Tips on Raising Kids on a Boat

We’ve met so many people who are curious about raising kids on a boat because they’re considering this lifestyle shift, so I thought it deserved its own blog post. I grew up on a boat in the Bahamas and Caribbean and lived aboard for about half my life. I’m now a new-mom landlubber with (nearly) a white picket fence and a ticky-tacky box house.

1) Get ready for less amenities: Amazon Prime wasn't available when I was a kid so I'm not sure of their ability to deliver to foreign lands now, so don't quote me on this, but get ready for a lifestyle shift. The prospect can be highly overwhelming especially if you are used to the reliability of hot water, the availability of fresh veggies and fruit that is taken for granted stateside, the fear of social isolation, and the intimidation of homeschooling your kids. We’ve met with countless families over the years asking for our perspective as they contemplated this move from the ordinary and into the difficult yet extraordinary.

2) If you're searching for this topic online and now reading this post then it shows you care. You're strong already, you can do this: First a word on raising kids in general. Ya’ll. It’s hard stuff. Maye you’re a lucky parent who didn’t have a colicky baby and this doesn’t apply to you, but as a new mom myself this life transition is rough no matter where you are; even a million-dollar mansion. Although I suppose if you’re living in a mansion, you can employ a nanny or three to help. If you can get through the initial shock of growing and taking care of a tiny human in the first place, then you can handle living on a boat with your kids.

3) Sign up for swim lessons: A lot of liveaboards have gotten a lot of flak about raising kids on a boat. Check out Sailing La Vagabond. I remember coming across one of their social media posts addressing this issue. This is obviously a less-than-ideal-safety situation with even land-dwelling folks worried about kids falling in their backyard pool and signing them up for swim lessons. A lot of tragic things have happened though so I do not say this lightly, but if you are a conscientious parent then your kids have a great advantage already.

I was born and raised on a boat. My mother decided swim lessons were more important than learning to walk. In fact, I learned to walk onboard a boat and there was always something to grab onto because your space is so small, so when I got on land I would fall over. People wondered what was wrong with this child, but I could swim. I guess I was used to the constant pitch of the boat floating in water. Swimming takes precedence over walking for liveaboards. Do sign your kids up for swim safety lessons and spend a lot of time in the water with them. I live on land now, but as I write this my 21-month-old son is going to his weekly swim class in a few hours.

4) Find a homeschool course that resonates with you if you plan to be on the move. I cannot speak to the current homeschool courses available out there since I’m an “Elder Millennial,” but when I was a kid, we signed up for a homeschool program that sent you all your textbooks and workbooks in a box with a daily lesson plan. You would take your tests and send them to a teacher in the states who would grade and send them back with corrections. From my understanding homeschool has become even easier and less demanding for parents now with the advent of online learning and virtual school. A word about transferring credits though if/when your kids transition to regular school...keep an eye on that so your 8th grade child isn’t accidently labeled a math-genius (I’m definitely not) and then signed up for 11th grade Algebra class.

5) Take into consideration the social aspects and how your family will adapt: The sociability aspect has also changed since I grew up on a boat. I remember in one harbor there was a channel on the radio all the kids would get on to talk to each other. I would mail letters to friends. Now we have social media, video chats and ways to more easily keep in touch. I did end up being a shy kid and was pretty sheltered as I now noticed when pre-pandemic office break room chats cut me out with my limited knowledge of mainstream movies and news from the 80s and 90s. My friendships were fleeting. Part of sailing into a new harbor was keeping an eye out for potential playmates on other boats and on land, many of whom didn’t speak English. When you’re a kid and another kid is ignoring you due to a language barrier, you can often take it personally because you don’t understand since kids tend to take everything at face value. I learned to be self-sufficient and play alone. I believe this contributed to my innate ability to stay focused on projects, work remotely self-directed, and my love of painting and all things creative. Give me a box of crafting supplies when I was little and I was all set for a few hours. I’m not sure which came first, the chicken or the egg, but this is how my personality developed. You must come up with creative play when sailing around on a boat with no siblings.

All in all, if YouTube was a thing back then someone would probably be paying me to write this blog post because our channel would have been so informative and follow-able. This experience is challenging, but so rewarding as you set your child up to grow up having a worldly view and a different take on society as a whole.

If you’ve come across this post because you’re considering this lifestyle, please do send us a message and me and my parents will be happy to answer any questions about living on a boat with kids. Better yet, book a stay with us and we can really dig deep and answer any questions you may have about moving to a new life on a boat.

-Sarah

January 24, 2022