Would You Take a 1 Year Old to Peru?

[bigpassport]

DH and I have an opportunity to go to Peru in June 2010. DH's nephew will be finishing up his church mission, so we will have him as a tour-guide/insider, but we'd stay in hotels and probably rent a car. DS will be 1 year old. My main concern is his health and safety, but I am also concerned about our comfort and enjoyment. Does anyone have any experience traveling to Peru with an infant? South America? WWYD?

[Katigre]

With just one child, I would do it. What an amazing opportunity. A few things I'd be sure to cover though:

1. If you're nursing, I would do my best to continue nursing until the trip is over. That way you are guaranteed a safe and clean source of nutrition for him (and no worries about safe water since he can rely on your milk to quench his thirst and tide him over between meals). And if he does get sick with something your milk will help hydrate him.

2. You should pack some food for him b/c you won't know what type of food situation you'll face once there.

3. Have a good back carrier for walking/hiking b/c I don't think strollers will work too well.

HTH!

[bigpassport]

Thank for the tips! I'm not nursing, but I figure we can take formula and buy bottled water (I'll have to figure out how to sterilize nipples). I would definitely take food for him. And I do have a Pikkolo which both DS and I really like so far. There will be two teenaged girls and another mom with us, so plenty of hands to help hold/watch DS. Also, DH is fluent in Spanish so language won't be a barrier. This is sounding more and more do-able to me:)

[nfowife]

Do it!! You won't regret it. We live in Europe and travel all over with our kids. Just got back from the weekend in Budapest this morning, actually :) .
Traveling with kids is not the same as without, but it's still a fun adventure. You just have to modify your expectations in order to keep everyone happy. And by everyone, I mean the baby. Because if baby ain't happy, ain't nobody happy :tongue5: . For us, that means returning most days for DS (and usually, all of us!) to take a midday nap. We can skip this for a day trip, but generally it's a necessity or he becomes a total misery to be around. So, we make sure the kids get enough sleep. Things like that. Just be flexible and know you won't get to see as much as you want each day, you might have to scale back a little and work in some time for him to run/crawl around and be a kid. And, bring a framed backpack for walking, with that age it will be so much easier!
Enjoy!

[citymama]

We've taken DD on 2 trips to Asia - one at 10 months and the other at 3. Great experiences. I would do it!