

Well, we must be working at getting closer. Our five kids all love sailing - even crossing the bar here in Oregon. They all ask if we can "go to the boat this weekend" . Our two year old loves to "fish" with his little fishing pole that has only a plastic fish on the line when we are in the slip
The older ones have found out how fun the surprise of catching fish is from the boat. They all love to see the wildlife while we are sailing. They love the quiet when we are not motoring.
This past weekend we were at Napa Valley Marina and looked at an older Columbia 45 that was there. Mama said that a boat that size would be very nice with all the room in it compared to our little Cal 2-29. She really liked it. We are looking to move up in size so we can do a little more sailing or weekend harbor hopping soon.
As for diapers, there are no more of those here - the two year old has been out of them for a few months now.
Work wise, we are trying to work it around where I can work from home and quit my government job. Sure, it is a secure job with great benefits - but I don't think that there could be greater benefits than cruising with the family. Maybe I am wrong there. As long as we have an internet connection (as with so many others) I have full time work or part time that pays well and so does my wife.