Sailing with Children: Mind your safety?

Your love for sailing and the marine life must be endless and you would love to share this with the people you cherish most. Perhaps it includes children as well and you would love for them to share this bond and experience as well.

Children usually love sailing as they too are curious and will be always open to new experiences. However, there are a lot of risks that come along with taking your children to sailing as the journey may be either smooth sailing or hard to go by.

Safety rules what you should take from the charter?

Before bringing children on board, you should be aware that it is a big responsibility to handle the boat as well as the people onboard. To guarantee a smooth sailing journey, follow these safety tips, to ensure children feel secure so they may enjoy themselves too.

Teach them how to swim

Swimming is an additional benefit that comes along with sailing. It is very important for children to learn, no matter how young they are. If children are taught to swim earlier, no doubt they will learn faster.

It will decrease their fear of water, the marine life and will prevent them from drowning in any situation. Also teach them that swimming in a pool is different than in salt water, as the currents and motions of the water are present due to the weather changes and nature of marine life.

CPR

One major thing to learn is how to do CPR. If you are living with a child or meeting them often, it would be essential to learn doing CPR to avoid any critical situation. If at any case a child does not know how to swim, or has encountered an aquatic animal that may have scared them, you should be able to perform CPR so it may calm down the situation and to ensure the child's safety.

Life Jackets

No matter what age, everyone wearing a life jacket near the waves is a must. However, not all life jackets are suitable to wear as they might not fit. When it comes to the fitting of a life jacket, it is important it keeps anyone afloat. Make sure it’s not loose or too big, otherwise it will never work.

Never buy a life jacket in hopes that a child will grow into it, neither always rely on weight and size recommendations of the fit. Let the child wear it on trial to make sure the jacket doesn’t touch their ears or chin when they raise their arms.

Take note of your child’s health

Make sure to keep sunscreen, cool items, extra clothes and medications. You never know what children might need, given the changes in weather can affect their mood as well. Some children instantly have sun burns, some may feel too hot or too chilly, and feel nausea.

Create their safe zone with boundaries

Children have a habit of making any place like home without the compulsion of rules to follow. Running on deck, playing with water toys and exploring the boat will always be on their minds and won’t sense the dangers as they act on impulse. Many fear children can topple over boats because of an open deck area.

You need to create a safe zone to ensure that children can enjoy themselves without risks. Taking small steps like placing toys in a specific room for children to stay inside, keeping children in charge to make sure everyone is following the rules to alert them, and giving rewards for their good work can encourage children to have fun without being bored or at risk.

Sailing is a great way to encourage children to be more outgoing, self-confident and optimistic. It will enhance their capabilities and by following these tips, they will be ensured, they are safe which will allow them to respect the oceanic life.