Have you spent hours pouring the internet for all the essential items you’ll need for when your baby arrives but realise most of it just doesn’t apply when you live on a boat?!
You’re not alone. So did I!!!
Here is the list of over 20 essential items you’ll ACTUALLY need when you live on a boat with a baby!
I’ll include links where I can for the items we use so you can have a look and get some ideas for what you need to buy before your little one arrives!
Here is the short version:
• A Baby Nest Pod
• Your bed (with all the safe sleep guidelines adhered to)
• A Travel Cot (or secure, safe area they can’t escape)
• Small muslins
• Large muslins
• Short-sleeved vests (short sleeves, short legs) x 6 each in newborn, 0-1 month, 0-3 months
• Long-sleeved vests (long sleeves, short legs) x 3 each in newborn, 0-1 month, 0-3 months
• Sleepsuits (long-sleeved, long legs) x 6 each in newborn, 0-1 month, 0-3 months
• A few pairs of trousers to pair with the long-sleeved vests x 3 each in newborn, 0-1 month, 0-3 months
• A jumper/cardigan or two x 1 or 2 each in newborn, 0-1 month, 0-3 months
• Outside weather gear (a pram suit or similar) x 1 each in newborn, 0-1 month, 0-3 months
• Washing machine or a Trugg to wash clothes in at anchor
• Really good, grippy clothes pegs to hang clothes out at anchor
• Baby sleeping bag x 2
(check what thickness you need based on the climates of place you plan to visit!)
• Blankets
• A baby bath (for when they outgrow your sink)
• Baby bath towels
• A car seat or similar that can be secured down below for when you are both needed above deck
• A secure place for naps/tummy time: we use this portable travel cot
• A way to secure your baby in the cockpit
• Oversized lee-cloths
• Child safety harness (0-20kg)
• Safety line/tether
• A small selection of baby toys
• Access to either a land-based baby class (or two!) or online access to something where you can do the activities on the boat
• A small, portable, foldable highchair
• Maybe a Bumbo or similar until they are old enough to fit in their highchair
• Bibado (use this link and code for 10% off)
Code: 9E7831A1
And here’s the (much!) longer version!
1. Somewhere For Your Little One To Sleep
I’m guessing if your boat is anything like ours, then you’re not going to have space for a cot – so where is your baby going to sleep?!
The current guidelines in the UK are for your baby to be in the same room as you (even when they are sleeping) up to the age of 6 months, so we decided to buy a Baby Nest Pod.
This was so Erin could be moved around depending where we were in the boat so she would be in our line of sight at all times.
It gave her a little safe, familiar space to be in wherever we needed to put her and it came in very handy when I went up North to see family too!
Our initial intention was for the baby nest to be in bed next to me at night so that she had her own little space close by.
This didn’t even last the first night as she wouldn’t stop crying!
After doing a lot of research, we decided the safest option for Erin was for her to still be in bed with me but minus the baby nest.
Once we decided that and made sure the area was as safe as it possibly could be for her, we haven’t looked back.
Erin and I have co-slept since she was a newborn and I now wouldn’t have it any other way!
Our forepeak bed has an infill so it is one giant v-berth that we can all comfortably fit in together…the mattress however is a bit on the thin side.
It’s not uncomfortable until you end up in the middle where the recessed wooden edges of the bed poke up into your back if you lie on them.
Three guesses where I ended up every night…!
Erin on one side, Dave on the other and muggins in the middle having a crappy night’s sleep (and that’s not even getting started on being woken up for feeds in the middle of the night!).
Our aft cabin is set up with a single berth on the port side and a tapered double on the starboard side that are connected from halfway down the bed.
To save my back, Erin and I have claimed the double with her against the wall so she can’t fall out and Dave is on the port side.
This means he’s very close by for when I can’t get Erin to burp in the middle of the night!
*Since writing this I’ve made an oversized lee-cloth (read baby barrier!) for our berth as Erin decided she liked to climb over the top of me in a bid for freedom…!*
He’s in the process of designing an insert so we can have one giant bed in the back cabin too.
I LOVE going to sleep at night gazing at her little face. I am right there whenever she stirs during the night to comfort her and she is my wake up call in the morning (and multiple times during the night!!)… smacking me in the face with her tiny, little hands.
Aaaahhh bliss!!!
