dawn_stclair

Hi Everyone. I thought I posted this message last week but can't seem to locate it, so I apologize if this is a repeat.

I'm traveling to Costa Rica next month with my two young daughters -- ages 15 mos. & 4 yrs. My husband and I are pretty adventurous travelers, but this is our first time taking our girls out of the country and we're concerned about keeping them healthy. To that end, I'm wondering about your collective experiences with food safety in CR. We'll be there for 10 days and will be driving from the Peace Lodge to Arenal (Los Lagos) to Manuel Antonio (Si Como No). I guess I'm wondering, in general, if you all feel pretty safe eating in hotel restaurants, or do you stick to rules like avoiding unpeeled fruit and salad and ice cubes? And with regards to water, we'll drink bottled, but what about brushing teeth? Should I have the kiddos (my niece and nephew will also be with us) do that with bottled water too? Finally, does anyone have experience with milk in CR? My baby still drinks 3 - 4 bottles each day. Can we trust the stuff from grocery stores so long as it indicates it's pasteurized, or should I try and purchase it from our hotels' restaurants?

Sorry for such detailed questions. I'm not generally nervous about food safety, but again, it's our first trip to CR and our first trip abroad with our kids. Any advice/insight you have to offer will be very much appreciated.

Many Thanks,
Dawn

shillmac

Hi Dawn. . .you have no worries. We have traveled there with our granddaughter every year since she was 5 months old. We do exactly what we do here in the U.S. Milk is fine, tap water is fine (although we often use bottled for convenience), we have never restricted ourselves or her regarding foods. Fruits, veggies, meat, whatever they will eat. Our granddaughter loves rice and beans when we are there. And the soups. She's a big fan of soup and you can find some good ones.

Have fun!

Jeff_Costa_Rica

Dawn, I think the milk is quite good, and it's completely safe. Dos Pinos is the best-known brand.

It's UHT pasteurized (ultra-high temperature), so it has a shelf life at room temperature of six to nine months and you'll see it sitting out on the shelf, although most supermarkets keep a few containers in the cooler too. (Some of what's in the cooler is pasteurized but with the same process used in the U.S., so it will have an expiration date similar to to that in U.S. stores.) It comes in liter boxes, about the size of a quart, and you can get it skim, 2-percent or whole. Think of kids' juice boxes but the size of a quart. That's what they look like.

I don't know if your kids are much for candy, but there's a disturbing amount of candy here made in China that has had to be removed from the market because of toxic substances. Yet I see the stuff for sale on occasion.

qwovadis

Dawn water/food safety is good

in the areas and hotels chosen.

do review food/water safety guidelines

www.cdc.gov so no worries

Have fun,

Katie_H

Just wanted to mention that you can quickly view all of the topics you have posted or posted on by clicking your screen name.

pg

We travelled with our three kids 8, 8 and 3 a couple of weeks ago. The places you are going are all having plenty of supermarkets from where you can buy almost every American or American-style packaged food, drinks and diary products. We stopped at least once every day at a supermarket to stock up on milk, fresh fruits and snacks for our road trip (and a couple of lunches as well). Don't worry - you will surely have a great time.

dawn_stclair

Thanks everyone. We're leaving next week and having read your responses has really put my mind at ease.

shillmac

Have a great time!