Am I being overprotective? Toddler on a boat...

[mankymummy]

ExP wants to have DS overnight at his new place. However his new place turns out to be a boat, a cruiser type thingy.

He's never had a boat before and certainly wouldnt know how to drive one so I'm not worried about him absconding with him but I would be worried sick if he had him overnight on a boat.

ExP likes a drink and DS is a very, very active and clever little boy. I'm worried he wont be supervised properly and will fall overboard.

Am I being ridiculous? Would you be happy with this situation?

'drinks enough to impair his judgement' = well so do a lot of parents, at home, once DC are in bed ie a couple of driks which would make them unfit to drive but do not make them a danger to children.

i see your point madamez but isnt in the home a "safe" place as opposed to somewhere that DS could easily slip into deep water and be unable to swim?

As I said, I've managed to get two children to 12 and 7 living on a boat without losing anyone! And if your exdp's is a top of the range luxury something or other it will almost certainly have rails and locks and be as safe as......well, houses!

Kids adore boats - and remember he won't be a toddler forever.

thats reassuring. he is talking about having him next week though and I do have serious doubts about exPs ability to keep DS safe. But if there are rails he can't get over and locks for the night then hopefully all will be well...

personally i dont see the problem

I have nannied with my old family on their boats
including a 40ft motor boat and a 50ft motor baot

anyway i spent a MONTH on board with a 15/16 month old (with a 5 and 8 year old too) (and many many long weekends before then) and another month with a 2quater year old, (and 6 and 9 year old) and again lots of long weekends around the time of his second birthday

we had great fun and there was loads to do inside and even out the back (in the conservatory bit which had a gate) abd upon the fly bridge was fine too.

i do NOT agree that you need a life jacket while in the cabin or even in the back outside bit but obviously if on deck / out on marina then its essential

(oh and the previosue year we were on the yacht with a child only a few weeks old and a 4 and 7 year old... but didnt do more than a couple of nights

although i must add there was always a sober person around...

though once your son is in bed its not as if he an get out easily

I think it will be fine, but set down some ground rules. Life jacket essential on deck, no excuses! It isn't as bad as it sounds.
My dh and his parents and little brother used to go sailing every weekend from when he was born. They def wouldn't have been stone cold sober in the evenings either .

I'd be worried if you can't trust your dh to be sensible, or to swear off the drink while ds is there - even once ds is in bed.

THe problem doesn't seem to be the boat so much as the ex-p. I too have spent lots of time with lo's on boats (and usually fairly small boats) but then I'm a fairly wide-awake sensible person.

cory... think you've hit the nail on the head. I do trust him in an environment where i know DS can come to no harm but a boat seems so dangerous.

maybe i am a control freak after all !