For daytime naps we have started putting her in a travel cot as she doesn’t stay in one spot now when we put her down for a sleep!
I like it as she is contained and the sides are soft…it beats her banging her head against the wall when she goes off exploring instead of sleeping…!
It’s also good for her to get used to sleeping by herself for when we’re ready for her to go in her own cabin. (She’s old enough now…I’m just not ready for her to leave me yet!!)
The essential items:
• A Baby Nest Pod
• Your bed (with all the safe sleep guidelines adhered to)
• A Travel Cot (or secure, safe area they can’t escape)
• Oversized lee cloths (if you choose to keep them in with you!)
2. Something To Feed Them With (Or Food For When They’re 6 Months+)
I made the decision years and years ago that I was going to breastfeed whenever I was ready to have children and because I’m stubborn as hell, nothing and nobody was going to change my mind on that one.
I knew I WANTED to do it but I wasn’t exactly clued up on the HOW to do it. So, I googled, read loads of blog posts and bought a book.
Even if you think you want to bottle-feed, have a read of “The Positive Breastfeeding Book: Everything you need to feed your baby with confidence” by Amy Brown. I learned so many things that I quite honestly had no idea about and it cemented in my head that breastfeeding was the way to go for me.
(I’m still going strong and Erin is now nearly 10 months! 🙂 )
I completely understand that breastfeeding is not for everyone, but on a boat, it makes life a million times easier (once you get the hang of it!)!
There are no bottles to sterilise, they only have to wait for food for as long as it takes you to whip one out, it has so many health benefits for them, it’s a lovely way to bond, no formula to store and IT’S FREE!
I could go on and on but you get the gist!
If you live on a boat and you can: breastfeed!
Now Erin’s 6 months old, we’ve started to wean her. To make life a bit easier for ourselves, we’re currently using ‘Ella’s Kitchen’ pouches plus whatever fruit & veg we are eating ourselves.
I bought a bamboo plate, set of munchkin bowls and spoons and the ultimate bib – a ‘Bibado’ (I’ll come back to that one later as it’s worth its weight in gold!).
Both the plate and bowls have suction parts on the bottom so they can’t go flying – worth it for less of a mess (I hope!).
The essential items:
• Boobs! (or bottles etc)
• The Positive Breastfeeding Book: Everything you need to feed your baby with confidence by Amy Brown
• Baby spoons
• Bamboo plate
• Baby bowls
3. A Changing Mat
This gets used many, many times a day.
When Erin was first born, our chart table was converted into the (almost) perfect changing area by adding a changing mat and basket full of changing supplies.
I say ALMOST perfect…it was until Erin learned how to roll…changing her became a battle of wills and making sure she didn’t crawl off the side of the table!
Erin wants to be on her tummy and I do not want her to be.
Let’s just say sometimes it takes two of us to get her changed and we have now resorted to changing her on the floor…just in case!
She can’t fall off the floor!
When sailing, the changing mat slots perfectly into the space above that is technically meant to be for charts but is much more useful for other uses in this day and age! (Our boat was built in 1989 and technology has come on a bit since then!)
You could use a portable changing mat but ours rarely gets put away and it is much better for cleaning up after the inevitable poo explosions and when she wees on it mid change.
The essential items:
• A changing mat
4. Muslins
Babies puke.
A lot.
One thing I read a lot before Erin arrived and I was doing my research was to have PLENTY of muslins available. I have at least one, normally a few handy in each room as you can guarantee you’ll need one if there isn’t one to hand!
The number of times I have been randomly covered in baby puke is ridiculous. And as soon as you have to move, the clean up operation becomes ten times worse!
I think we have about 12 or so muslins in rotation, most of them are normally out or in the wash.
I have lots of smaller sized ones and three larger ones which have come in handy as sunshades as well as for baby puke! I bought them intending to use them as feeding covers while out and about but have found them more useful for other things.
The essential items:
• Small muslins
• Large muslins
5. Saline Spray and a Snot Sucker (Nose Frida)
These have been some of the most used items of baby paraphernalia that we own and I honestly don’t know how I’d cope without them!
I only bought the snot sucker to begin with, (a Nose Frida sounds much nicer but let’s be honest… it sucks snot), and quickly realised that dried snot just doesn’t want to come out, no matter how hard you suck!
