How safe is it to visit Mexico with children?

Question

Me and my husband what to travel to mexcio after the birth of our second child, so we will have a 19 month old, and a newborn with us. I can't seem to find much information on mexico and child safety.

Or if its only a good idea to stay shut in at a high class resort or can we branch out on our own in Mexico with the kids?

Or not go at all????

Who's been there and would you bring your children?

Answer 1

safe

Answer 2

Sounds like you should wait a few years.  My husband and I went all of the time when our children were small and nothing happened.  Do you speak Spanish?  I think you should sign up with a guide so that they will keep you in some of the safer areas.  Nothing against Mexico.  We have good and bad areas in the United States too.  Don't put anything in your pockets, such as ID's and money.  Buy a bag that goes inside of your clothes.  Have an idea bracelet on your children and keep recent pictures of everyone with you.  I always look forward to going to Mexico..

Answer 3

We were in Playa Del Carmen on the Mayan Riviera last February.  We stayed at a beautiful all-inclusive and yet we were only a 5 minute walk to the centre of town - on 5th Avenue.

Although I don't have young children, I felt very safe and would not hesitate to bring my grandchildren (if I had any - still waiting...)

Answer 4

It is safe.

Children are at risk everywhere, there are bad people all around the world and you can not live locked up. I travel a lot with my family, cousins and nephews and we do fine, but we take care of each other.

If I let my self be scared when I listen to the news or shows like Dateline or 60 minutes when they talk about all the abductions, killings, missing persons etc. that take place in the USA I would never go there, so you see, unfortunately in this era we have to be aware of our surroundings even if its in our own home, block, neighborhood or city, so we all go on living the best way we can.

Mexico is a great place to visit and you don't have to be more aware than what you usually are with your kids.

You sound a little bit paranoid, and if you feel unsafe its better if you don't go because maybe you'll see things that are not happening because of your predisposition. So think about it.

By the way, there are blond blue eyed Mexicans too, and remember that people ALWAYS love to see beautiful babies no matter what race they are.....

Answer 5

I'm white with green eyes and grew up in one of the most dangerous and biggest cities in the world (Mexico City) and I have never ever been mugged, not even once and I've been to a lot of the most dangerous neighborhoods of Mexico City in the middle of the night (I'm only missing visiting Nezahualcoyotl and Tlaltelolco at night).

If you're going to a touristy place like Cancún, the probabilities of your kids being kidnapped or something are probably zero. Foreigners getting killed always makes headlines because it's so unusual, and most of the times it's because the person voluntairly got into trouble and had it coming.

And no, not every mexican is indian. It's like saying every American is blond with blue eyes, that's just nonsense. There's a lot of mexicans with european ancestry and have blond hair and blue eyes. I'm one of them and a lot of students in my university have light colored eyes too.

Yes, people do look at me when I travel by the subway, but it's probably got more to do with my bust than my white skin. Mexicans generally think people with light colored features is attractive. Now if you were asian or black, that would call a lot of attention from the locals because there's so few people of those ethnicities in the country, but not of the bad racist kind, more like simple curiosity.

As for bottled water, mexicans are paranoid about drinking tap water. We either boil it or put some chlorine in it. I wash vegetables with tap water and soap and I never get sick. I do put Iodine in some veggies that are harder to wash for 30 minutes.

There's a reason why E Coli infections from eating raw vegetables is so unusual in Mexico. I find Americans never washing anything at all highly unsanitary actually.

You can get traveler's diahrrea if you eat in the street without washing your hands (especially since foreigners don't have the immunity towards the bugs we've got here). If your children (in the very highly unlikely case) get sick, go to any small clinic and they will give them treatment.

Buying local bottled water is perfectly safe and sanitary (though I find it to be expensive in the long run). Me and some classmates actually did tests to see if bottled water and tap water had bacteria and found nothing, and we were using state of the art sensors that could detect really rare bugs.

Answer 6

Hi,

My husband and I took a ten day road trip from southern California all the way down to Puerto Vallarta (24 hour drive) and we brought our then 9 month old son.  Mexico may be the most family-friendly country I have ever been to.  We had a fantastic time and I actually felt having the baby with us made us safer as we traveled, not less safe, because the Mexican people as a whole love children and respect motherhood highly.  Strangers were a lot more patient with our son's crying in Mexico than they usually are at home!

It is a very civilized country and in the larger cities you will find Walmarts and drugstores just like you would in the USA where you can get the same diapers, formula, baby food, etc. that you would right here.

The only caution that I would give you is to bring your own water if you are driving in, for your 19 month old - or if you are flying down, just buy bottled water for him/her to drink.  I would not personally drink the tap water or eat fruits and vegetables that have been washed in it and not cooked.  That's about it.  We had an outstanding time and I can't wait to take another long road trip into the heart of Mexico (Guanajuato, etc.) with our children - our son is now 2 yrs 4 months and we have a 5 month old as well.  I'd say go for it!  You'll have a great time.  

Here is a site with information about tourist visas and traveling with minor children - hope it may help you.  I'll also include the link to the US state department website for traveling with children.  Have a great trip!

Answer 7

SAFE.

We have two chlidren, of course we travel here together because we are mexicans living here. I would prefer a high class resort, because children get bored easily  (...and cry), and parents get nervous then. Children love pools, play at beach, and things like that; of course you don't need me to know that. With your kids you won't be able to climb pyramids or do kajak or snorquel; but you may rest at pool, visit zoos, etc. Think about their comfort, avoid excesive hot places (you may go to beach, but be careful about weather and sun); remember that we are in tropic latitude, even you are not in a warm place the sun is going to burn you.

I've seen many tourists with kids and babies, they enjoy Mexico. No one is going to be wathing you because your eyes are blue, mexican is not a race, it is a nationality, here there are many white people (as my own family), besides USA is just right one step walking from here (literaly), so we are used to see either white, black, asian or whatever, specially in touristic areas.

About the water, you really don't need to bring it, that is fool, you can buy it at any store here (you can find Bonafon, Evian, Elektropura (from Pepsico), Ciel (from Coca-Cola), and many others).

Answer 8

Wow, with your closed mind, it's better just to stay where you are.  Yes, you'd better watch out for the "scary" Mexican folks.  Oooooo......ha ha ha ha.  I live in Mexico...and people are people, not matter where you go.  I'm sure right now where you are, there are dangerous people too.