Here are some tips and tricks to make canoeing a family event.

First of all you'll need to make sure the child has a properly fitted life jacket. There are even models available for children that are under a year old. You should have your child wear the life jacket in a controlled environment such as a pool so that they can learn to lie back with the jacket on. This way they will get used to the feeling and are less likely to panic if you ever do capsize.

Take a few day trips to ensure that they are accustomed to the feeling of being in a canoe. Very young children often like the motion and they find it relaxing. Small children, under the age of six, should be carried in and out of the canoe so that they don't cause the boat to tip. You might want to do a canoeing trip or two where you are fairly close to civilization until you know that they are comfortable.

If they have never been camping before it would be a good idea to set the tent you will use up in the backyard or go camping close to home so that the child can get used to sleeping in a tent and in the outdoors.

For school age children it is fun for them to have their own paddle. Even if they only paddle for a ten minutes at a time the little ones really feel proud of paddling.

In the beginning you'll want to make sure there aren't any really long portages on your trips. If your child is an infant you'll have to plan portaging careful. Most parents use a backpack designed for carrying a child. One person is responsible for the baby and the other(s) take care of the gear. With children aged four and up it is a little different.

You’ll be amazed at how much the kids embrace portaging. Take frequently stops to looks at plants, bugs, mushrooms, rocks and such it is this exploration approach that makes the portages fun.

Campsite safety is often a concern. Many times you can eliminate many of the potential hazards by merely choosing the right campsite. Sometimes things happen and you end up with a site that is less than ideal. You can lay your canoe parallel to the shore on the cliff side and instructed your children not to go beyond the canoe. You can also use marker tape to section off an area. This works well with school-age children but not so well with toddlers who are more adventurous.

You can also set up a tether system by tying a rope between two trees that are in a safe spot in the campsite and using a second section of rope with a carabineer attached to each end. One of the carabineers is attached to the main rope and the other to the child's life jacket. Then you put the life jacket on the child and this keeps the little one out of trouble. Remember that you still have to keep a close eye on the child but this does make it easier to start camp chores.

Biting bugs can also be an issue. Do not use adult strength DEET on a child. Bug hats and jackets are much better, as well as long-sleeved shirts and pants. If the bugs are bad tuck their pants into their socks.

Rainwear is important. Have a raincoat or anorak for the child along with rain pants – do not use ponchos !!!! A pair of rubber boots is a good idea too. You'd be amazed what neat things you can find by exploring camp on a rainy day. Keeping warm and dry is important though.

First aid is important. Make sure you have all the standard first aid items in your pack. Buy some “kiddie” band aids – with cartoons on them. For some reason the hurt seems to lessen when they have a fancy band-aid on it.

Bedtime can sometimes be difficult. Our little guy was afraid of the dark. One of our friends brought along the neon bracelets and other neon items that you can find at the dollar store. These were amazing. Not only was he more visible but at bedtime we hung the neon item from the gear loft in our tent and it acted like a night light. I was usually the one responsible for bedtime so I would go into the tent and tell him a story or if my imagination wasn't all that great I would let him look at the images on the screen of the digital camera, We'd talk about the photos and the trip and then he would go to sleep.

Don't be afraid to take your children on canoe trips just tailor the trip to the child's ability and keep in mind that you will be creating wonderful memories as a family. As the child becomes more skilled you can make the trips more challenging.

Cradle to Canoe by Rolf and Debra Kraiker is an excellent  resource for any parent wanting to canoe with their children.

Canoe Camping With Kids: FAQ

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