Taking Children To Mexio

My surgery date is 2/18/05 & I can't wait. I am very nervous about taking my 18 month old with us to Mexico though. My husband knows that I won't be much help with him & that is okay. I just don't have anyone to watch him for 9 days while we are gone. Is Mexico a bad place to take a small child (kidnapping, etc.)? My husband is the only person that can go with me & I don't want to go alone. Am I being selfish to want someone there? Also, to cross the border I know that hubby & I will need our drivers license. But, what about our baby? Will a birth certificate do? Thank you for your help!

I would not go to Mexico alone (although I did). I also would not advise taking your child, but this is just my thoughts...Best of luck.

I know people in the U.S. are pretty paranoid about traveling to other countries, but I don't think you need to worry. I am an American by birth, but I live in a truly 3rd world country (Jamaica). I wouldn't hesitate to take a small child to Mexico or Jamaica, as long as you take some common sense precautions. Yes, take the child's birth certificate. If both you and your husband are fair-skinned caucasians, and your child looks that way too, you probably wouldn't have any problem. The Mexicans don't want you taking a kidnapped child into Mexico, and the U.S. doesn't want you bringing a Mexican baby into the U.S. As for kidnapping in Mexico, just take the same precautions you normally would. Bottled water is safe to drink there, and well-cooked food from reputable restaurants (like the hotel restaurant) should be fine too. If your child eats baby food from jars, you'll most likely find the same brands in the grocery stores there in Mexico. The only thing you have to look for is the expiration date. I don't know how it is in Mexico, but here in Jamaica, the U.S. "dumps" foods that are close or at the expiration date. Diapers shouldn't be hard to find at all. Hope that helps! Jennifer Aceves lap rny 2/5/05

In the group that I had surgery with, one did have their older child with them. I don't think it will be a problem at all!!! It would be worse for you to leave him behind. As long as another adult is going with you...it should be just fine!!

My children are grown so I didn't have to worry about taking them. I know others have taken their children and haven't had any problems. You are not being selfish wanting someone with you. I honestly don't know what I would have done if my husband hadn't been with me. He was a great help and you really need the companionship. I know some go by themselves but I don't know how they do it. I would encourage you and your husband to take your drivers license and a copy of your birth certificate as well as your baby's birth certificate. I wish you the very best as you make this exciting journey. Cheri

Hi Kris, I had surgery in Ensenada on December 3. I went with my mother and my 5 year old daughter. I took a notorized paper saying my husband gave permission for our daughter to travel across the border, and we all brought birth certificates. Of course if your husband is with you, you won't need the notorized permission. This is to prevent custody issue kidnappings. We had Bambi transport us and we actually never had to show anything to get into Mexico. On the way back into the US, we had a border guard who was very nice and was Hispanic. He looked at our driver's licences and my daughter's birth certificate, then asked her "How are you doing?" in a very casual manner. She answered appropriately in a completely American way and he was satisfied we were not stealing her from Mexico! We were sent on our way without any difficulty. I was very glad to have her with me rather than worrying about her being at home with her dad and brother. I felt like I was able to relax and heal better without the extra worry. And don't worry about your baby being kidnapped. It is a pretty easy-going place. If you get the apartment, there is a park only a block away. There is cable tv, but mostly spanish channels (of course). I brought a portable dvd player and that really came in handy to occupy my daughter. She watched Shrek 2 while I was in surgery. We watched a lot of movies (we brought about 10) while we were there. Unfortunately, you can't hook it up to the tv in the apartment so we had to watch them on the itty bitty screen! Oh well, it was still better than doing nothing in the evenings.