After trawling the internet for solutions (baby forums came up trumps here), I realised I needed to spray saline solution up her nose first, wait a minute to let it all loosen up and then suck it all out!
I found some saline solution for babies on Amazon and ordered a couple of bottles, (I think this purchase was made around 1 or 2 am one night).
When it arrived…game changer.
The amount of crap that came out of her little nose was mind-blowing! I have to say she wasn’t exactly a fan of the experience of having saline sprayed up each nostril followed by a lot of suction but she was certainly happier afterwards when she could breathe easily again.
These two items are used on an almost daily basis, some days more than once and I feel a lot happier knowing that she can breathe easily.
The Nose Frida (its actual name!) also comes in very useful for extracting baby puree out of small nostrils once you begin the weaning process. It’s amazing where baby food ends up!
The essential items:
• A Nose Frida (the snot sucker)
• Saline spray for babies
6. Clothes
Kind of goes without saying. You need to dress your baby.
What completely stumped me was the fact that I had no idea what to actually dress Erin in!
What made the whole thing harder was not knowing if we were having a boy or a girl.
We decided to keep it a surprise!
This meant that 90% of the clothes I looked at had to be ruled out. The gender-neutral sections of baby clothes aren’t that big and are also kind of boring.
As I was 99% convinced we were having a boy, (whilst also hoping deep down it would be a girl), when I ran out of gender-neutral clothes, I leaned towards things that were boyish more than girly but that was just my preference as I’ve never been a girly girl myself (I spent a lot of time climbing trees growing up!).
Anyway. Depending on your climate (Erin was born in November), you will need short-sleeved vests (short sleeves, short legs), long-sleeved vests (long sleeves, short legs), sleepsuits (long-sleeved, long legs), a few pairs of trousers to pair with the long-sleeved vests, a jumper/cardigan or two and some outside weather gear.
We only realised we’d need outside weather gear when we decided to take her outside for the first time and realised she was WAY too small for the 0-3 month super cute pram suit we bought her!
It even had little bear paws on the feet!! Sad times.
If you think in layers (like an Ogre – think Shrek!) then you can’t go wrong! Strip on and off as needed.
Another thing is sizing. How on earth do you know what size clothes you’ll need to buy when you have no idea what size your baby is going to be when he or she arrives?!
I ended up getting a few items of everything in size newborn, 0-1 month and 0-3 months to cover all possibilities! As it turned out she was just under 7lb 11oz so fitted nicely into newborn clothing (for about 5 minutes!)
Babies grow SO fast! One minute they are drowning in their clothes and the next minute they’re bursting out of them.
What also (kind of) helps is the fact that different shops have different sizes for the same size. For example, Asda’s 0-3 month clothes are for babies up to 12lb while M&S 0-3 month clothes do for babies up to 13lb 4oz!
Look at the labels and arrange your clothes by the weights rather than if it says 0-1 / 0-3 months etc.
Babies also have a habit of falling into no man’s land in terms of clothing sizes that fit them: they can be too big for their 0-1 month clothes but be way too small for 0-3 months – this is where having clothes from different places helps to bridge the gap. Long-sleeved vest and trouser combos come in useful here too.
The other issue you have to worry about is poo explosions and leaky nappies. And they happen. More often than you’d like. Prepare to wash lots and lots or have a mountain of baby clothes to cycle through between each wash!
Finding the balance is tricky in the early months.
We went down the route of having a few clothes in each size which meant we were washing more often but we were in the marina and so had access to a laundrette.
If you have a boat with a washing machine on then count yourself super lucky. We don’t and we wish we did. Instead, now we’re out at anchor, we get to wash clothes in a bucket with our feet. At least it counts as my daily exercise on washing days…right?!
(Make sure you get lots of super grippy pegs ready.
These are AMAZING and we haven’t made any clothing donations to Neptune yet with them even in very windy conditions!).
eBay is a great option for second-hand clothes.
If you get a bundle then you can get a lot for your money, which is always good when you just know they’re going to get covered in poo/sick/wee (delete as appropriate) regularly anyway!
