Top 10 Tuesdays: Ten Useful Products for the Boat Baby

Isla and her best boat-baby pal, Ellia

Turns out having a baby on a boat is not that different from having a baby on land.  Okay, maybe it's a little different, but the fact of the matter is that the products I find useful for a baby on a boat are also useful for the landlubbing baby.  Some of these items I already mentioned in my earlier Boat Baby post, but they are worth repeating.  Here are my Top Ten Products for our one year old boat baby:

1. Sunscreen - A boat baby is a baby that gets a lot of sun, no matter what. Isla is slathered in SPF 50 every day, twice a day and STILL has a tan. 
2. Sun Hats - Isla is almost always in a wide-brimmed hat to protect her face from the sun. We have a bunch but I am a huge fan of this style Flap Happy hat.  Note: if the hat doesn't tie - don't bother.  Rare is the child that won't pull an unattached hat off their head.
3. Rash Guards/Swim Diapers - While adorable swim suits are so cute and tempting, I have learned that a rash guard and a swim diaper is so much easier (not to mention offers more sun protection AND saves a diaper). I'm a big fan of the Imse Vimse brand swim diaper.
4. Travel Snack Bowls - I'm not sure if it's universal, but our baby loves her snacks and since she is constantly on the move and burning up calories, I feed them to her. Grapes, blueberries, veggies or cheese are always with us when we go on an outing.  Good snack bowls with screw top or very tight fitting lids are great to throw in a bag and go.  I like these ones , cheap and easy.
5. Infant Safety Tether and Harness - I wrote about this before in my earlier boat baby post, but it's worth mentioning again.  These are great for underway, especially for a child who likes to climb as much as Isla (did I mention she doesn't stop moving?).  This one from West Marine is great.
6. Bumbo Seat with Tray - This has totally been the sleeper hit of our baby kit.  I brought this with us on a whim and, wow, we use it more than anything.  It is so much easier (and nicer!) to eat outside in the cockpit and the Bumbo Seat makes it possible for us.  It has also come in handy underway.  I only wish they came in bigger sizes for bigger kids.  It's going to be a sad day when she outgrows this!
7. Life jacket - Again, we'd consider this essential for a boat baby.  Isla is always in her lifejacket when we are in the dinghy or on deck underway (which she almost never is unless it's super flat).  Test some out because not all are created equal and some are more uncomfortable than others.  Isla happily wears this one (I do wish it was a more visible color than blue - but hey, she wears it and that is the most important thing). We also have this one but Isla protests when we put her in it.
8. Beach Blanket -  These days, we're on the beach every day and Isla loves it.  A fast drying, easy-packing beach blanket is super useful.  We use my sarong blanket these days and it's perfect!
9. Sunglasses - We've been told by many cruisers how important eye protection is, especially at sea where we are constantly dealing with glare from the water.  For a growing baby with sensitive eyes, this is even more important.  In an attempt to avoid cataract surgery at age ten, we use Baby Banz because, like I mentioned above, rare is the child who will leave something on their face unless it's attached.  Your child will probably hate wearing them at first and pull them off at every chance they get.  Stick with it and keep putting them on.  Just last week Isla turned a corner and now she'll wear hers with zero fuss (finally!!)
10. Easy-rinse, Waterproof Bibs - Babies who insist on feeding themselves (aka Isla) are suuuuper messy.  Why anyone would use cotton bibs when these superbibs are out there I don't know.  These are so great and easy to clean.  Rinse quick, hang to dry, repeat.

I know there are other boat and land mamas out there reading, what products have you found to be super easy and convenient for the boat or travel?  Share in the comments so we can all learn!