Need Advice:Infant on a boat?

[Desnik]

Hi everyone!
I need advice and I thought someone on this board could probably help me out.
Good friends of my husband and I invited us to go to their condo at Lake George this weekend. They have a 30ft. boat that has a "downstairs" with kitchen, table, toilet, you know the kind, right? Anyway we are really dyeing to go but we will be with our kids, DD5yo I'm not worried about, but DS is only 9 weeks old. Him, I'm worried about.
I don't want to break any rules and his safety comes first. Is an infant his age allowed by the coast guard to be on a boat, I can't imagin a life preserver fitting an 8lb. infant. What should I do? Also, what about the sun? My pediatrician said to test a small part of his skin with sunscreen and if he's o.k.(no rash)then he can use it. I'm not really comfortabable with him using this at such a young age.
My friends have 2 kids, one 5yo, and one 2yo, so they would understand my concerns, but I really don't want to cancel. Being on the boat was going to be a big part of the weekend.
Opinions please

 

[Toby'sFriend]

I don't think there is any law against having an small infant out on the water, but I don't think the Coast Guard recommends any infant under 18lbs be out in a boat.

As for sunscreen, every baby is different. Some of them can have sunscreen with no problem and some of them break out in a rash if you bring the bottle anywhere near them.

 

[Jenn Lynn]

I do not know if there are if there are any rules forbidding taking an infant on a boat, but PERSONALLY if my child could not wear a life vest I would not take them.

Heaven forbid something happens your infant would have almost no chance of surviving. Maybe I am just over protective, but I would not take my child out on a boat without a life vest.

JMHO.

 

[piratesmate]

Wow! Things have really changed. When my 2 were little, the doctor said NO sunscreen before 6 mos. He said it had to do with chemicals being absorbed into the skin, etc. Then at 6 mos he gave a prescription kind to use - but only if they didn't suck fist or arm. DD was always sucking on her arm, so she was never out between 10 & 3.

I don't know the law re: boats either, but would not take a child w/o a life vest. JMHO The way I always look at it is that I don't have any kids to spare & there's always next year.

Deb

 

[Kermit]

Personally, I wouldn't do it, but I don't really like being on boats that much anyway. It seems like the baby would be very uncomfortable in a life jacket since he can't even sit up. Also, even though some doctors will say it's okay to use sunscreen on a baby so small, I just couldn't do it. We took Jacob to the beach this past weekend, and we only took him out in the morning and evenings and kept him very covered. He's 4-1/2 months old, and I just couldn't put something as harsh as sunscreen on his skin. I have allergies to sunscreen myself, even some of the ones made for children, and I don't want to cause him to have a reaction.

 

[Princess_Aurora]

Well, if you really want to go, I see no problem with you taking the baby. How long is the boat ride anyway? You may not know this, but those carrier/car seats are designed to float to the surface (why they need this feature I have no idea since if you were in a car that went into the water how is it going to get out of the car to reach the surface to begin with???) So, that's practically a life preserver. Then I would just stay in the cabin area of the boat for the entire trip, you and DH taking turns staying with him. I wouldn't try sunscreen, but if you Dr said it was okay as long as he didn't have a reaction to it then I guess it couldn't hurt. When we took my DS to WDW when he was a few months old, our Dr told us to use shade instead of sunblock. Put a hat on him and take the carrier and a stroller that has a canopy on it.

 

[aahmom1]

I wouldn't take a baby that small on a boat.

 

[Cinders]

but those carrier/car seats are designed to float to the surface (why they need this feature I have no idea since if you were in a car that went into the water how is it going to get out of the car to reach the surface to begin with???) So, that's practically a life preserver.

So you're saying the seat would float to the surface face up? But that would only be if he is outside to begin with. If he is inside that would just make it all that much more difficult to get him topside. I highly doubt all carseats have enough flotation in them to flip up when submerged.

My kids are both out in an inboard on our lake the day after I left the hospital. We didnt use sunscreen but used umbrellas to keep the sun off of them. Most of the time I had them in a front carrier when the life jackets were too big for them. If your not going to be up on top just keep a flotation device with you. Then if you do decide to take the baby up try a baby flotation vest. Generally they start at 15 lbs. But some list size as "under 30 lbs"
Life Jacket