The essential items:
• Short-sleeved vests (short sleeves, short legs) x 6 each in newborn, 0-1 month, 0-3 months
• Long-sleeved vests (long sleeves, short legs) x 3 each in newborn, 0-1 month, 0-3 months
• Sleepsuits (long-sleeved, long legs) x 6 each in newborn, 0-1 month, 0-3 months
• A few pairs of trousers to pair with the long-sleeved vests x 3 each in newborn, 0-1 month, 0-3 months
• A jumper/cardigan or two x 1 or 2 each in newborn, 0-1 month, 0-3 months
• Outside weather gear (a pram suit or similar) x 1 each in newborn, 0-1 month, 0-3 months
• Washing machine or a Trugg to wash clothes in at anchor
• Really good, grippy clothes pegs to hang clothes out at anchor
That’s just a rough idea of what you may need and what I bought. If you’re anything like me you’ll probably see lots of super cute items and end up buying more than you need anyway as they are JUST. SO. DAMN. CUTE!!!
7. Nappies & Wipes
Cheap and chuck disposables or washable, reusable nappies? That is the million-dollar question.
If I had a choice (and a washing machine on board), then I would have gone for reusable nappies as it would require a lot less storage of nappies and is much kinder to the planet in the long run.
However, we don’t, and we really don’t have time to spend ages washing nappies every day, plus, we are currently based in the UK so drying them outside would be an exercise in failure.
So, much to my annoyance, we had to go down the route of disposable nappies.
When I was pregnant, a friend recommended Lidl nappies to us to use as she had had a lot of success with them. So that’s the way we went. They were cheap (about 5p per nappy) and worked fairly well at containing most of what Erin threw at them.
We have had our fair share of blowouts but that’s usually been from user error – not changing her often enough or putting the nappy on wrong in the first place (it’s not an easy as you think when you have a baby that wriggles all over the place when you try and change them!).
Blowouts have taken on a whole new meaning since she started weaning (just to warn you…).
Erin managed to spectacularly get through THREE outfit changes in one day and that was with me changing her regularly too!
The poo gets EVERYWHERE.
The same friend also recommended Johnson’s Cottontouch Extra Sensitive Wipes.
I bought a selection of wipes to try (one pack each of a few different kinds) to see which would work best for Erin’s skin. The Johnson’s Cottontouch Extra Sensitive Wipes were our favourite, so I began stocking up the boat with them.
The price of them ranged from 85p per pack to around £1 in town. When I hired a car and went up to the big Asda near us, I found a pack of 12 for £5.95 so ended up getting a few boxes of them and stocking the boat up (it’s now a challenge to see how long we can make 60 packs last! …I wrote this in March 2020 and I still have about 12 packs left and it’s the end of August 2020 now!).
The essential items:
• Nappies (we used Lidl’s Lupilu range)
• Wipes (we preferred Johnson’s Cottontouch Extra Sensitive Wipes)
Update (2023):
Since moving to Portugal we have started using the Dodot range (pretty sure it’s Pampers but a different name for a different country!) We like the Dodot pull ups and also their Dodot sensitive wipes. Erin is potty trained during the day now so only use the Pull Ups at night time (just in case!)
8. A Baby Carrier
As much as baby cuddles are amazing – you will need your hands free at some point!
I knew early on that I’d want to carry Erin – we decided against having a pram on board due to the lack of space and difficulties we’d face getting one ashore in the dinghy. (But when Erin was about a month old, my Mum and I found a second-hand pram in almost mint condition for an incredible price that we couldn’t resist. She ended up buying it for us as a gift. It was incredibly useful while we were in the marina and we were very grateful for it but it was a luxury that we could have done without though if needed.)
Before Erin was born I bought a cheap fabric wrap on Amazon to try. It ended up being a bit fiddly to get the hang of to start with but was a lovely way to carry her in the end.
Dave didn’t like carrying her in the wrap so we ended up looking at other baby carriers for him that were easier to get on and off.
I had heard lots of good reviews about Ergo Baby carriers so looked into them. I really liked the idea of being able to carry Erin in many different ways so I loved the look of the Ergobaby Omni 360 Baby Carrier All-In-One as she could face us, face out outward and be carried on our backs later on.
Knowing that we would be travelling to warmer climates, I thought it would be a good idea to buy the mesh version to allow for better airflow to keep her cool.
I didn’t, however, like the price tag so bought mine on eBay.
As I bought mine new but for less than half the price I’m a little sceptical if it’s actually the real deal but it looks legit and does the job it says it will.
