Top 5: Basics for Rafting with Kids

3 Days 2 Nights on the river with Kids

Mustang Survival PFD, Columbia hat, Keen sandals, and Kanu swimwear in action

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When my oldest son was 2 Ryan asked what I thought about taking him rafting. First mom thought was he’s only 2 and you want to take him down the river for multiple nights!?? But after the mama bear instinct washed over the only thing, I was really concerned about was could 2 of them could properly communicate in the water. Most people don’t get into a raft with the intention of flipping or being thrown into the river, but you must accept that is a possibility. So, my stipulation was they had to do swimming lessons together to ensure they had a comfort level in the water together. After 5 weeks of swimming lessons, they were scheduled to head down the river with a group of friends for 3 days and 2 nights.

At this point I had to have a realistic conversation with myself about what the kid needed vs what was reality to being done while on a raft for 3 days. Here’s what I came up with:

1. PFD (Lifejacket) was going to be my first item to purchase.

2. Sunscreen is needed but reality of it getting reapplied as often as it should was slim.

3. Keeping him hydrated so needed a cool water bottle.

4. What would be the minimum entertainment needed.

5. Minimum amount of personal care items

PFD aka Lifejacket, Personal Floatation Device

After some searching online the lifejacket purchase became much easier that I thought. There are so many types, brands, and sizes so at it first seemed overwhelming. But I found Mustang Survival, https://mustangsurvival.com/collections/kids-pfds They make PFDs for kids, commercial, and government rescue. Their focus on products for water rescue personnel pretty much sold me on the kids PFDs.

I bought the Lil Legends Child Vest and could not have been happier with the product. All 3 boys have used this vest and the youngest just weighted out of it last summer. We got 8 summers of use out of the less than 30lb version. M is 7 and has the 33-55lb version and C is 10 using the 50-88lb version,

Here are some key features of PFD for your child:

1. Sizing is mostly based on weight and you need to get one that supports their weight

2. Needs a strap on the back so you can pull them up out of the water if needed.

3. A head pillow is a must to keep their heads out of the water.

4. Crotch strap keeps the PFD from being pulled off if you must pull them out of the water.

5. Needs to be adjustable so that it fits your child snugly but is comfortable.

6. Should be Coast Guard Approved for the type of water you will be on

Sun Protection

I know how hard it is to remember to reapply sunscreen when we are out exploring so I knew that with the extra things Ryan was going to be keeping eyes on while on the river that proper reapplication of sunscreen probably wasn’t something we should count on. The solution was long sleeved UV rash guards, a hat with flaps and spray sunscreen. Here were my favorite finds because the price was reasonable, and they wear well.

Long Sleeved Rashguard or Swimshirt

Kanu Surf

UPF 50+ rated

Lots of sizes

Tons of colors

Less than $20 on Amazon

Lots of cool printed shorts to coordinate.

UV Skinz,

UPF 50+ rated

Lots of sizes

Few colors

Columbia sun shirts,

UPF 50+ rated

Omni-Wick & Omni-Shade increase breathability

Hat

For kids under 5: Columbia Kids & Baby Junior Cachalot hat

UPF 50+ rated

• Has side and back flap to protect their neck and ears from sun

• Has an adjustable back to make it fit tight

Kids' Junior™ II Cachalot Hat | Columbia Sportswear

Kids 5 and older I let them pick their hat. Sometimes they pick a bucket hat style and other times they choose a baseball/trucker hat. They need to wear it so if they pick it, it’s usually easier to keep it on their heads.

