When you plan to take your children on a boating trip, there are some things you will need and some tips you might want to follow. Let's look at three things you must have for your kid’s boating trip first.
Life Jackets
Safety first, especially with children. You want to make sure you have proper life jackets for each child and you want to make sure you have all the other necessary safety equipment. A life jacket that doesn't fit correctly won't do very much for your children.
Make sure you have properly fitting life jackets, no matter how well your children can swim. It's also important to have all the other necessary safety equipment onboard.
Sun Gear
Hats, sunscreen, sun shirts, and other items to help protect your kids from the hot sun are important. Sunburns can be rather painful and make your child's boating trip miserable. Make sure you have plenty of sunscreen and other sun gear.
Of course, you cannot just have these items, you have to use them. Apply sunscreen often and make sure your kids are spending plenty of time in the shade, especially on very hot days.
Lots of Snacks and Drinks
Swimming and being out on the water cause hunger and thirst at higher levels. You want to make sure you have your kids stocked up on good, hydrating drinks and healthy snacks. Ditch the junk food for the trip and take along fruit and other healthy options they can enjoy. Make sure you have plenty of water and hydrating drinks for everybody, too.
A Few Tips for a Kids Boating Trip
1. Plan Plenty of Fun Activities
Children can get bored out on the water if they have nothing to do. Things, such as tubing, water games, fishing, and water toys can help keep them occupied and having fun.
2. Get them Involved
You can teach your kids about boating out on the water, too. Kids like to be involved and it's not that hard to get them involved. Let them steer (with your close guidance, of course) and help out with other tasks.
3. Always Prepare for Seasickness
You never know when one of your kids will suffer from seasickness. While Dramamine or scopolamine might not be the right solution for kids, there are some homeopathic remedies you can have on board. The wristbands can be good, going barefoot can help, and even ginger ale or smelling peppermint can help.
4. Have Extra Clothing for Each Child
Kids are messy and get into things, as any parent knows. Bringing a change of clothes for each child is just good common sense. This is an important thing to pack, as you never know when you're going to need that extra outfit.
5. Don't Forget the Air Pump
It's a mistake many have made and probably won't make again. Learn from the mistakes of others by forgetting the air pump for a kid's boating trip and always make sure it's packed. There is nothing worse than a tube going flat and you can't use it when your kids were excited about it. Even consider bringing along a patch kit, just in case.
Use these tips and make sure you are fully prepared for your next kid's boating trip.