Need suggestions for 4 year old

[jamdoll417]

In October I will be in Cozumel with my husband, in laws, and our 4 year old daughter. I don't feel comfortable with her being in a taxi without her carseat. Anything within walking distance for us to do? Besides shopping... Thanks!

[DipBrat]

Not much in walking distance besides pretty tacky shopping. Maybe rent a car with a car seat? The Chankanab dolphin park would be a consensus pick with a 4-year old. There are some (expensive) catamaran excursions that include snorkelling and beach time. 4 is young to snorkel, but parents can trade off and everyone will have fun at the beach.

 

 

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[cb at sea]

Google 'Cozumel walking maps"... Lots of info pops up...about what's nearby, and where!!

[HOGRANT54]

If your coming into Punta Langosta Pier there is a great little hotel to swim at. Hotel Barracuda is family friendly and overlooks the ocean.

 

 

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[notentirelynormal]

While I understand your concerns there are many generations that have survived without a seat belt. It is not like you are driving 50 miles. It is only a few. You might not even find a seat belt for yourself. You could use the same precautions you would on an airplane.

 

Don't bother blasting me how wrong I am. I don't care if you disagree with me. I'm old enough to have lived through the 60s and 70s where no one wore seat belts. Now we know the error of our ways but driving five miles is not likely to be too traumatic. Parents know to protect their children in ways we didn't. If they don't have seat belts then each and every day kids across that country have survived using no seat belts.

[gymbomb]

Do you think she is big/mature enough to start booster seat training JUST for situations like this? (Maybe not at newly 4, but quite possibly yes at 4.5 or so). It would open up a lot of options like a BubbleBum booster which is really easy to travel with.

 

When I am trying to avoid a car seat at cruise ports I also look for things that use a boat and/or a large bus for transportation. I believe there are a lot of those options in Cozumel.

 

Note: I am a conservative car seat user. I use them on airplanes, my 2.5 year old is still rear facing, and I plan to keep him harnessed in our primary vehicle until at least 6. But 4 is not a completely unreasonable age to start working on booster seat use for short trips and travel situations, especially when you'd be sitting in the back seat with the child and could monitor and give reminders as needed.

[Algebralovr]

Do they still make the inexpensive booster seats from 15 years ago that are just a boost to bring the shoulder up a bit? We used them 97-2001, before the car seat laws got so invasive. They were really small and easy to take along.

 

If so, you could take one along and say it was just for special occasions like in a taxi on vacation

 

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[sg4crzn]

I suggest Chankanaab. Short taxi ride.

 

 

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[sg4crzn]

I think there was seat belts in the taxis.

 

 

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[LilDesertGirl]

Why can't you bring a car seat? We put it in the closet. Rented a car in Puerto Vallarta and drive w her in it.

 

 

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[DipBrat]

Do you think she is big/mature enough to start booster seat training JUST for situations like this? (Maybe not at newly 4, but quite possibly yes at 4.5 or so). It would open up a lot of options like a BubbleBum booster which is really easy to travel with.

 

When I am trying to avoid a car seat at cruise ports I also look for things that use a boat and/or a large bus for transportation. I believe there are a lot of those options in Cozumel.

 

Note: I am a conservative car seat user. I use them on airplanes, my 2.5 year old is still rear facing, and I plan to keep him harnessed in our primary vehicle until at least 6. But 4 is not a completely unreasonable age to start working on booster seat use for short trips and travel situations, especially when you'd be sitting in the back seat with the child and could monitor and give reminders as needed.

 

 

Excuse my ignorance but what is booster seat training?4 is a bit a bit young for a booster but the raised risk is probably a lot less than lots of other things we do everyday. There are also travel car seats you can buy.

 

 

 

 

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[gymbomb]

Excuse my ignorance but what is booster seat training?4 is a bit a bit young for a booster but the raised risk is probably a lot less than lots of other things we do everyday. There are also travel car seats you can buy.

 

 

 

 

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It just means working with the child and practicing on short trips to teach them to sit up/still in a booster seat. The ride safer travel vest is also an option that provides more containment for the child but is more bulky and costs quite a bit more.

 

 

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[martikus]

Playa Mis in Cozumel would be awesome for her age. Huge kids pool with slides and water features right beside an adult pool. Small beach with free paddle boats. We did the package without food.

 

I am a car seat stickler and we went without for the 10ish minute cab ride. I wouldn't think twice about bringing one of those graco boosters for a cab ride. They are super light and easy to carry. We put it in a recyclable grocery bag and it fits in overhead storage on plane.

