Costa Rica with Kids

It is always encouraging to make memories with kids. We all know how fast they grow up and then slowly realize we were too busy raising them that we didn't make enough time to give them a different cultural experience, a worldly view towards life, just adding that depth that will give them an edge. Traveling with kids is a fundamental life choice! You just buckle up and say this is what we will do together as a family. And trust me, it will seem like a lot of hard work and your kids might not get it at the get go but it is a quick learning curve and with every chance you take up to travel, you get better at it and your kids will grow to appreciate it.

There is also the unglamorous side to traveling with kids, which very rarely gets photographed.....its the last thing on your mind when your kid is having a meltdown or is cranky/sleepy/moody/tired etc and parenting is such a hands-on job that sometimes no amount of preparing, planning, cajoling helps. On the brighter side, there is that thing called cognizance about your kid's behavior and being ready with back up options is always going to help.

Costa Rica is an exceptionally kid friendly country with very strong family values. Everywhere we went, people were very accommodating of our kids and went an extra mile to make them feel welcomed. That being said, we as parents had to put a lot of thought into making our stay enjoyable and panic free. Since my kids are five years apart, I will try and explain how we handled their individual needs differently.

Nihaar (8 months old)

We had prior experience of traveling to India when Sriman, my older son, was an infant and the whole experience was different, as we were still going home, where we had family and a support system in place. With Nihaar, it was his first international travel and we had to be extra prepared, as it was a country we were visiting for the first time to begin with. Here is a list of things we took into account before/while packing...

1. Getting a nod from our wonderful Pediatrician about his immunizations being up-to-date, was a good place to start.
2. Getting his passport and travel documents ready was equally important. 
3. We were going to a rainforest and would be hiking.. a lot. On recommendation from people who had already travelled there, we carried a Baby Carrier Backpack and a Baby sling which turned out to be the best gear to hike with a baby.
4. With the extra baggage space we got due to international travel, we carried enough baby diapers and wipes. I mean, we were going to interior areas where finding anything else was remote. Also, we didn't want to try the local diapers for the brief period we were staying there. Another reason to consider was diarrhea, common among teething babies. In the same line, a diaper rash cream helps immensely.
5. Medicines: Infant Acetaminophin and Ibuprofen, infant thermometer, Pedialyte to avoid dehydration due to diarrhea or vomiting, colic medicine.
6. Plenty of comfortable and soft clothing because lets face it.... we may not get a chance to do our laundry on our trip and babies can get very messy very often! 
7. I traded in the diaper bag for a backpack to be hands free!

Side note: Since I was exclusively breast feeding I did not have the need to carry baby bottles, bottle warmers, bottle sterilizer, brush, etc.

What I absolutely always had on hand in my backpack during an outing

• Diapers and wipes ofcourse!
• Diaper changing pad/sheet
• Nursing coverup
• A medium size bottle of mineral water
• Change of clothing: 2 sets
• Disposable bowls and spoons
• Gerber Stage 2 fruit and vegetable puree and barley/rice baby cereal
• Crackers/Biscuits/Goldfish snack
• Sippy cup
• Baby blanket
• Medicines
• Travel documents
• Umbrela 

Sriman (5 years old)

Our main aim while packing for Sriman was to make sure he is engaged enough to not let boredom set in. While traveling we are lenient with screen time on the plane and our flight to Costa Rica was long, almost 6 hours including transit and the on-flight entertainment came to our rescue. Generally speaking, Sriman is good at eating, meaning he will not fuss about something for long, so food was never an issue we worried about for him. But we did carry some snacks and juice boxes for just in case.
Even though some of what we packed for Nihaar also applied for Sriman, like medicines, travel documents et al here is a list of things we packed for Sriman:

• It was a big deal for Sriman, to travel to a place that did not have TV/Internet! We sneaked in the Ipad with some great, fun and educational apps pre-downloaded just incase he was getting unusually bored but most of the days he was so exhausted from all the activities that he didn't seem to miss any of it too much. But have to admit, it did come in handy, for days when we were driving from one place to the other.
• We got him an inexpensive and basic digital camera.. to let him do some exploring of his own and on the way had a story of his own account to tell. 
• A few good picture books to read.
• We were carrying a pair of basic covered shoes but wish had some good hiking shoes for him and a few pairs of socks because lets face it, kids will step into water more often than not!
• Some toys that he could pack easily in his carry-on
• Motion sickness relief tablets and bug repellent
• A rain jacket and some swimming shorts
• Some snacks and juice boxes

We took plenty of breaks while hiking, keeping Sriman in mind, and playing age appropriate games and singing songs helped distract him from the long durations of hike. Getting him involved in activities also helped, like at the coffee estate, he helped picking coffee beans and also helped make corn tortillas on our last day at El Silencio, which was such a fun session and also gave him a first-hand exposure to their cuisine. What we also took into account was that staying away from home for long makes anyone home sick and a quick fix to deal with that feeling is to have some home cooked food wherever possible, so we carried an electric cooker, rice, ready-to-eat curries/dal. We were staying at a hotel which came with a small kitchenette and even that one meal of food suited to our palate was soul satisfying!

Overall, I highly recommend taking that leap of faith and venture out of your and your kid's comfort zone to seek the joys of travel and be amazed by what Costa Rica has to offer!!

Also read:
Part One, Part Two and Part Three of our travelogue to Costa Rica