Tips For Canoeing With Young Children
By: Kaily Gashi
It was early morning when we set off from shore with our twenty-two month old Twins. We watched their faces as they started smiling from ear to ear. They were mesmerized by the fish that jumped, the swift current left behind from our paddle's and the dragon flies that touched down on our boat—all the small things that we are already accustomed to as adults. We suddenly appreciated the small things once more and became present in that moment. That is what paddling with our kids is all about, being present with our family's.
The goal is to create a positive experience the first time. Preparation is key to any outdoor activity with young children. Organization can help reduce stress. Let’s face it, we are all human, we forget things! Here are a few tips I learned on our first family canoe trip with our toddlers.
LOCATION
Location is everything! Plan a short paddle for your kid's first time. Pick a spot that is well known to you. A place where you can stop to eat lunch, to swim or to take a bathroom break. Yes, I said a bathroom break! It is especially important for two toilet training toddlers!
SAFETY
Having a great time with the kids is key but safety should always be number one. A great link to get familiar with is www.uscgboating.org. Choose a PFD that is specific to your child's individual size. Get toddlers familiar with the PFD before the trip. Spoiler Alert! Our Twins did not like wearing the PFD the first time we put them on. Although, monkey see, monkey do. Once they saw us wearing them, they were okay with wearing them too!
Start your trip at the right time. We chose to start in the morning in order to avoid the hottest time of the day. A sunhat and sunscreen is helpful to prevent sunburns. Again, familiarize your toddler with a sunhat before the trip. The last thing anyone wants is a toddler with a sunburn!
Last but not least, take an extra paddle along! We all know a toddler who likes to throw things out of the boat and say, “bye bye.”
COMFORT
Choose a spot for your kids to sit where they feel safe and comfortable. For example, I had one Son at the bow with myself. He loves to look over the side of the canoe, yikes!. The bow was the safest spot for him. My other Son was sitting between my husband's legs at the back.
NUTRITION
Bring along a small cooler and load it with all your family's favorite sandwiches and snacks. Keep the kids hydrated by having lots of cool drinks on hand. Prepared fruit that is easy to pick can help keep toddlers busy too. The big winner on our canoe trip was raspberries! Is there anything better than cool drinks and snacks in a canoe? I think not!
DISTRACTIONS
A question that everyone is wondering, "how do I stop my toddler from leaning over the boat?" Well, there were times when all our Twin's wanted to crawl over the side and go for a swim! A few distractions can be helpful when both parents are trying to paddle while making sure no ones going to flip the canoe! If you have a toddler along, it is always a good idea to change things up at bit. Bring some of his or her favorite toy's along. Save some time on your trip for swimming. Try giving your toddler somthing they can touch. For example, a rock to throw, a piece of seaweed or a tree branch that fell into the water. Next, point things out to them. “Do you see the duck? What sound does the duck make?" They will love to touch, see and hear new things! For older children, give them an extra paddle. Even if they don’t exactly know how to use it, they will still have fun trying!
By the time we were heading back to shore, my son was fast asleep at the bow between my feet. You might say, it was a great day!
