We've been invited to do a party boat on Lake Travis. Has anyone done this with a three year old? At what age would you take your kids to do this?
Thanks for the opinions! Although this would be a family-friendly environment, I think that I'm doing it without the kids this time. Although my three year old is very 'water friendly' (with life vest, of course) I think I want my first time taking them to Lake Travis to be one we can cut short if necessary. The party-barge just isn't going to give me that option this time.
not the best atmosphere for a 3 year old. Honestly, wait until they are of drinking age. Too much craziness goes on out there. It's definitely a party atmosphere.
Slather your kid in sunscreen and pop a life vest on him and have a great time. Definitely don't let him out of your sight but he should really love it (assuming it's a kid friendly boat party).
I have not taken my daughter on a party boat. I went when I was pregnant and when we were invited with her, i decided it was not the best environment. My concern was we have no control over when teh boat comes back, so if she has had enough for the day or does not do well on the boat (sea sick), we cannot just come back to shore.
If it is an environment with other children and families it probably will be a very different situation than if it is a bunch of adults drinking and partying.
Use your own best judgement.
S.,
My gut instinct is to say this sounds very inappropriate for a three year old. Only if that child was in a life vest and tethered to my wrist would I consider it...and how much fun will either of you really have then? Get a babysitter and go have fun with your friends. I'll bet you need a night out like the rest of us! (Badly!)
P. (SAHM of three boys ages 7,5,&3)
First question, does your child like the water? And is it like a DJ party boat, or is it more family friendly? If it's a typical DJ, drinking party boat then it might not be the best idea, but if it's more families then it could be great fun.
We have a boat club membership and take our 18-month-old out on Lake Travis almost every Sunday and she loves it. Obviously ours is a more controlled experience, being that's it's a much smaller boat than a party boat and we always go out on a pontoon which is sort of like a floating gated play area, and we can come and go as we please. It might be some work for you chasing your little one, but just keep their lifejacket on, keep a close eye on them and hopefully it will be a blast!
We took our three-year-old son with us on a party boat last month. He had a great time! He was the youngest kid there, but there were other kids a year or two older. I would be sure to bring a life jacket for him/her, though. They parked the boat so we could swim, but the water was deep - over my head. We put our son in a life jacket, and my husband and I used swim noodles, and we had a lot of fun. When we weren't swimming, he had a great time visiting the snack table too!
I would go and have a good time!
Well if you plan to go to Devil's cove (most party boats do), I would think hard about taking a three year old. I recently took my 5 & 3 year old kids out on lake Travis and met up with friends at Devil's cove early morning and no one was there but later that day there were about 50 boats around us. Well, that weekend my kids learned what a jello shot was!!!! Also, a party boat is just that a "party boat" so it might be best to leave the little one at home and have some fun "mom" time.
If other families are invited and bringing kids, then it might be a fun family time. But, I would check to see what the majority of the invitees are doing before making your decision.
Also, bring a boat approved life jacket for your child and maybe one for you to swim around in with your child. Bring snacks and water for your little one, you never know what kind of food they might serve and what time they may eat.
Hope you have a great time :)