It’s not as comfy to wear as I’d hoped it would be and the flap at the front isn’t the most comfortable for Erin to have her face against due to the mesh but I’m hoping that will change as she grows and her face no longer rubs against it. (It’s much better now she’s older as this has stopped! We noticed an improvement after around she turned 7/8 months.)
It may be that the one I bought isn’t legit but I haven’t seen an official one to compare so I don’t know!
If you’re not a fan of traditional carriers and either a) don’t have much or any hair, b) don’t mind wearing a hat to cover ALL your hair or c) have a very well behaved baby, then definitely consider getting a shoulder carrier.
I bought Dave a Minimeis shoulder carrier for Father’s Day for him to to carry Erin in.
Dave loves it. Erin loves it. I do not.
Erin is NOT a well behaved baby when she is anywhere near my hair. She seems to think it’ s vitally important that she grabs as much of it as possible and then pull as hard as she can.
This makes Mummy very grumpy, very quickly.
Mummy MUCH prefers carrying her in one of the other baby carriers. Dave, however, likes this one, as does Erin!!
One regret I have is that I wasn’t able to get to a sling library to try out lots of different types to see what fitted my body best and what would be the most comfortable for me. If there is one near you or you get the opportunity to try lots of different types of sling then do it before you invest!
The essential items:
• Fabric wrap
• Sturdier baby carrier for when they grow (we used this)
• Minimeis Shoulder Carrier
9. A Sleeping Bag
Have you thought about how to keep your baby warm at night or during their naps?
I hadn’t really!
I bought a few baby blankets and just assumed that I’d tuck her in at night with them.
Then my sister bought Erin a baby sleeping bag as a gift.
Game changer.
Funnily enough, I didn’t start using it straight away but decided to put her in it one night when she was a few weeks old and we both had the best night’s sleep we’d had since Erin arrived!
I wasn’t worrying about blankets getting untucked and going over her head and she was warm and snuggly all night long as she couldn’t kick it off (which she did all the time with her blankets so she got cold and woke up).
Ella (my sister), bought me a 2.5 tog, 0-6 month Winnie The Pooh sleeping bag which was perfect.
I’ve since bought another 2.5 tog, 6-18 month bag from Marks & Spencers and also a 0.5 tog 6-18 month GroBag from Amazon for warm summery days and nights.
I highly recommend getting at least one for when leaky nappies or pukey nights happen.
Lesson learned the hard way!
Especially when you don’t have a washing machine and dryer you can just bung it in so it’s washed within hours.
Waiting for good weather out at anchor or having to trudge up to a laundrette isn’t ideal for items that need to be washed in a short space of time!
The essential items:
• Baby sleeping bag x 2
(check what thickness you need based on the climates of place you plan to visit!)
10. Dummies & Tethers
I swore I wouldn’t give Erin a dummy.
I managed to last a good few weeks then gave in one night when she would just not. stop. crying.
She broke me.
When I mentioned how *fun* our evenings were to one of the midwives that I saw, she suggested introducing a dummy to help her strong sucking reflex so she can calm down and hopefully settle a bit easier. (*Fun* meaning that she just wanted more and more milk during an evening (even though she was so full it wouldn’t all stay down)).
At first, Erin wasn’t keen (nor was I in all honesty!), but it helped stop the crying and using me as a dummy instead!
Now, she can go most of the day without one but when she gets cross, they do come in very useful!
Luckily I had bought some in advance – just in case – so that night that she broke me, they were there ready to go.
Even if you don’t plan on using them (unless you have an amazingly strong resolve), maybe get a few in anyway, just in case!
Now we use them on a daily basis, we found that one of the best games in the world for Erin was to see how many times she could drop them on the floor when we were least expecting it.
I very quickly got around that one by buying some tethers to attach to them (one end for the dummy, the other on Erin!).
Mummy won that game.
They’ve actually come in really useful for other things too – like attaching her toys to her car seat and her hat to her lifejacket so it doesn’t fly away when whizzing along in the dinghy!
It goes without saying, but don’t use a tether for nap times or at night – only the dummy itself for safety.
11. Changing Bag
You never know when a poo explosion is going to occur.
Having a baby is like carrying around a ticking time bomb. They like to poo at the most inconvenient time (also generally whilst wearing their cutest outfits).
Therefore, whenever you plan to set foot off your boat, you must also have changing supplies close to hand.
