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My husband and I are expecting our first child any day now. We want to relocate to Costa Rica in the very near future and are wondering if it is safe to travel and live in Costa Rica with a newborn baby (2 months old or so). Of course I know people have babies there and they are healthy but if you are new to the country is there things we would have to be aware of. We might be living in the Pavones area does anybody know of a doctor there and how far is it to a hospital from there. We are low key people and are comfortable with rugged living (lived for 8 years in Maui) but since this is our first child and really don’t know what to expect we want to make sure that we would not put the baby at risk by moving to Costa Rica when the baby is only 2-3 months old. I am planning to breast feed. We are both healthy and fit people so I hope it would not be a problem but just wanted some locals opinion on the subject. We have never been to Costa Rica but our vision is that it is a beautiful place to be when you love the outdoors, animals, sports and the simple life and living hand in hand with the nature.
I hope somebody has some advice to give.
Thanks Pips from Denmark
Pips, My wife and I want to assure you that it is safe to bring your child to Costa Rica!
Hahahah.. we don’t mean to be condensending but since our child is due on July 15th and we are going in August to November for family purposes, we are fairly sure it will be safe for us. Also my wife is a Tica and grew up in San Jose until 5 years ago when she moved to the states with me.
They have great hospitals and Doctors all over the country and the location that you are moving to is one of the upper bracet areas near Escazu.
Pips,
According to the CIA fact book, the Infant Mortality Rate is 4.51 in Denmark (16th lowest in the world), 6.43 in the U.S. (42nd) and 9.7 in Costa Rica (64th). Not that I always believe what the CIA tells me, but their fact book is usually pretty reliable.
https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/rankorder/2091rank.html
Almost all the Ticos I know survived childhood, although like myself, I guess the jury’s still out on some of them…
We moved there when our first child was 6 months old, and several years later our second child was born there. No problems, although we lived in and around San Jose where there are plenty of doctors, pharmacies and medical facilities.
I remember we always used to take them for a drive to help then go to sleep. Worked like a charm. That all ended when we moved back to the U.S. – either the roads were too smooth, or the kids were too big…
Your post begs the question – Why would you seriously think of relocating to some place you’ve never been to? You can read and research all you want, but you’ll never know if it’s the right place for you until you see it with your own eyes. It seems to me you’re getting ahead of yourself.
BTW, Pavones is in a very remote and rural part of the country, southwest of Golfito. I think Scott Benson is thinking of Pavas, a neighborhood west of San Jose. Yes Scott, it does have its upscale side, but keep going and you’ll discover some real downscale elements as well.
The United Fruit Company was a huge employer in Pavones, but closed its doors in 1985 after a series of labor strikes. Since then it has been extremely economically depressed, and the center of several big squatter episodes. This is all old news though, and I’m sure things have calmed down quite a bit since then. Still, it’ll be decades until the coastal road makes it that far south. In the mean time the only terrestrial access from San Jose is the Pan American Highway which slithers its way south from Cartage on top of the mountain ranges, one of which is aptly named “El Cerro de la Muerte”. It’s an 8 hour trek from San Jose, more if you get run off the road by one of those evil death wish truckers with balding tires and no breaks.
Hi, Pips,
Although the country is only as big as Denmark and has about the same population. It is, as you probably hope, very different. There may be a clinic in Pavone.. but it will not be open 24/7. Maybe only a few days a week.
Since this is your first child and I am an old grandmother, let me advise you to stay near family and support people for the first little while. Then take a vacation in Costa Rica. Visit different sites and discover for yourself what a wonderful country this is.
The water is safe almost everywhere but there are insects with which you will not be familiar, and the sun is very strong. (hard on pale baby skin). It is much easier and safer to travel with a breast fed baby but you can get prepared baby food in the larger grocery stores if you need it. But the child should be old enough to have at least the first set of innoculations. (see a travel doctor about this) and you should be confident and practiced in handling surprises.
The busses and taxis do not as a rule have baby seats so be sure to bring your own. A stroler is useless in most places as the roads and paths are steep and uneven, so bring a backpack type carrier for moving around on foot.
My children and grandchildren have visited me in Costa Rica several times…the youngest being about 4 months old and everything went fine.
Held og Lykke,
AnneLise
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