Paddling with a 3-year-old
I started taking my daughters out with me when they were 3 and 6, in a 14 ft Blue Hole canoe. They sat side-by-side in the bow, wearing their PFD’s. The lil one was barely able to see where we were going 
I got them their own (small) paddles so they could “help” out, which was actually more of a hinderance than help but they loved it and I just paddled harder. We would just stay on small “lakes”/large ponds, not too far from shore and look for turtles, frogs, ducks, etc.
After 5 yrs of doing things that way, I got them their own kayaks last spring and now they’ve been on a few trips on flat rivers and a few on rivers with small rapids. It’s been a LOT of fun, I give 2 thumbs up…
PLEASE take my answers with a grain
of salt. Don’t take my answers so much as “advice” you should follow, but me helping you think about the situation so you can reach your final decision. By the way, I have a 3 year old daughter I take out. We take short trips in a three man canoe.
- Which is safer for paddling with a 3-year-old, a sit-in or SOT kayak? Why?
I am assuming for a 3 year old you are talking about a tandem rec yak, not a sea kayak. Really, the safety factor is not going to come from your choice of boat, but picking the right conditions to take that boat out in, ones that are appropriate to take a 3 year old out in.
- Is it ever safe to take a toddler on the ocean? What are the caveats?
Depends on the conditions. Where I paddle, on the Gulf of Mexico (where it stays shallow off the beach for a long time, on a warm summer day when the gulf is like glass, I’d have no qualms about taking my daugher out with me in a tandem, I’d probably just stay within the 2nd sandbar.
- What are the necessary safety precautions? For example, some here have mentioned tethering the toddler to the adult.
No, do not tether the child to yourself or to anything else. By all means, do not do this, it is very dangerous. The caveats would be PFDs for the both of you, pick warm, calm conditions, and stay close to shore.
- With an SOT, if both the adult and the child end up in the water, what are the chances that they would be able to reenter?
I think you could probably do it, but you shouldn’t count on it. Best thing to do is only paddle in places where you are really close to shore and in shallow water, so if you did flip, you can stand up, pick your toddler up, walk to shore. The main thing is, though, SOTs are super-stable (except surfskis, which you won’t be on with a toddler), so if you are paddling in the super-calm conditions you should be paddling with a toddler anyway, you’re not going to end up in the water anyway
- The kayak: What are the desirable qualities for kayaking with a toddler? (Length, width, etc.) Can anyone recommend a specific SOT or sit-in for one adult and a toddler? Weight is a concern as the (older female) adult needs to be able to transport it alone.
Wide, stable (especially primary stability). Length isn’t a concern from a safety standpoint. For SOTs, you could go with a true tandem like a Malibu Two from Ocean Kayak, or one with a kid’s jumpseat like an OK Sidekick or an OK Peekaboo. Benefit of the true tandems is as the kid grows, gets bigger and starts paddling themselves, you can paddle it together. Benefit of the jumpseat types is they paddle more easily by one person than a tandem does.
My answers:
Has anyone ever capsized with their toddler ??
No
Has anyone ever had to rescue their toddler from the water ??
No
Has anyone ever had their toddler get hurt in anyway while paddling ??
No
Has anyone ever felt their toddler was in danger or endangered while paddling ??
No
Has anyone ever felt worried or unsure of the outcome while their toddler was in their paddle craft ??
No
Has anyone ever felt their control of the paddle craft was in anyway compromised because of their toddler’s needs or actions ??
Yes, a little, when she squirms around or leans to look in the water I have to quickly shift my weight to compensate.
Does anyone who has taken their toddler out paddling feel they may have taken too great a risk at any time while doing so ??
No
Does anyone know of other paddlers who were involved in any of the above situations ??
No
The truth is, even though I have never capsized and never expect to, I still go out with the mindset that I could capsize. That means I only take her out in water that I can stand up in and walk to shore.
Yes.
A couple plugs
I’m in no way affiliated, but I’ll try to sell anyway.
In “This is Canoeing” by Curgenven, there is a great film called “Dougie Down the Pet”, Pet being short for Petawawa River. Dougie is Scott MacGregor’s son, and he is running rapids with his dad in the late fall season.
I would not recommend anyone do this. At the same time, I would not discourage anyone who was really comfortable with the idea from doing it either. Scott is obviously an experienced paddler with sound judgment and a solid awareness of the risks involved. Rapid Media sells This is Canoeing, and I bet the P-Net store does too.
I bought a Salus PFD for my baby nephew. It seems to work. They (Salus, and the PFD people in general) make quality PFD’s designed for every size of human. Get the right one, not one he/she will grow into. Then get another. You probably have friends, so trade/borrow/hand down the ones that fit. Fit is important, and a crotch strap and grab loop are good features.
As to your specific question, I suppose I am with JackL (in mindset, not climate).
Toddler in hatch; tether
I was initially aghast at the idea of putting a toddler in a hatch, as suggested here and at several other sites I found. You would never consider paddling with the hatch cover open, right? So how can it be safe to put a toddler in there?
But then I got to thinking—a hatch is more or less like a cockpit, or a tandem kayak. Comments?
