All Aboard: Boating with a Baby

Some of my fondest childhood memories are time on the water in the sun with friends and family. Whether it was travelling to my grandparent’s cottage to play on the beach, swimming lessons at the lake with my younger brother or fishing on the boat with my father, there is something special about being around the water that ignites my senses.

This past year, my wife and I welcomed our first child into the world. I vividly remember thinking about how old my daughter would be once summer arrived and hoping that we could spend time together out on the water. Initially, we were concerned boating with a baby wouldn’t be manageable but decided to take the leap and commit to a new boat for the next season.

Spring and warm weather brought our new SunCatcher Pontoon, and we were ready to set sail on our maiden voyage with the newest member of our family. And what did we do? What all new parents would… overpack!

The first couple of outings we stuffed the boat as if we were leaving for a week long vacation – even though we were only heading out for a couple of hours. But, as the summer went on and the boat trips continued, we quickly realized that boating with a baby is not much different than any other family outing with a baby. You just need to plan accordingly.

A few things we did take into special consideration with a baby on board are:

Boating with a baby became second nature to us and our daughter absolutely loved it. We were so happy to be able to continue the family activity we had enjoyed so much together before adding a little one! Most importantly, we’ve already made so many lifelong memories with family and friends on the water that can’t be replaced. These will be cherished until new memories are made again next summer.

If you are a parent contemplating getting into recreational boating, myself and my family would highly recommend it. I’ve learned it’s never too early to start boating because, “nothing brings families together like boating together!”