Taking 12 Mo Old to Mexico

Hi KJ,

We visit Puerto Vallarta yearly. We took our son at 5 months, and at 17 months and we will be going again in a week. I would be lying if I said I didn't feel a bit nervous about the trip when he was 5 months, and 17 month was a ton of fun with him.

In the mornings we would go to the beach, back for a snack and nap, lunch and the pool in the afternoon. He slept great while we were there. There is so much new and exciting for them to explore, they just get tuckered out.

We always take a pro-biotic before we go to build up the good bacteria in our tummies and we never have and issue with montazuma revenge. For my son, i'll make a fruit smoothie and open the capsule in the smoothie. It works like a charm.

As far as the food, you can take a cab to a grocery store.If you are concerned about sugar, check labels. When my guy was 5 months I ran out of baby food and had to buy some and there was sugar in the "Gerber" baby food. We usually do that the first day we get there. Fruits are yummy in Mexico, we will order a fruit bowl upon our arrival and it will be in the room when we get there. The place we stay has a liitle deli on the property and we can get "good" foods there. Maybe it is the same place.

You are going to have a great time and you will be able to stay on schedule. It such a relaxed atmosphere, embrace it and allow your in laws to take him and make sure you get a well deserved mama break.

The cars are very safe and if there is no seat belt in the car, ask for another one that is safe. We took our son on a 19 day trip to europe and we were in and out of taxi's, etc. I had one taxi driver tell me not to use the car seat because we weren't going far....WHAT!We merged on 3 highways! Some taxi drivers were great and some were utterly aggravated with me a the car seat, but I did what I needed to do to have my child safe!
L.

I have to say that I disagree with Crista - go and have fun!! I took my kids, and they haven't stopped talking about it!! OUr resort had a buffet with tons of options for food, so if it's anything like that you'll be fine with choices available. We drank bottled water, took showers there and none of us got sick. My parents were also there and they got to do what they wanted, but were there to help when I needed it. As others have stated, wait for a safe car - there are lots of people that try to get you when you first get out there to ride with them, but only go where your resort has told you to. Ours had seatbelts! As for the naps, bring what is familiar for him, and be flexible, his schedule might be a little off, but it's all worth it! Can you bring a sun shade? He could take a nap on the beach. I had friends who used their baby monitor and went down to the beach - they could see their bungalow from where they were. Have a great time!!!

I might try to figure out a way to graciously bow out of this trip. Taking a one year old almost anywhere is complicated, and you're not going to get to enjoy Mexico.

His health is at risk from the bacteria in the food and water, and you can't just give him Lomotil like you could with an older child. Sunburn. Somebody being with him in the hotel room for hours on end during all the nap/sleeping time. What fun is all that?

I'm with the other post - wait for a safe vehicle. The van we took from the airport to the resort (the resort's van) was very safe when we traveled to Mexico.

Most resorts in Mexico have clean water for all purposes - ice, in faucets, showers, etc. so the water should be fine.

My best advice to you is to call the resort and ask your questions. I am sure they can tell you about the water (VERY common question), and may even be able to tell you about the availability of yogurt, milk, etc. through the resort restaurants. When we went to Tulum in July, there was a whole table at the buffet for kids - Cheerios, pancakes, fruit, yogurt, toast, etc. that would have been great to feed a little one who is on solid foods.

You can bring food with you as well - nonperishable. You can even pack baby food (put it in ziploc bags in case one opens during travel), but you have to put it in your CHECKED luggage. Bring toys! You'll be glad you did! They may be small toys, but as many as you can bring - do it! Be sure you pack a pail and shovel for the beach - a blow up ball or two, a blanket for him to sit on, plenty of sunscreen, bring a few different hats (the ones that also cover his neck are great). Ask the hotel if there is a DVD player available (or bring a portable one), and at times when you're in the room, he can play and watch his favorite video (Einstein, whatever). You may have to pay an additional fee for extra luggage, but the $15 or $25 may be well worth it for the ease of your time there!

Often, the sun takes a bit of your energy, so when it comes to naps, you may find that you or your husband, or your inlaws won't mind going back to the room for your son's naps. It's good to get out of the sun for a bit, and you (or your family) may welcome the break.
Nights will be the same...pick a night or a few nights for a romantic time alone with your hubby and leave your son with your in laws. That leaves a few nights for your in laws to have their own time as well. We were always pretty wiped out and headed to bed pretty early!

Talk to you pediatrician before you go about perhaps bringing with you some antibiotics or something for diarrhea in case your son was to need them during your trip. Hopefully you won't need them at all, but better safe than sorry. With him being 12 months, I would also ask about being sure he's up on all his immunizations before your trip. :)

Don't forget to take a MILLION pictures! Enjoy and have a great time!

Hi! Ok I also took my son to Mexico when he was 12 months. The milk and yogert you can get there will be fine. As for the water...because you are staying at a resort it SHOULD be fine, but I would suggest just giving him sponge baths while you are there. Have you asked the resort about activites...they may have something fun that you can do with your son. About carseats...good luck. We were lucky enough that my in-laws live there 6 months out of the year, so they had their car there. There should be a van taxi that would have seatbelts. In-laws are hard...let them take your son after his first nap if they want to help out. They would have fun at the pool. Just be sure to lay down some rules about nap times and so one. I would also suggest taking some of the food you know your son will eat witn you. Good luck and have a great time! My son loved it while we were there. Oh, one more thing...there is the plaza in PV that is beautiful. There are birds all over, my son was in heaven. It is just amazing to see. We have a great picture of him in is stroller, surounded by the birds with a huge smile on his face. Just thought I would throw that out there.

We went to Cancun on a big family vacation when our twin boys were 11 months old. We were also traveling with others in the family, including 3 year old and 10 month old cousins. We had a terrific time. At most resorts, the water is safe. We showered the boys and fed them the food at the restaurant with no problems. We did use bottled water provided by the hotel for drinking. We took enough rice cereal, oatmeal, jarred baby food, formula (to be sure they get some nutrients if they wouldn't eat), Cheerios and few other finger food to make it through the whole trip just in case, but ended up using very little because the kids were happy to eat what we were. I also took some Pedialyte, but again didn't have to use it.

We were traveling with family and traded off with the kids. We set up a bit of a schedule early, such as which nights we wanted to ourselves, but otherwise it was just really nice to have company.

We took portable cribs the kids were used to. Sleeping stayed very much on schedule. The kids played themselves tired during the day-between the beach, pool, exploring the hotel, playing in the room or Grandma and Grandpa's room... At naptime, almost always there was someone willing to go into the room to sleep with them, and once we even got them to fall asleep on the beach!

Once we got in a routine, one of my favorite things about the trip was being woken up by the kids in the morning, and handing them outside to an eagerly waiting Grandma while we could sleep in or just take our time getting ready in the morning. Grandparents got their fix first thing, and we got some relaxation time!