8 days in Mexico DF (and beyond?) with a baby | Kids To Go - Lonely Planet Forum

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Mon, 14 Mar 2011 04:17:23 +0000

Hi folks,

My husband, I, and our 9-month old daughter will leaving in a couple of weeks for an 8-day (not including travel days) holiday in Mexico. We're pretty seasoned travellers and I speak spanish, but this will be our first visit to Mexico, and our first time traveling with a baby. We'll be staying with family friends in DF, but they'll be working, so we'll be left to our own devices for the most part. We're hoping to visit Teotihuacan and various art/cultures museums, but don't have much in the way of concrete plans beyond that. Honestly, having never traveled with a baby, I'm at a bit of a loss! Does anyone have any suggestions of baby-friendly activities? Any general tips for lugging an infant around Mexico City? Are we better off taking the metro/transit or taxis? We're not ruling out side trips either - are there any low-key towns in the vicinity that may make a nice break from the bustle of DF? If we leave the city, should we fly? take a bus? rent a car?

Thanks!
K

ONLINE

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 17:18:12 +0000

Hi,
I was in the D.F. last August. My daughter is 4 now (3 at the time) so it wasn't the same but I can give you a few tips.
We took the trip to Teotihuacan with a guide that we arranged at our hotel. They had a van, and did not charge for our daughter. It's a bit of a drive so this was more comfortable for me than using the metro, unless you're on a tight budget that may be your best bet. Take plenty of water, sunscreen, and one of those front-of-the-body carriers for the child would be ideal. The steps on the pyramids are steep.

We took a trip to visit Jilotepec by bus, I believe the ride was about 2 hours (I slept through a lot of it.) The busses were big and felt completely safe, the climate is nice so there is no need for AC. They make semi-frequent stops to let vendors on to try and sell their merchandise or food. Jilotepec is nice but we went to visit family, I would imagine without family you'd want to go somewhere like Queretaro or Puebla. There isn't a whole lot to do in Jilo.

Hope you enjoy Mexico City!

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Thu, 17 Mar 2011 05:29:41 +0000

Thanks for the reply! Did you schlep your daughter all the way up the pyramids at Teo?! We have a front carrier, but at 22 lbs, she's a bit hard on the back now. I was thinking I'd just use a small umbrella stroller for her. But I guess I could just designate my husband as the official baby carrier! Also, did you bring a car seat with you, or just hold your daughter?

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Thu, 17 Mar 2011 12:10:32 +0000

My daughter actually climbed to the top of the sun pyramid all by herself! It took a while but there are plenty of elderly and not-so-fit people that do the climb. There is also a chain that runs up the steps to hold on to, and many people take a small break at each level of the pyramid before climbing the next set of steps.
I did end up carrying my daughter on my shoulders for pretty much the rest of the visit, and did not feel the inspiration to climb the other, smaller, moon pyramid afterwards.

We did not take a car seat. For taxi and bus rides our daughter rode on laps. When you hit traffic it's really hectic but no one is moving more than a few miles per hour. Obviously that will be your call, your daughter is smaller than mine was, but I can say the norm in Mexico is that children are on mom or dad's lap. We did take a small stroller, the type that is just a seat and wheels, it came in very handy.

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