Having a changing bag makes this a little easier as everything can be stored in one place and carted around as and when needed.
You have the choice of what style you want to go for.
Knowing that I like to have my hands free and not be weighed down on one side, I went for the rucksack option and love the one I picked!
I’m not the type of girl who has a million different bags, nor do I chase labels. I always choose function and comfort over style. Every time.
The one I picked is understated but has plenty of pockets which satisfies my need to sort things and know where everything is.
I made a point of choosing one that Dave could wear too while still looking ‘manly’ (especially as it gets me out of carrying it as it can get heavy with all the baby paraphernalia you need to cart around with you!).
There is a portable changing mat inside that came with the bag which is nice to put down on changing tables when out and about even if there is one already there.
I probably could have got away with using any old bag but I do like having all the separate compartments for everything!
The essential items:
• A changing bag
12. Nail Clippers
Who knew baby nails could grow so fast or could cause so much damage?! (Generally to my skin, not Erin’s!)
I have been seen sporting some cracking red scars on my chest because someone got bored whilst feeding and decided she didn’t want to keep her hand and arm still. Painful.
Even so, it still took me literally weeks to pluck up the courage to cut them for the first time.
She was fast asleep, passed out milk drunk on my lap when I decided to give it a go.
After the initial heart-pounding first cut (which took me multiple attempts as I just pictured her waking up screaming at me as soon as I had done it), I decided it really wasn’t all that bad!
I very carefully got them done as quickly as I could before she woke up and was rewarded with lovely soft strokes on my face the next morning instead of the usual super sharp, scratching talons clawing at me!
My god though, they grow fast.
I still haven’t plucked up the courage to cut them while she’s fully awake (I’ve done it once when she’s very sleepily woken up though I don’t think she entirely knew what I was doing).
I recommend waiting until they are completely passed out asleep, almost dead to the world – for Erin, this is the last thing at night just before I go to sleep with a head torch on my head angled completely down so no light shines on her face!
Get some nail clippers, because dude, you are definitely going to need them!
The essential items:
• Some nail clippers (I just use this basic set)
13. Blankets
Who doesn’t love a good snuggle? Isn’t it just made so much better with a super soft, snuggly blanket?!
I bought a couple of kinds and was gifted a couple more so Erin has a lovely set of blankets.
When Erin went down in her little crib for the night after she was first born, we tucked her in with a super soft, fleecy blanket. We’ve used the same blanket loads of times since because I love it so much!
I also bought a couple of cellular blankets to tuck her in at night with as they have lots of little holes in – JUST in case they were accidentally pulled over her head. Luckily that has not happened! They’ve also come in very useful when tucking her into her car seat when we hired a car and went out and about.
Having a few different blankets to hand to keep them warm and snug wherever you are is a good plan.
The essential items:
• Blankets
14. Somewhere to Wash your Baby
Plan A
Our initial plan was to bathe Erin in our sink as we don’t have a bath on board (boo!!).
This worked when she was a newborn but she very quickly grew out of both of our sinks!
Plan B
Buy a baby bath. But not ANY baby bath.
As you know, space on a boat is very limited, so, we thought outside the box and bought a BLOW-UP baby bath!
Problem solved!
Erin has a bath that fits perfectly on the floor of our heads and also outside in the cockpit for warmer days and it packs away really small when it’s not in use!
She LOVES going in her bath and is starting to kick her legs and splash around as much as she can. It’s so cute to watch!
We also have a plan C
For those days when the bath is packed away and there has been a poo explosion SO bad she is covered almost head to toe in poo… (it happens more often than I’d like!!), she goes in the shower.
I sit on a little stool and she sits on my knee. Her face the first time she had a shower was an absolute picture! She loved the feeling of the warm water coming out the showerhead onto her skin and couldn’t get enough of it.
Plus there’s the added bonus of being able to help herself to a snack while being held sideways and having her hair washed… may as well get my future spa day companion used to the feeling of one!!!
The essential items:
• A baby bath (for when they outgrow your sink)
• Baby bath towels
15. Somewhere Secure To Go When Sailing
This is something we didn’t have to think about straight away as we were tied to the dock until Erin was 4.5 months old.
We decided to go out for a test run where we motored down to an anchorage, stayed a couple of days then motored back. (We didn’t want to have to worry about the sails as well as Erin for the first go!)
