Who doesn’t love to spend quality time with family doing outdoor activities? It helps to improve family bonding. In fact, staying active depends a lot on the activity of your outdoor activities.
Kayaking is one of the healthy activities that allow you to connect with nature. As a result, your mental health stays fresh. Many families want to enjoy their leisure period doing kayaking with their kids.
But they don’t know how to kayak with a baby. This way, they feel insecure about doing kayak with a baby.
Reading this article, I believe you will feel safe and secure to take your baby kayaking.
Let’s look at the guidelines for kayaking with kids.
What do I Need to Plan When on a Kayak Trip with a Kid?
When you are out on the water with your kid, it is significantly essential to stay comfy and harmless. It would be best if you took more precautions compared to riding in a group or solo.
Don’t Go Faster
Do you love to kayak fast? Or kayaking fast is your normal speed? Whatever it is, when your kid is with you on a kayaking trip; you must avoid going fast on the water. It is because slow kayaking will assist you in controlling your ride precisely. Unbalancing or toppling over will happen when you kayak fast.
If your family members are also with you in another kayak, make sure to stay closer to a talking distance.
Set and Follow Rules
Sit together with your family members and set rules. Ensure everyone will follow the rules meticulously on the water.
Kayak with the kid has to follow the below rules:
- Standing on the kayak is prohibited
- Leaning is entirely forbidden
- Must stay on the kayak, no reaching out
- All the time, both the kayaker and kid needs to wear a life jacket
If your kid is kayaking solo
- Staying close is a mandatory
- Can’t avoid wearing a life jacket
- Always remain seated
- No fooling around
Empower
Every group has a slower paddler. Always allow the slower paddler to lead the group. Thus, s/he will never have left behind. Otherwise, the whole group will become slow. When you allow them to lead the group, they will enjoy the kayak, boosting their kayak confidence.
If you have a kid with you on the water, give your kid a chance to kayak so that s/he can gather experience.
Take Break
Don’t kayak without a break. Take rest after going 2/3 kilometers. This way, everyone will be able to catch the breath. Make sure nobody is criticizing anyone due to bad kayaking. Praise everyone for good paddling. Talk positively so that everyone can enjoy the break.
Keep Yourself Prepared
Executing any plan is quite tricky and challenging. And plans can fall anytime, and you should keep yourself ready for that. It would help if you keep a plan B.
Plan can fall due to the youngest kayak partners. Within a short time, they may get bored with the activity. Keeping this point in mind, execute plan B. You can add small activities while taking a break so that the young kid gets entertainment.
Kayaking with a 6-months-old baby
Which Kayak Type Should You Take When Kayaking with a Baby? Sit-on-top or Sit Inside?
Enclosed cockpit kayaks are known as a sit-inside kayak. At the same time, the cockpit of a sit-on-top kayak is open.
So, which kayak type is best for kids?
Let’s learn the advantages and disadvantages of both kayak types, which will help you make a precise decision.
Sit-on-top Kayaks Advantages
- Safer and unsinkable.
- They are stable because their gravity is centered.
- Contain a large tank where you can store heavy items.
- It consists of self-bailing scupper holes, which drains out water automatically.
Sit inside Kayaks Advantages
- Lower gravity centered kayaks allow the kayaker to make an efficient turning.
- The narrow design makes it faster compared to a sit-on-top kayak.
- Offers effortless paddling.
- It can be controlled comfortably since a kayaker can sit back on the knees.
- Protects from harmful UV rays.
- Heavy wind can’t affect.
Deciding the kayak type entirely depends on personal preferences. However, choose a sit-inside kayak for
- Young kids or children who just started kayaking. This will give them more room to move around. Since they will be confined to a confined space, so unwanted accidents will not occur.
Sit-on-top kayak will be suitable for
- Older children because paddling sit-on-top is easy. Moreover, if they are planning to swim, they can easily jump off from a sit-on-top kayak.
Last Words
When kayaking with a baby, safety should get top-priority—store first-aid kits in every tank of the kayaks. Also, keep flashlights, whistles, and attach them to the life jacket. Lines and floats are two types of beneficial safety gear that will come in handy on a kayaking trip with a baby.
Follow the above tips and tricks, enjoy a memorable kayaking trip with your baby.
