# Moving aboard with new baby??



## PsychedChicken (Feb 8, 2011)

My husband and I have a 1972 Ericson 35 Mk II. 
He has spent the last year pouring his heart and soul into her and she is finally ready to put back in the water and sail home once we slap some bottom paint on her.
The plan was to move aboard this Spring, save a little money and then head out to see the world. 

We have had a wrench thrown into our plan. I am pregnant, due May 24th.  We are having a son and are both thrilled. However, we are not sure what this does to our plan.

We are thinking maybe wait until he is 9+ months old before moving aboard and starting to save.
I'd love to hear from some people who have had an infant aboard, and how they managed.

Also, both of our families are trying to buy us all this stuff we 'need'. 90% of it is not going to fit or be functional on a boat. 

What kind of stuff IS reasonable to want/have with an infant aboard? I need to build a registry or I am going to continue getting a lot of stuff I dont need.

Recommendations for baby proofing?

Any pro's/con's to moving aboard sooner/later?

We will stay at a Marina for a year or so, with our Family/support system within an hour so that we can continue to work and save. 

What obvious glaring questions am I missing? 

Thanks for all of your help!


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## RTB (Mar 5, 2009)

Kasey,

Maybe some other members will come to your rescue. I can't answer to your questions, but there is a really good blog that may help. Brittany also posts a lot of her stuff on Facebook. Also, there is a "Women Who Sail" section on FB where you might get some feedback.

Windtraveler

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Windtraveler/157478277626830

https://www.facebook.com/groups/WomenWhoSail/

I hope this helps. Also I'll add that we have seen a few boats cruising with kids. It is amazing to watch these kids, and if they are older, when you speak with them, they are so polite and boat smart. Best wishes with you soon to be "little sailor"!

Ralph


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## PsychedChicken (Feb 8, 2011)

Thank you so much! Im checking out that blog now, I actually think I came across this one a while back. 

I appreciate your response.


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## Delezynski (Sep 27, 2013)

Psy,

CONGRATS!!!

Over the years we have seen many boats with children aboard. We know of one couple who owned a Nor'Sea 27 that had a baby as they were cruising the South Pacific, called him there kicken-kiwi. Then continued on cruising for another year or two.

In Mexico we got to know a number of kids living aboard and EVERY ONE of them was mature beyond there years! ALL GREAT kids who learned what being a family member really means.

Most recently we know S/V Plume. They have a web site at;
Home

You might want to look through some of there blogs back a few years.



















And a batch more info on young ones aboard.

Greg


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## chall03 (Oct 14, 2002)

Firstly congratulations!!!

While what you do when is obviously something your husband and you need to figure out, let me say that it absolutely possible, in fact very rewarding to live onboard and cruise with an infant.

We did several thousand miles with our daughter onboard most of it before she was a year old.

We didn't make any hard and fast decisions about what we were doing until she was born however, the first month(s) are pretty crazy and taking the pressure and not pushing yourselves will help.

Once we got a hang of parenthood we found doing it onboard quite easy actually albeit with a few adjustments.



















And now.....










Happy to answer any questions you may have.


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## MedSailor (Mar 30, 2008)

Hey congratulations!

My wife and I lived aboard for 10 years and moved back to land about 4 years ago. At home we have a 2.5 year old boy and a 4 month old boy. We seriously contemplated staying aboard and raising the kids aboard, and we sail with them, but for now we're in our small house.

With the benefit if recent hindsight I'd say you can do it, but being in a house or apartment may be much more preferable. I'd also say, based on my experience, that it really depends on who the stork brings you. 

Our 2 kids are as different as can be. One is an easy-going "angle baby" who you can put down for extended periods without fuss, and who doesn't mind if you mess with his sleep schedule. Our older one, is a "spirited baby" and had to be constantly carried and rocked for a couple months, had specific bedtime routines etc. With one of them, living aboard full time seems like it would be easy and fun. With the other, torture.

I'd highly recommend that you give it a go if you want to, BUT DON'T put yourself in a position where you're stuck living aboard if it's not working for you. Don't sell the farm so you're financially stuck, and don't get emotionally stuck to the point where moving back to land means failure. Try to be flexible and adaptable with your proposed plan, because God and babies love to laugh at the best made plans.  

MedSailor


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## RTB (Mar 5, 2009)

She's a good lookin girl, chall. From those photos, it looks like she enjoys being on the boat.

Ralph


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## Rapp (Nov 16, 2014)

I hate to say it but in these crazy times,my biggest concern would be that if something happened Childrens Youth Services or some other agency would be called in.I saw something yesterday comparing kids in the 80s to kids today as far as getting in a fight,bringing something questionable to school etc and it hit the nail right on the head.We live in a hyper overreactive time and anything that looks even a little out of kilter when it comes to kids gets crazy quick.


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## chall03 (Oct 14, 2002)

Thanks Ralph, she loves the boat.



MedSailor said:


> Try to be flexible and adaptable with your proposed plan, because God and babies love to laugh at the best made plans.
> 
> MedSailor


Well said..

...and If you do go cruising with baby I also encourage that the flexible, open attitude remains the best approach.

Avoid tight schedules and pushing the limits, have fun and relax. A good sense of humour helps a lot. Some days everything will go wrong


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## MedSailor (Mar 30, 2008)

chall03 said:


> Thanks Ralph, she loves the boat.
> 
> Well said..
> 
> ...


+1 
And set up the boat to single hand!

MedSailor


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## KathrynPSC (Feb 10, 2015)

Great photos


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## AdamLein (Nov 6, 2007)

What do folks think about tether and harness as an alternative to lifejacket? Don't know about other states, but in CA, tethering is allowed in lieu of a lifejacket.

I tried it for the first time on Sunday with my daughter, who hated lifejackets her whole life. She was a lot happier, and I feel much better knowing that she will stay ON the boat rather than simply not-underwater, since our jacklines are on the centerline and we have netting forward.


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## chall03 (Oct 14, 2002)

AdamLein said:


> What do folks think about tether and harness as an alternative to lifejacket? Don't know about other states, but in CA, tethering is allowed in lieu of a lifejacket.
> 
> I tried it for the first time on Sunday with my daughter, who hated lifejackets her whole life. She was a lot happier, and I feel much better knowing that she will stay ON the boat rather than simply not-underwater, since our jacklines are on the centerline and we have netting forward.


While there are a lot of variables to consider( the boat, the kind of sailing you are doing, age of the child etc) we have often gone with the harness in lieu of the lifejacket especially when our daughter was younger.

We always keep the lifejacket handy( she can wear both) but find that if she is tethered in the cockpit we can do sail changes and manoeuvres without having to worry about where she is.


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