A Successful Boat Day = Packing Top Rated Kids’ Boat Gear
Whether you live in a waterfront town and boat regularly, or are planning a vacation to a boating hot spot with your kids in tow, packing kid-friendly boat accessories is essential to having a successful day out on the water!
Wind in your hair, cool breeze on a hot summer day, and utilizing a quick way to tire out your rambunctious kids; boating with kids is a memory making win-win! Make this vacation stand out by spending a day out on the water!
However, planning and packing accordingly for your boating vacation will be key to ensuring everyone (kids AND parents included), have a great time. Don’t waste money or precious packing room in your luggage on all the expensive kids gear you see online. Stick to the top rated kids’ boat gear below and you’ll be set!
Be sure to pack accordingly, snag all the best gear, and make some awesome memories with our 20 Top Rated Kid-Friendly Boat Accessories:
In-The-Water Top Rated Kids’ Boating Gear:
1. Kids Life Vests
If you don’t already know this, every person on your boat needs an available life vest. This includes the kids! Give yourself some peace of mind and make sure all children are wearing their life vest 100% of the time. We currently have this vest for both my 1 & 2 year old and they held up great after many uses:
2. Various Styles of Inflatable Tubes
Pack inflatable tubes for your kiddos to play on in the water, and pack a few larger ones to pull behind the boat! Inflatable tubes are great because they take up VERY little space in your luggage and on your boat.
Pro-Tip: Pack some smaller inflatable tubes with a plastic bottom for younger kids to play in. This way they can play with floating toys without losing them in the water!
3. Swim Floats for Babies or Young Toddlers
For younger babies and toddlers, I find a baby swim float works incredibly well for keeping baby afloat while older kids swim around. Enjoy some peace of mind and be sure to rope off the float and attach it to the boat!
Shop Our Favorite Baby Float Here
4. Air Pump for Filling Tubes!
If you’ve ever blown up 4 tubes for your kids to play with, only to deflate them an hour or so later when it’s time to move the boat, you know an air-pump is worth the added expense!
5. Re-Usable Water Balloons
Entertain the kids for hours in the water with these re-usable water balloons. Fun for older children as much as younger ones!
6. Squirt Guns
Of course! Don’t miss out on the friendliest of competitions with the kids with these top rated kids’ boat gear essentials: Squirt Guns!
7. Water Pads
Water pads are such an innovative design for multiple people to lounge on the water together! Hang with your kids in the water on these awesome water pads!
8. Jumbo Swimming Noodles
The last boat adventure we went on during vacation my kids were DEVASTATED that we were on of the only boats without these. Take my word for it, kids LOVE these!
9. Floating Animal Ride-On
These take up a lot of space on the boat, but my kids loved floating on top and picking their favorite animals!
10. Water Shoes
You never know what your kids could step on under the water or near the shorelines. Make sure kids have a pair of water shoes in their boat gear bag!
Eventually, the kids will have to get out of the water. Maybe you need to pull up the anchor and move out of the way, or maybe you’re just ready to cruise around for a while. Either way, make sure to have kid-friendly boat accessories for OUT of the water as well:
Out-of-Water Top Rated Kids’ Boating Gear:
11. Easy to Apply Sunscreen/Burn Cream
Pack multiple bottles of sunscreen. Sprayable, waterproof, even better! Remember to reapply often! Nothing is worse than kids with sunburn!
12. Snack Cups with Lid
My oh my, if you have kids, you know what I’m talking about but a hungry kid = a terrible time for everyone. Pack plenty of snacks and snack cups with a lid to prevent spills!
13. Portable Water Bottle
While ensuring to pack enough water is SO important, make sure to pack a reusable water bottle for the kids too!
14. Hats & Sunglasses
Be sure to pack a hat and sunglass option for each person and child! Young kids especially can be overly sensitive to long hours in the sun.
15. Rash Guard Swimsuits
For the younger children a rash guard swimsuit is a great way to protect their delicate skin from the sun and from chaffing when out of the water in a wet swimsuit.
16. Extra Set of Dry Clothes
You never know what can happen on a day out on the water, but be sure to pack an extra set of dry clothes in your kid-friendly boat accessories bag so no one is stuck in wet clothes for too long!
17. Warm Blankets or Jackets
I always pack a blanket and a sweatshirt for each child! Just in case the wind picks up and it gets chilly.
18. Drawing Pad or Coloring Books
Having some available toys and activities for your kids to do OUT of the water is a fantastic way to avoid a tantrum as water time comes to a close. It’s an added bonus that these are a much lower cost than a tablet if they were to get wet and ruined!
19. Building Blocks or Magnetic Tiles
The more fun options for a kids to do ON the boat, the better! These are small, easy to pack, and that makes them a TOP-RATED Kids Boat Gear.
20. Portable Sound Machine
If you have younger kids you’re bringing on the boat, I found that having something to drown out the noise of the water allowed them to relax and have some downtime. (Without the need to return to shore!)
As your kids get older boating will become easier too. Heck, everything will be easier! But the look of magic in their eyes at this age as they watch us and see things for the first time won’t last forever. Don’t miss out on the memories these days can bring. They are pure magic!
Shop All of Our Kid-Friendly Boat Accessories In Our Shop Here
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Bonus Tips: Book Your Next Vacation Through a Reputable Source!
Be sure to book your next boating vacation through Booking.com! Book below for a great rate on your next vacation!
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