Child first boat ride

I am wondering what age you people took your children out in the boat with you just for a cruise or short fishing trip.

My f/g and I are trying to get some time out together fishing or just for a little cruise on a local small lake, we have a 1 1/2 and 4 yr old, but we are little nervous about taking the 1 1/2 yr old for safety reasons.

Is there a safty device for the young one ??, my 4 yr old loves to fish and spend time in the boat already,but I want the whole family to go if possible.

My f/g (who loves to fish)is already kind enough to let me go by myself but she cant stay home all the time .I want them all to go .

What are my options ???

I started my youngest son Nate fishing at two years old. He is now a father and started his daughter being out in the boat on water at 18 months. Both Nate and I have put his daughter in our boats when sitting in the driveway many times so being in the boat on her first time went very well. Walmart carried a life jacket that fits her just fine.

Thanks, Bill

Playing with your child in the water so they get use to the water and enjoy it too goes along ways to making a child feel comfortable in the boat. ALWAYS keep an eye on them when in the boat for safety reasons.
Thanks, Bill

4 days old – out on the Mississippi behind our house on a pontoon! She’s now 4 weeks old an has been out ~ 11 times already!

ted

I got started real young, not 4 days old by any means though. I think it was around 18 months. Just keep a close eye on them.

my little guys were about 2yrs old when they started.
get them a little hat to shade their face, and youth sunglasses are NOT out of the question either. and you HAVE TO USE sun block. (factor 45)(just do it)…
take the camera, and your should also get their first fish mounted….

Jack..

4 months.

Started my daughter out in the boat around 8 months! by 2 she ws casting a zebco! now at the age of 4 she has moved up to a spinning reel and has had a few days where she has out fishrd me!
If you want them to love fishing you need to take them! just remember when they are ready to go its time to go! that way the remember the fun parts and not the long hours waiting for dad to be ready to go!

here are 2 walleyes she got up in canada this year! oh by the way they were the 2 biggest of the day!

the first time i had my little girl out she was about 13 months old. we just had a small boat with a quiet 9.9 hp. now this year, i got a fairly loud 25hp evinrude and shes scared of it! loves to swim and be in the water, but dosnt like loud outboards. (trolling motor is ok). but she goes crazy when i catch a fish, she loves to hold the rod like shes fishing and always messes with my graph- she thinks its a tv or something. should have her reelin in some wallys in no time!

Would’ve had our daughter out a month an a half ago, it was just too hot, she’s 7 months now, next time we all get a chance to go she’ll be on the boat too

I actually took her our in the ocean with me last week, so technically she’s been in salt water before she’ll get to swim in freshwater.

Here she is testing of the lifejacket for the first time

Be sure and put sunscreen on them several times. Nate and Jessies daughters gets it put on her 4 times during a day outting. Life jackets on at ALL times [its also the law]. Taking them out panfishing will help to get them interested in fishing. Kids have to have action to get and keep them excited about fishing. My son Nate got hooked on tournament fishing at the age of 8 years old and swore he would never take his kids panfishing because they are going to fish for walleyes. I told him he would change his mind when he becomes a parent and sure enough he did. He now takes her out fishing for crappies cand bluegills but also does takes her out fishing for walleyes on the Mississippi River too. When we would put her in the boat when its on the driveway we would watch her very closely and make sure that she stayed in the deeper part of the boat when standing and if she wanted to be closer to the side she would have to sit on the front platform and the same with the side rod lockers. No standing in those areas. She learned that and is very good when out in the boat with him. When buying a life jacket they got her a colorfull one that she liked and she even wanted to wear it around the house. I show her pictures of fish and boats on this website so even in the winter time she got use to seeing fish and boats. It all leads up to getting them ready and being excited about being out in the boat. She now will go to the refrigerator and take out a Dr Pepper for mom and a Mt Dew for dad and put them by the door and then say da da’s boat? Same with their shoes. She loves being out in the boat and everything that we all have done to get her excited about boats and fish has really paid off. Shes now at the point that when her dad reads her her bedtime stories right before she goes to bed that she wants him to read from his FLW Walleye magazines and from the Walleye In-sider magazines because she can see pics of fish and boats. I think shes well on her way to becoming addicted to fishing and boats like the rest of us are.
Thanks, Bill

End result = above pic.

yup, my daughter was 17 months on her first cruize in the boat, we didn’t go over about 2 mph and if we did, momma was holding her. anyway, if you want to see my kids in the boat, go to my website and check out the photos, I have pictures of all of the kids out in the boat. anyway, just have a blast and remember, makei ti fun for them!!

shane