Re tethering the toddler to the adult: why not? I don’t like the idea of the tether getting tangled up with the kayak or paddle, but if adult and child are in the water and the child is swept away by a wave or current, that could be worse.
The adult will need to retrieve the paddle, the kayak, and the child. Could be impossible if they’re not all attached.
Safety requires common sense
You would paddle with an open hatch only if conditions permitted - ie. calm and close to shore. I assume any one taking a kid out in an open hatch wouldn’t head into waves, chop, and wind. You could add an air bag for flotation if that’s a concern.
A tether is a real strangulation risk in the water. A better idea is to avoid paddling in current with a child.
my thoughts
Add an airbag to the hatch. Only THEN is an open hatch like a cockpit. Even in calm conditions, I want to know I can recover from a capsize, especially if a kid is in the picture. Without flotation in both ends, that is likely impossible.
Regarding the tether, I’d never recommend this. If you capsize, and you come up on one side of the boat, and your kid comes up on the other, your tether could easily hold the child’s head under water. To me this is a much bigger danger than the possibility of separation. You should be on shore long before wind and waves become an issue anyways.
My bottom line advice for anyone paddling with kids is this - make SURE that you can perform a rescue in that boat before you take kids out - even in shallow water. It’s awfully hard to tell the difference between 4 foot-deep water and 7 foot deep water when you’re sitting in a kayak, so I’d recommend against planning on standing up if you capsize. Make sure you can get yourself and the kids back in the boat quickly if you capsize. It’s not a big deal with a little practice, but it’s not likely to work if you haven’t actually done it before you really need it.
Yup
just as you said “you would only paddle with an open hatch if conditions permitted”, by the same token, whether the kid sits in a seat or an open hatch, you are still only going to take a child that age out on the water if conditions permitted, and the conditions for paddling with an open hatch surely intersect the conditions for paddling with a toddler.
Yep X 2.
I put the leash on my little guy for the boogie and surf boards when he is in actual surf + the SUP in wind as these are things he is on himself and getting away from me for a little bit. He knows how to take these off and we practice under water as well. I do not tether him the the boats.
If someone wanted to do that I would recommend a short surf leash and adapt it to release @ BOTH ends, even while under tension + would be good to teach the old enough child to take it off himself. Tough one to call without knowing all the " it depends " scenarios and skills here.
I don’t think I would
On many kayaks the hatches are lower than the cockpit, making water entry easier. The cockpit is designed to minimize water entry; the hatches are not.
“I assume any one taking a kid out in an open hatch wouldn’t head into waves, chop, and wind”—but we all know that calm conditions can change suddenly.
I see your point about strangulation risk with a tether. I guess that could happen no matter where the tether was attached, even the back of the PFD.
If tethering isn’t safe, I’m thinking a sit-in is safer than a sit-on-top for such a young child.
Toddler on Board
I forgot to have children, but have friends who are making up for my poor memory. Two of those friends have taken their son (2) – and will soon being hauling along their daughter (2 months) – on some hiking and Alpaca raft trips. Their website is worth a visit for those who think that children should stay on land and behind locked doors until they reach the age of reason.
http://www.groundtruthtrekking.org/Journeys/ToddlingArcticShores.html
Paddling 3 year olds is OK, in
moderation. Teens you should weight with rocks and throw overboard.
Awesome blog…
… thanks for posting it
We took our kids since babies in a canoe
as my parents had a cottage on a lake. We took them into the water - let them get used to it - and most importantly putting their heads under.
After that when they were old enough to understand what we were going to do, we took them in the canoe and capsized on purpose. We sang underneath and made it fun. We also climbed in and paddled it full of water (not so easy) but doing this enough times was important to us so that they would not panic if for some reason an unexpected capsize occurred. It never did, but we were ready.
Now “college” kids, they have their own kayaks and can do tricks of balance and fun stuff with them! I still make them always wear a pfd (which can be a struggle at times)
Canoe
I started paddling with my 5 year old last season. Short trips, calm lakes, and PFD’S! Take your time and have fun.
Use judgement on conditions
– Last Updated: Feb-13-11 10:47 AM EST –
Have seen many a three year old in sit on top kayaks out in Lajolla on calm glassy days with no issues.
Also seen toddlers out on surfboards with their moms and dads on very small days, wearing life jackets, having a blast.
I've seen several very small kids with PFDs, sitting, standing and paddling on their parents stand up paddle boards having a good time.
I took my oldest son in a canoe on calm water when he learned how to swim and was comfortable in water. He was about five and a half and loved water and was a good swimmer. We practiced capsizing and what could go wrong. My youngest son, came along on lakes on family trips in a SOT Hobbie Oddysey when he was 3. No issues. Having practiced capsizes and paddled in moving water, I am quite sure the SOT is safest for kids. Lately I think SUP boards are probably even safer -less mass, very easy to climb back on.
Polynesians and arctic native peoples had their kids in canoes and kayaks all the time as a way of life. I'm sure there were many that did not survive, but they are actually pretty safe if you use judgement about the conditions. Watch the documentary "Nanook of the North" if you want to see real kids in real kayaks in the real arctic.
Good kayaks for families are the Ocean Kayak Malibu II and a faster paddler, but less stable in ocean is Hobie Oddysey.