Grandfathers I need some help

[dwna1a]

Grandfathers or fathers, my daughter wants to be able to go boating this year. She has my 1yo grandson and he is still under 14 pounds.

I need to get him a pfd can any of you point me in the correct direction?

 

[alnav]

West Marine has a selection. Walmarts with a boat section have them as well. You need the "Infant" size that is good for up to 30 pounds.
Does your marina have a "grab bag"? Ours does and there are always infant/child PFDs available as kids/grandkids of the members grow out of them.

 

[Havana Shamrock]

My grand daughter wore this vest and she never complained it’s pretty highly rated and more than the common brands but it’s worth it.
My daughter in law did a lot of research on this topic and this vest is probably the best vest out there for the child’s age.
http://www.salusmarine.com/?products=bijoux-baby-vest

 

[Gofirstclass]

The pfd is a great idea but equally as important is that he always be on someone's lap. At that age he's going to want to explore. A sudden wave can knock them over and into something that could injure them.

I usually had the grandkids on my lap and let them "drive" the boat. They loved it and so did I.

 

[Blueone]

We picked up an infant pfd at Costco a few weeks back

 

[dwna1a]

My wife isn't going to let him wander around the boat and my daughter she will be even closer. Both have said he can only go when we find a PFD for him

 

[GypsmJim]

See the PFD in post 3. 1 YO is pretty old. My kids were boaters when they were 6 months old or less.

Certainly, keep them on a lap. Don't drive like a daemon. Some waves and bouncing should make them laugh, and after a few of them they will fall asleep.

You have a golden opportunity to shape their lives now. They will grow up to be responsible adults with your help.

My fondest memories of my entire life was sitting next to my Grandpa, holding the tiller, with an orange May West pushing up on my nose.

As I sit here in my office, pictures on my wall of Mom, Dad, Grandpa and his old 1939 Wagemaker grace my walls.

 

[Gofirstclass]

Please don't forget to take lots of photos and post a few on here. We all like to see families enjoying the water. Have fun!

 

[Blueone]

This is the reason we picked up an infant pfd... he is 8 months... our first grandkid.... my son has booked two weekends this summer on the boat....really looking forward to that

 

[hblock72]

Don't be afraid to try different PFD's if the first one is not the right choice. We started my daughter out in a neoprene one when she was 6 months old and she fussed alot. Ended up switching to a more standard polyester one and she was much happier. My theory is the neoprene sorta stuck to her skin and she didn't like it.

 

[Strecker25]

Second the Salus, my son did pretty well in it. We just graduated him to the next size up. Start em young!

sorry for all the pics, couldn’t help myself

 

[Gofirstclass]

Here's one of my favorite photos of grandkids on the boat. They're all watching a lure that's about 6" in the water and waiting for a fish to strike.

 

[b_arrington]

This is my son’s first time on the boat when he was 10 days old in 2006. He wore a Mustang infant PFD from the moment we left the car in the marina until we got back.

This is the next size up my daughter wore; its of similar design the the head flotation and grab handle.

This is them last season, slightly bigger.

 

[Gary B]

Our kids were born in the fall and started boating in Spring. We always liked Mustang brand for the kids
Enjoy boating with your grandchildren

 

[dwna1a]

I've sent all the recommendations to my wife and daughter.
Thank you all and Bet's (wife) loves the photos of the kids

I remember boating with my grandfather along the Elizabeth River. I wish I had photos

 

[bmac]

So, here's my grandson last summer....10 days old. My daughter and son in law brought him over to Fire Island by ferry to surprise my wife and I. My daughter loves the boat (had a nautical themed wedding) and was Sooooo excited to have the baby on board. Well, she was surprised by my reaction when I spent the first 10 minutes with him on the boat yelling at her and her husband that the baby should be in a life jacket or he shouldn't be on the water. Mind you, we bought infant and toddler life jackets when we found out she was pregnant. Of course they do no good in the garage. So then we had a grandmother mad, a daughter traumatized with the thought of endangering her newborn and me feeling bad about the whole thing. I was so concerned with their ferry ride back that I took our center console home, got the life jacket and brought it back for their ferry trip that night. Nobody thought to get a picture of that though. I hope he grows up in the boating lifestyle and learns to be safe on the water. He's almost 9 months old now and has been taking swimming lessons. (without the life jacket). This thread reminds me to get the life jacket out and get him used to wearing it. He'll be walking this season so that should add a new degree of risk.

 

[spikedaddy99]

I've sent all the recommendations to my wife and daughter.
Thank you all and Bet's (wife) loves the photos of the kids

I remember boating with my grandfather along the Elizabeth River. I wish I had photos

We kept a pack-n-play on the stern of that boat when my twins were 1. Up and down the Rappahanock we'd go.

 

[b_arrington]

We kept a pack-n-play on the stern of that boat when my twins were 1. Up and down the Rappahanock we'd go.

I had a 3.5 foot plastic kiddie pool on my boat. Filled it up with warm water so they could splash around it as toddlers. When done it went in the vast in-cockpit storage locker of my 270 AJ.