Seeking Advice on Planning a Trip with a 14 Month Old

Hello fellow Riviera Maya devotee! We were in Akumal in February and my daughter had no problems with the milk or the bottled water there. The milk is a little different than here, but it's still pastuerized. Keep in mind, we rent homes instead of staying at a resort, so we go grocery shopping, but I can't imagine things are different at a resort.

Have a GREAT time!

Personally I would stick with Maui (or anywhere in Hawaii) until your child is a little older. We have a time share in Cabo San Lucas but won't be taking our kids (15 months & 4 yrs) to Mexico for awhile mainly because of the food/water issue. Cabo is supposed to be better with treating water etc, but I got sick the last time I went, so I'm not ready to chance it with my kids yet. Plus it doesn't seem to be a very stroller friendly place with beat up sidewalks etc. We have however taken our kids to Maui and it was great. We went to Kaanapali when our son was 10 months and again this last year when our daughter was 10 months and our son was 3. Vacations with kids are a bit different than without (no sitting on the beach reading for 3 hours uniterrupted), but it was still great. Kaanapali is nice because there's a path to walk along - the kids loved that - plus there are a lot of shops and restaurants that you can walk to. Plus Lahaina and other shopping/restaurant areas are 10 minutes away. We love Kaanapali with kids. For a condo, I would highly recommend the Kaanapali Alii which has all condo units that you can rent. They have full kitchens and plenty of space and is very family friendly. The pool is nice though it's not as fancy as some of the other resort pools, but it's right where you can see the ocean etc. We stayed their with my whole family when my nephew was 10 months (before we had kids) and it was a perfect place. The past 2 times we've gone to Maui we've had just regular hotel rooms and while they were nice resorts, I would really prefer having a condo when travelling with kids. Next time we go to Maui we'll either stay at the Alii or I think the Marriott there on Kaanapali Beach has condos too. The Westin has some too but it's on the other side of Black Rock. I hope that helps!

T.,

I am from Maui and it is a great place to take your family for vacation if that is where you end up going. My family and I just got back from our vacation there in July....none the less it was too short. We found a condo and flight combo for all of us from Travelocity and it was cheaper than buying everything separately. Travelocity was also cheaper than any other website. The condo we stayed at had one room, kitchen, bathroom, living room with sleeper sofa, a patio and a pool. It was a very nice condo, I was surprised. You have to watch out for some of the condos. They say one thing and well when you get there your not very happy, so I have read. Anyway I recommend Kihei Bay Vista Resortquest Maui. It is right across the street from the beach and if you don't want to go to the beach across the street there are many beaches down the strip in both directions or well anywhere really since it is an island. There are many things that you can do. They have tours all over the island. My 2 year old and 9 month old had a blast at the beach, waterfalls, pool....anywhere really. It just wasn't very restful and wont be until your kids are grown. The people are friendly, the food is great and the scenery is spectacular as well. Well I hope you enjoy your vacation wherever you do decide to go.
N.

Hi, T.,

We've traveled to Mexico twice with our family: once to Cabo San Lucas when our daughter was 3.5 and our son was only 6 months old. We stayed in a resort. The second was this past February when our daughter was 4.5 and our son was 1.5. We stayed in a private rental home near Puerta Vallarta with 3 other families and purchased most of our food -- including milk -- from local stores and from the big Wal-Mart on the way in from the airport. None of the kids on this trip -- a total 7 -- had any issues at all with food or drink. The house was equipped with built-in water filters but we weren't that careful with ice, etc. We did check to make sure we knew where local medical facilities were and I brought some PediaLyte (?) just in case but didn't need it.

Happy travels!

Hi- I actually live in Mexico and have a 12 month old. I would not be concerned. My daughter is also on whole milk now, and we have had no problems with it here. Only thing you may want to do is smell the milk, just to make sure, even if it has been in your fridge, that is has not soured. This has happened to us a few more times than when we lived in the states. As far as medical care, (one mom mentioned), I would just say that the medical care here is super. Most of the doctors from the big establishments (such as a hospital) do also speak good English. I was very pleased with the health care throughout my pregnancy here (MUCH more reasonable prices too). So, should you need to see a doctor, I would say you would be in good hands! Have a great trip!