She basically cried the whole time we were both needed to do things above deck like let off lines and get back into our berth.
Nightmare.
After we managed to set off towards our chosen anchorage for the night (and lots of tears…), I decided to bring her above deck to be with us as it was a really calm day and she loved it!
When she was tired, I took how down below and she slept most of the journey in her little pod with me sat next to her on the sofa!
When we finally left the marina after the winter season ended (a month later than planned thanks to the Coronavirus), she was nearly 6 months old. She still doesn’t like being left alone downstairs yet but now she’s rolling and moving a lot more, she couldn’t just lie in her pod anymore.
The starboard sofa has a lee-cloth already attached to the wood below the seats, so I set that up before we left port and made sure her car seat was safely secured behind the lee-cloth.
We put Erin in that while we set off to make sure she stayed put while we were both above decks.
However, she’s still not a fan of being left alone! So, once we were safely out, I went down below to be with her.
When the weather is good enough, I bring her up to sit on my knee in the cockpit.
For naps and time out of her car seat, I bought a travel cot that can be put on the beds in the fore or aft cabin depending on if we’re sailing or not.
She can be put in there, zipped in, and I don’t have to worry about her falling out and she gets to move around as she pleases (or just lick the mesh in the doorway…).
Based on our experience so far, you will basically have to plan for one of you to single-hand your boat until your little one is happy to be left alone for short periods of time or secured out in the cockpit somehow.
We are still working on a solution for her to be secured safely in the cockpit while we’re sailing as she is much happier when we are close by. Every boat is different and what works for some, may not work for others. I have seen some great examples online but unfortunately, they just wouldn’t work for us.
***Since I wrote this initially, I have sewn two oversized lee-cloths, one for the starboard sofa as she outgrew the original one very quickly(!).
It means she can be left in there to play and I know she’s safe.
We’ve found we don’t need her carseat on the boat now she’s more mobile (unless we hire a car) – it was very useful though until she was able to sit by herself.
I also sewed an oversized lee-cloth for our bed in the aft cabin so she can be left in there safely to sleep on passage. I just need to make one for the port side sofa now for when we’re on the other tack!***
The essential items:
• A car seat or similar that can be secured down below for when you are both needed above deck
• A secure place for naps/tummy time: we use this portable travel cot
• A way to secure your baby in the cockpit
• Oversized lee-cloths
16. Lifejacket
This was high on our priority list of things to buy, but we were amazingly gifted one from a good friend when Erin was a few weeks old.
We were given a Baltic Bambi Supersoft Baby Lifejacket which fits babies from 3-15kg and it is perfect!
We tried it on Erin when she was 3 months old…she screamed, but, now she’s a bit bigger at 6 months old, she is perfectly happy wearing it!
Bonus: it stops her from rolling over so I can put her down with it on and she stays put! I’ve got her all dressed up ready to go ashore in the dinghy with her lifejacket on, put her down so I could get myself ready before going back to get her and she’s been fast asleep in it!
A baby lifejacket is essential, not so much for being on board the big boat, but for when you need to go ashore in the dinghy.
The one we have has a strap at the top that we can hold to safely pass her down from one of us to the other into the dinghy – it has a piece of fabric that goes under her bum so she doesn’t fall out the bottom when this is done!
I sit Erin on my knee in the dinghy and clip her onto me if we are going any sort of distance for peace of mind.
For a short trip from the big boat to the beach, I just tend to hold on tightly to her.
I would not have left the marina without having a baby lifejacket on board, it is that essential for my peace of mind for dinghy trips in particular!
The essential items:
• A baby lifejacket (I highly recommend this Baltic one)
17. Tether & Harness
Before casting off our lines, I thought ahead for when Erin is a little older and bought a safety harness and tether for her to wear when she is in the cockpit.
As I like her lifejacket so much, I stuck with Baltic for them both.
The child harness is good for babies and children from 0-20kg so it will last her a while. The safety line will keep her attached to the boat and unable to get out the cockpit unaided.
We haven’t used them yet so will update this when we have – I like to plan ahead when I know I won’t be able to get things posted to me for a while!
The essential items:
• Child safety harness (0-20kg)
• Safety line/tether
18. Entertainment
Newborns are super easy to entertain – give them some food, pull a few faces and then it’s nap time again!