Sunscreen

Blue Lizard Spray SPF 30 & Face Stick

Vegan and Reef Friendly

Zinc based

Easy to do one handed

2 year old was able to apply the stick to his nose and cheeks all by himself

Water Bottle

Originally, we had the Camelback water bottle with the straw, but I’ve never been a fan of water bottles with straws. The straw is hard to clean and the meltdowns when the straw doesn’t work are not for me. So, I finally found the ideal water bottle top that kids can open/close on their own and has no straw.

https://amzn.to/4h3BEjv

o Stainless steel, way better for exploring than plastic

o Different sizes and colors available

o Lid is easily opened/closed by little hands

o Can get different tops like baby bottles, sippy, straws and sports flip

Now that they are bigger they each picked out a Hydroflask, Results for “hydro flask” at REI | REI Co-op

Entertainment

This had 2 pieces to solve; on the boat and at camp. On the boat you don’t want a lot of things out or things that can be lost forever to the river. C learned this one the hard way with absolutely needing to take his Lightening McQueen car which is now going on its 6th year of living at the bottom of the river. Water guns are fun as long as you don’t mind getting them used on you or enforcing no spraying the parents rule. If the kids are big enough to lean over the side the boat the Stream Machines are great, Stream Machine Water Launchers & Guns | Water Sports, LLC. For smaller kids taking a small bucket you can fill with water that they can use to fill their guns works well. Otherwise, we spend a lot of time playing I spy or searching for wildlife. Bluetooth speaker makes for some good boat dancing.

Since we try to keep the amount of lose items out on the river my kids favorite form of entertainment is snacking. They get to go to the store to pick out snacks just for the trip. They love being able to get some things they don’t normally get to have. Four summers ago, I purchased Planet Box Rover and Launch stainless steel lunch boxes, PlanetBox - the Eco-Friendly, Stainless Steel Lunchbox. These have been great because the night before launch I can pack a big variety of snacks for each kid, mark the outside with kid specific magnets and toss in an insulated tote or the cooler. They can get it out as often as they want and usually gets us through up to 5 hours on the river.

At camp we really let them be explorers. They get to pick a group of toys that get bagged up in a small dry-bag before we leave and only come out once camp is setup. My boys usually pick monster trucks or animals. These are good because they are large enough, they are easy to find for cleanup but small enough to pack away on the boat. Since they boys have gotten bigger we have started bringing tether ball and wiffle ball with us as well.

enjoying outdoors with kids

We also always have a basket of sand toys. This is great for camp sites or day trip breaks that have beach areas. Even works well in regular dirt in more rocky camp site areas. I’ve always got a stash of glow sticks or multi-colored light sticks for some easy entertainment when the sun goes down.

Depending on the group we are with there is usually a fun theme night at camp. One year we had to pack for a river prom which C thought it was hilarious to be wearing a funky button up shirt with this shorts and sandals. The last trip that had several kids we did a costume night and threw a bunch of superhero masks/caps in with our clothes. We had the whole gang of superheros running around.

Personal Items

For a family of 5 we have been able to use two Watershed Colorado dry bags to contain our clothes, personal items and sleeping bags for these multi-day trips. I like using packing cubes as well because then the stuff doesn’t get all mixed together then subsequently dumped all over the tent when trying to find something. I have a different patterned cubed for each person.

What do we pack?

1. Everyone wears their river shoes and we pack a pair of camp shoes for hiking and night time.

-I always put my kids in Keen sandals as they are comfortable, have a closed toe and are durable.

-My husband wears Chaco sandals

- I like wearing my NRS river sneakers. They don’t make them anymore, but the Astral Brewess and Loyak water shoes are similar.

2. 3 sets of swimsuits each

3. PJs

-2 sets for the Kids

-1 set for Adults

4. Hoodie or Long Sleeve Shirt

5. 1 Pair of Pants

6. 1 Shirt

7. 2 Pairs of socks

8. 2 clear toiletry bags so you can easily see what is inside.

- One bag is for teeth, faces, and eyes and it goes in our big dry-bag

-The other bag is used for medicines, Band-Aids, bugs and sun. I keep the medicine bag in a day-trip dry bag, so it is accessible while on the boat.

If you have a kid in diapers, I usually throw in 5-6 diapers per day we are at camp to the bag with all the clothes. Then I keep a few swim diapers and 1 regular diaper in my Skip-Hop clutch with wipes, Arm & Hammer bags and butt cream. I keep the clutch accessible on the boat for changes while on the river. It has built in pockets to hold everything and folds out into a changing pad.

Have fun

With all the basic necessities met it is easy to just have fun and enjoy your time together. On the river we rig to flip and in life we rig to explore.

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