Kapalua Villas in Maui is a great family resort with wonderful full service amenities. kapaluavillas.com We (family of three) stayed in a spacious, comfortable one bedroom condo w/ partial ocean view that was perfect, great balcony (we asked for recently remodeled). They provide a shuttle we used every day we went to Kapalua Bay which was very close, great for kids b/c it's a bay, no waves or current to worry about. Pool near the condo as well. We were also able to shuttle next door to the Ritz Carlton and use their pool/amenities and charge to our room at the Villas. Ritz Carlton just had a huge renovation done, great kid’s pool. Kapalua's Service, Concierge, Housekeeping, and food at their restaurants were fantastic. We had a package to include free car rental & also a special for a $200 incidental credit for knowing a family who stayed there before. If they offered a special like that again you’re welcome to email me & use my name if you chose to stay there. We also used thenannyconnection.com for a night out. We definitely want to return! My 4 1/2yr old still talks about it a year later!

I haven't been to Mexico with our kids but took my daughter to India at 6 mos old. If you are really worried about the milk, you can buy Parmalat or Horizon or any of the shelf stable - ultra pasteurized milks. They won't harm your baby and taste normal. This isn't dry milk, it is just hyper pasteurized and hermetically packaged to be shelf stable- non refrigerated. Whole Foods sells these, I'd bet you could find them at Andronicos as well.

Regarding food, in general, if you eat safely - i.e. no salads only foods you can peel, boil or skin, no fish - you should have no issues. I say no fish at least in India, but you should probably be fine if you eat fish off the coast of Mexico.

At 14 mos, your baby would probably be excited to eat fresh mango, bananas, etc. And all of that is perfectly healthy and won't cause an upset stomach. If you are really nervous, pack baby food. Have fun!

I haven't been to Mexico with my kids yet, but we've been to Hawaii a bunch of times. We took my oldest to Kauai when she was 18 months, and again when she was 3 and my youngest was 2 months, and then we took them to the Big Island when they were 4 and 15 months. All 3 times, we had a great time. (We haven't taken them to Maui yet, but I will say Kauai is also great for family vacations!) We got condos each time - my personal opinion is that whether you go to Mexico or Hawaii, getting a condo with kitchen is the only way to go so you don't have to take your toddler out for every meal.

My experience in Mexico led me to believe I should not take my kids there until they're older. The people were great and it was fun, but even though I was fanatical about not drinking the tap water, I got really sick when I ate a salad that had been washed (or not?) in the water. (Granted, this was in San Felipe, Baja, but I can't imagine the water is that different?) Not an experience I'd wish on anyone, much less a baby. Maybe other moms have some suggestions on how to avoid that, but me personally, I'd stick with the developed countries with safe water supplies for now. =)

Horizon makes milk in a box just like juice-even whole.

Hi T.,

We took our toddler (15 mo) to Cabo in April and stayed at a nice resort. Everything was fine for food and milk. In Mexico, they sell pasturized milk in boxes that only need to be refrigerated after openning. The milk is great quality and pasturized to American standards. Just get a mini fridge in your room to accomodate storage. I was still reluctant to let my daughter eat fresh fruit that wasn't peeled (strawberries, etc) but she did fine with mango, bananas and melons. I also packed some bottled food, snacks and cereal bars in her suitcase just to make sure she had plenty of options. Be careful when it comes to restaurant selections too to make sure you're getting safe food when you eat out. But the moral here is that with some careful planning, good choices and the benefit of a nice resort, you'll be just fine. Enjoy!!

P.

I wouldn't take my daughter to Mexico until she is a little older. I would worry about Medical care if something happened or the food upsetting her stomache. A 14 month olds stomache is still pretty sensitive to changes. I just took my 16 month old daughter to Oahu this summer for 8 days and it was a blast. We had friends that recommended going to Oahu over Maui if you are taking kids. It is more friendly and people don't get as upset if your baby is crying in a restaraunt or at the pool etc.. We stayed at the Moana Surfrider (pricey) but it was the perfect location and there was a grocery store across the street for milk, bananas, cereal etc.. Taking a 14 month old will not be relaxing, but you can still have a blast. My daughter loved to run around in the stroller, but relaxing at the pool was not really an option.

Switch your daughter to UHT (Ultra High Temperature or "steralized" milk) before you go. This is probably what the resort uses anyway--ask them. It is sold in most supermarkets in the US, and in practically all supermarkets overseas. It is located on the shelf next to the dry powered milks, NOT in the refrigerator section. The real benefit to UHT is that it can be stored in the cupboard--I keep a few boxes on hand for making my own yoghurt or "oh, shoot, I don't have enough milk to bake that" occasions. You can travel with your own, or drink what the resort has. It smells a bit sweeter than fresh milk, but is the same quality of "moo juice". The chance of her getting stomach upset or food poisoning is probably equal in both places.

As someone else said, it won't be a restful vacation, but will still be fun!