Family Forum / Parenting / Parenting / January 2006

Well, from my POV, it would have been a lot more possible with a 5 month old
than it would be now, with a 14 month old-at 5 months, my daughter was
pretty easy carry-on luggage, so to speak. I wore or carried her everywhere,
and she watched what she wanted to watch and slept through the rest. I went
to a baby matinee movie a week with her at that age, for example-with no
issues whatsoever. We ate out quite a bit. I did a lot of shopping. True, I
did have to be aware of the nearest changing table, but she was pretty
portable.  Now, I definitely have to be a lot more aware of her schedule to
avoid being one of "Those parents" with a screaming toddler in a public
place.

Oh, and since one of my daughter's favorite things to do is to "Fly" (in the
sense of being held by the body and gently swung around), not to mention her
addiction to swings, I don't think she's likely to get seasick! Actually,
she'd probably like it-the more bouncy the better.

Apparently children tend not to get motion sick before the age of about 2.
#1 was first sick at about 18 months, which shows that she's very advanced
for her age ;-P
Debbie

My husband has the same reaction when we had planned to go to Chicago
for his daughter's high school graduation, leaving our 2 yo and 4 yo at
home with a sitter and taking along our will-be 4 month old. Now it's
off because, when we planned it I wasn't pregnant. He says its because
of the baby. Me, on the other hand, drove 14 hours (one way) by myself
with a 3 month old and a 3 yo to go to a family reunion. So yes, small
babies are quite portable and easy to manage.

Stasya

For me, I think it would depend on how big (and stable) the boat was.
Also, how long the boat ride was.  And how likely the baby in question
would want to be in the baby carrier the entire time.  I'm trying to
figure out what I'd do if I went overboard with an infant - that part
doesn't sound like much fun.  :(  I'm not sure if I'd decide it was an
acceptable risk or not.

I *can* say that I'd much rather have a baby in a carrier, than a
toddler!  (The toddler, even if still being carried, would probably
want to get down at some point)

Irene

I've been whale-watching (off Nova Scotia) and it was barely tolerable for
the adults aboard.
I'd never take a baby, small child, or even a kid under maybe 8 or so!

Seriously, anyone who takes a baby on a trip like that is crazy.

FWIW, most of those boats are open-cabin so you are subjected to all of
the fumes from the boat's engine.  It's a health hazard, and in no way
would I ever bring a child onboard.

-L.

Not sure which part of the coast is in question here (I don't know
anything about So.Cal. Do they get whales down there?), but the central
and northern coasts can be quite choppy and cold, even in the height of
summer. I do think at least a cursory thought to what you'd do if you
went overboard is warranted, although I think those trips are considered
to be safe and run by experienced people.

I used to take ds1 on those 1-hour cruises around San Francisco Bay
(when we lived out on that coast). The boats are pretty good sized and
still quite difficult to walk around steadily, making it rather
difficult to balance even with the baby strapped on. There is some risk
of falling into something and the baby getting bumped rather severely.
The ride takes you under the Golden Gate Bridge and out into the ocean
as it turns around to go back, and as if the bay wasn't choppy enough,
you really felt the difference going into the ocean, it was even
choppier, and that's where the whales are!

As an infant, while on the boat I wore ds1 in the sling and planted
myself in a seat (on deck, near the life rafts and vests!), maybe moving
to another part of the boat once during the hour, and it was quite
tricky to balance and move around safely. As a toddler, I'd wear him in
the backpack - a good hiking one with lots of straps to keep everyone in
place, and never took him out of the sling or pack. He always fell
asleep by the time we got to the bridge, despite the quite cold and damp
temperatures (again, in summer, gotta love SF).

Dh and I once went out on the SF Bay on a smaller sailboat (a party of
like 20 adults, must have been before ds1!) and it was very cold,
choppy, and rather dangerously *tilty* to walk around on.

We used to go to the Monterey/Carmel area quite a bit, and I would have
loved to go out on a whale watching trip, but really didn't feel it was
advisable with a small child in tow. I think those whale things are
usually like 3 hours, and I agree that infants are generally more
portable, but based on my experiences of the central and northern CA
coasts, wouldn't go on the ocean in a smallish boat with a smallish
child. The ride would likely be quite rough and cold. If they are in
northern/central CA and want to go on a boat ride of some sort, the bay
cruises are quite nice. If they want to see some ocean life, go to the
Monterey Bay Aquarium, which is excellent. Besides all the great
displays indoors, one of my favorite activities there was going on the
outdoor observation decks and using the telescopes to look out in to the
 bay. You often see otters out there, kayakers, scuba divers, other
boats and wildlife.

-Karen-

I wouldn't think twice about bringing a small baby, I would be a lot
more cautious about bringing my 2 year old!

A few questions I would ponder would be, how big is the boat?  If it is
a large boat with high sides, life jackets probably aren't required by
any passengers.  If life jackets are required, then there is a reason
and I would ensure that the baby is securely attached to one of the
parents wearing a life jacket.  In my experience, there really aren't
enough waves off California to cause one to be sea sick.  It's nothing
compared to whale watching off Nova Scotia (as someone mentions) or
Newfoundland where the swell of the water without any wind is enough to
make you sea sick.  Although some people are very sensitive to motion
sickeness.

DH and I took DS#1 out on a boat for the first time sometime between
6-9 mo, but it was a fairly short excursion (30 minutes?); from
Chareleston (South Carolina) Harbor to Fort Sumter on a ferry. No
seasickness (ok..well not from the baby...me on the otherhand :-(  ).

Last time I was on a boat I was about 7 months pregnant...a little
speedboat on a lake near my house...bounce...bounce...ouch! But DS#1,
3yo,  *loved* it (and was wearing a life vest specifically made for his
age/size, was not allowed to stand up, and had to sit next to either DH
or I).

So long as it's not too cold and the boat is otherwise safe, I don't
really see a problem.

annette

*We're not planning to do this, but someone asked this question on
*another board and I was surprised how every single response was along
*the lines of "How could one even think of such a thing?! That's no
*place for a baby!""

How weird. I've been dolphin-watching off Cape May Point with an 11 mo
old, and then with an almost-3 yr old and a 10 mo old, and then with an
almost-5 yr old, an almost-3 yr old, and an almost 6 month old, and at no
time was there ever a problem with any of the children, except one time
the almost-3 peed her pants on the dock :)