When they are a few months old, however, things aren’t so easy!
We have a few toys that Erin plays with on rotation to try and make sure she doesn’t get bored of them too quickly…
Freddie the Firefly; a crinkly, brightly coloured fabric book; a little rabbit; a snake thing that’s designed to go on a pram; some teething chews and whatever other random things she decides will occupy her for all of 5 minutes (it was an empty cereal box yesterday!)
When we were berthed in the marina over winter, I signed up to a baby massage class and also did baby yoga with her.
She basically just lay there while I did yoga as she was only 3-4 months then and not rolling!
She fell asleep in baby massage too during one session (which was super cute!).
*Have a puppy pad underneath if you plan to do baby massage at home or in a class – Erin tended to pee every single time!*
I’ve also just signed up to do Baby Sensory classes online. (I’m writing this during the Coronavirus lockdown that is currently going on so no-one is allowed out and there are no baby classes allowed. Luckily there is a lot of creativity going on using Zoom webinars at the moment, so I can join in, even though we’re currently anchored in a gorgeous little anchorage in Cornwall!)
Have some soft, brightly coloured baby toys to hand too. Try and have a variation of colours and sounds that they make to keep them amused for longer. You do not need to fill your boat with ALL. THE. TOYS. Your baby would rather spend time with you anyway!
The essential items:
• A small selection of baby toys
• Access to either a land-based baby class (or two!) or online access to something where you can do the activities on the boat
19. Highchair
This one is planning way ahead but I recommend buying one before you head off if you won’t be able to receive post for a while.
Unless you are lucky enough to live on an 80 odd foot boat, you probably aren’t going to have room (or the floor space) for your typical highchair that people normally have in their homes. Nope. On a boat, you have to think small and portable!
Welcome to a new way of living!!
This one took me a while to pick out as I found it really tricky to find something to fit the bill. Small, foldable, attachable, wipeable… you get the gist!
I ended up looking on lists of travel highchairs. Initially, I really wanted one that you could attach to the table (like I had seen Lenny using on Sailing La Vagabonde), but unfortunately, our table has bits that curve up on the edges and I couldn’t find one to attach to a table that could deal with that.
Back to the drawing board.
Eventually, I came across a Chicco Pocket Snack Booster Seat and told myself that it could be attached to the sofa if needed and also taken out and used in the cockpit if we wanted.
It can be taken out to restaurants and other people’s boats if we are lucky enough to still be invited aboard for drinks and nibbles now we have a little munchkin!
It can be used at three different levels and packed away flat so stored away when not in use. (It’s been living in our wardrobe until Erin grew enough to fit into it a month or so ago!)
Right now, we are using her Bumbo as a highchair to feed her in as she can be completely covered with her Bibado and it also has a detachable table.
The essential items:
• A small, portable, foldable highchair
• Maybe a Bumbo or similar until they are old enough to fit in their highchair
20. Bibado
Back to the Bibado.
Think a bib on steroids.
The thing that sold me was seeing a video of some (toy) babies sitting in a highchair and then having food and drinks literally being thrown and sprayed at them whilst wearing a Bibado.
The Bibado was then casually removed and the (toy) babies’ clothes were in pristine condition!
MAGIC. Sold.
Bought one straight away!
The thing I kept hearing off my Mum was how messy weaning is… I feel like I am winning right now!
(Our floor *and sofas!!* may think otherwise once Erin starts feeding herself but at least for now her clothes are safe!)
Literally seconds after I took this picture, there were handfuls of lovingly homemade pasta sauce scooped up and deposited on the sofa…!!!
Note to self… NEVER feed Erin on the sofa again!!!
The essential items:
• Bibado
Getting ready for your baby’s arrival would be stressful enough on land, let alone when you live on a boat and have other things to think about too! Some of the items on this list won’t be needed right away, but if you’re planning to head off cruising while they’re still really young, you’ll probably end up needing them along the way and they could be harder to get hold off once you leave your home base.
Boat babies need some different things to what a typical land baby needs – you won’t find some of these items on a typical ‘preparing for your baby’s arrival’ blog post! I know I didn’t!!
I hope this post has helped you get ready for your little one’s arrival and made your life a bit easier too.
Is there anything on this list that you hadn’t thought of or think I’ve missed? Let me know in the comments below.
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