chriss211

I am getting married at Tulemar. One of the guests would like to bring her 2 year old daughter for four nights. However, she is very concerned that her child's health would be at risk. Is it safe to bring children to Costa Rica? What precautions and side effects should be considered, ie shots or medicine?

Dude

I can only speak in regard to bringing children that age to Mexico. Assuming they are healthy its no big deal. Follow common sense precautions and if they get sick go to a doctor like you would anywhere. The only caveat would be if there is a specific health warning for the area they are going, i.e. malarial risk. Then one should speak to a travel doctor.

chriss211

Thanks. That's what I figured. Has anyone brought kids to Costa Rica?

faithie

I just came back with my kids , six and eight . Costa Rica does not require any extra pre-cautions over the Caribean at this point ( D.R. the exception ) Use common sense , bottled water ....

dncee11

No problem with children in CR, even that young. Health standards are as good or better than parts of the US. Water is safe and food is good and they love children, at least from my experience. Her question brings one to mind for me - does a 2yo require a passport? She should check with the authorities.

Heather49

I had to take my daughter to a doctor in Costa Rica and was very pleased with the care she got.

I'd have no hesitation about taking children to Costa Rica again.

jessw

We spent a month in Costa Rica with our 11-year-old daughter. There were no health concerns or problems to be concerned about. We stayed part of the time with a Costa Rican family, drinking local water, etc. and never had any concerns.


Have a wonderful wedding!

faithie

I should really add that we drank the local water from the tap , we simply asked once we were there if it was o.k. , and all was well . I added the bottled water bit , because if you are nervous it is one less thing to worry about . Faith

RufusTFirefly

While food handling and preparation standards in CR are very high compared to the rest Central America, they are not quite up to the standards in Western Europe, the USA, Canada, etc. The incidence of food poisoning, Hepatitis A, and such is somewhat higher than in these countries.

However, restaurants catering to the tourist trade have high standards probably equal to the "developed" countries. Be somewhat more cautions with local sodas, street vendors, etc.

We went ahead and got Hep A shots as we like to try the local fare--and it's not a bad idea to have Hep A shots anyway. The potential for foodborne Hep A exists everywhere. The initial shot and one booster give essentially lifetime protection.

MonicaRichards

I took my one and a half year old to Costa Rica a few years ago and this year we're going back with the now four year old and her two year old sister. I asked my pediatrician and he said that as long as you stay in the touristed areas (not in the back country) the kids don't need any extra immunizations or anything. Ours ate the food and got the water when we brushed her teeth, etc. (but drank bottled water) and had not a single problem. Also, she LOVED it and they loved her--they dote on American kids there, your friend's daughter will get so much attention she will come to expect it. And the wildlife will keep her enthralled. My only recommendation is that four days is nowhere near long enough! Tulemar is great for kids too, the bungalows work great.

MonicaRichards

Oh, and you can point your friend to our trip report at http://www.markandmonica.com/Travel/costa_rica.htm

mush

If you friend needs even more testimonials, we just got back from a 3 week trip with our 3 year old. He enjoyed every bit of it. We did not find it necessary to take any shots or medicine out of the ordinary: we carried the basic first aid and things like tylenol, etc for common ailments.

We carried deet (mosquito repellent) and used it quite a bit on our hikes. Sunblock was another important item, because the sun was scorching at 8 in the morning when we were out on the beach.

nataliew

My husband and I are taking our 2.5 year old to Costa Rica in March for 9 days. We are staying for 4 nights at Tulemar, our travel agent recommened it because it has its own beach and is child friendly. Thank you to MonicaRichards and the link to your home page! Makes me more excited for our trip! We are trying to decide whether to bring our stroller or not, from your pictures it looks like you used it alot....did you use it in Quapos?

MonicaRichards

We did use the stroller on the trails in Manuel Antonio. We didnt' really go into Quepos itself, just to the grocery store, and we put her in the cart there. It was kind of a pain to take a jogging stroller in the airport but worth it once we got there.

Dude

Erika- Erika, give the guy a break. Its not unreasonable to ask a question if you are going to travel somewhere. By the way you need to use the subjunctive tense following "Creo que."