Boating with a youngster

[Rock_Toy]

Same rules apply in the hot tub on a houseboat during your week long house boating trip. Make sure you get a bigger rubber ducky though!

[AuMDLST]

Rock Toy
If not USCG approved - they should be!!

[OHLNautique]

Two weeks. We had our newborn out on the 210 at two weeks. Some people will probably frown on that but we got him an infant Hyperlite jacket and a craigslist car seat to sleep in. I filled all the crevices in the carseat with spray foam so it wont sink in case of accident. He loves the boat. We ride down the lake and he goes right to sleep. Living on the water helps. If we have to we can run back to the dock. He was born on Cinco de mayo. (5/5) First kid, love it.

[wakeboardin2k4]

Theres some nice floation devices in that pic

[MichaelD]

Since PFDs were brought up earlier in this thread...

FEDERAL regulations (and *most* state laws incorporate federal regulations) state that you must have a USCG approved Type I, II, III or V PFD that fits every person on board & readily available. NOTE: Type V inflatables only count if they are being worn. The Type IV's throw-ables must be "immediately available"

For Children under 13, the federal regs state that the child must wear a USCG approved PFD when a vessel is under way (includes drifting with engine off, but excludes at anchor, and tied to dock) unless the child is in an enclosed cabin (something Nautiques don't have) or below deck (again, not applicable to CC boats). Some states have stricter regulations than the feds, and other states have alternate regulations that may apply to some waterways.
In NC, a child w/o a PFD tends to draw the flashing blue light fairly quickly if an enforcement officer is close enough to spot it with their binoculars.

Your non-USCG approved PFD can be used for things like wake boarding or skiing if your state doesn't require a USCG approved PFD for those activities, however you still must have a USCG approved PFD on-board for the person using the non-USCG-approved PFD.

Granted, except for an isolated incident 20 years ago, I can't recall the Wildlife officer actually verifying the PFDs were USCG approved. Most of the time they only verify that are PFD's for the number of people on board (don't look for USCG certification), I could produce a throwable, the fire extinguisher wasn't completely empty, had paid my yearly registration dues, and I wasn't drunk. They may be more stringent in your state.