 

If that is not an option then I would just stay on boat and enjoy the empty ship. There is only really shopping at the port unless you are willing to take a cab. We have stayed on before with our son.

Edited September 10, 2016 by martikus

[martikus]

It should have read Playa Mia

[kitkat343]

If you do decide to bring the booster, it might be better to arrange for transportation ahead of time. You can request a car with seat belts, and make sure there are enough seats for everyone (we made the mistake of not clearly explaining in Costa Rica that we were bringing a car seat, and one person wound up in the hatchback since they thought our 2 year old would be sitting on someone's lap). If you get a cab in the port, posters have noted on other threads that they've had to wait a little while since few of the cabs have seat belts. It's not the end of the world, but sometimes it can be hard to wait with kids so you might want to arrange for a taxi ahead of time.

[Niclia]

Passion Island beach break. By boat (not by speed boat!) so you don't have to worry about car seats. We booked a shore excursion so not sure if it's available to book independently.

 

 

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[jamdoll417]

Do you think she is big/mature enough to start booster seat training JUST for situations like this? (Maybe not at newly 4, but quite possibly yes at 4.5 or so). It would open up a lot of options like a BubbleBum booster which is really easy to travel with.

 

When I am trying to avoid a car seat at cruise ports I also look for things that use a boat and/or a large bus for transportation. I believe there are a lot of those options in Cozumel.

 

Note: I am a conservative car seat user. I use them on airplanes, my 2.5 year old is still rear facing, and I plan to keep him harnessed in our primary vehicle until at least 6. But 4 is not a completely unreasonable age to start working on booster seat use for short trips and travel situations, especially when you'd be sitting in the back seat with the child and could monitor and give reminders as needed.

 

She is nearly 5, however; she is teeny tiny. Only 32 lbs and very short for her age. We have decided we will eat and shop in port and then take advantage of less crowded pools back on the ship.

 

While I'm sure everything would be fine, I just can't take that risk! I appreciate everyone's input :)

[Sparkygirl]

She is nearly 5, however; she is teeny tiny. Only 32 lbs and very short for her age. We have decided we will eat and shop in port and then take advantage of less crowded pools back on the ship.

 

 

 

While I'm sure everything would be fine, I just can't take that risk! I appreciate everyone's input :)

 

 

 

Given your daughter's age and weight I would highly recommend looking into the ride safer travel vest. It is no more bulky that a standard no back booster seat. The newest release is adaptable to a variety of car seatbelt, top teacher options. Yes, it is more expensive than a booster but also safer than a booster seat for such a tiny child. With the size, height and weight one vest would last for several years so also look into what future travel you will be doing to see if it is worth the investment.

 

 

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[lucyddr]

Definitely look at Ride Safer travel vests! We bought two for our twins and planned to use them in Cozumel. Unfortunately, in a rush, we totally forgot them in the cabin. We took at a taxi to Mr. Sanchos beach, which was a HUGE success with our 3.5 year old twins. I was terribly stressed on the way there because our driver was NOT careful at all, and I really regretted not having the vests with us. The return trip was less anxiety-ridden because the older driver was slow and super careful.

 

I won't forget our vests again and consider them a great long term travel investment.

[A&Jfamily]

I would look for a tour that includes BUS transportation. When you daughter goes to school, no matter the age/size, buses, at least where I live, have nothing but bench seats. The theory is that the mass of the bus is so large, that it wins in any collisions. The speeds are very low - like 30-40 KPH all around the island so she would be fine.

[anonmom]

If your coming into Punta Langosta Pier there is a great little hotel to swim at. Hotel Barracuda is family friendly and overlooks the ocean.

 

 

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This is what we did last year with our then 4.5 year old. It is a super easy walk from the port. It takes about 15 minutes to walk through the maze of shops inside the port, but once you get out to the street it is about a block away.

 

Nice pool, nice easy snorkeling area, sand to dig in, free wifi, reasonably priced drinks and food, no pressure to order anything right away. No water toys or fabulous coral reefs, so not a place that older kids would be impressed with, but absolutely perfect for the toddler/preschool crowd. Also right across the street from a Walmart-type supermarket (Mega) where you can grab any little things you forgot to bring with you.

 

I can't recommend this place enough for families with car-seat aged children. We're going back with our now 5.5 year old in January.

 

(I should also mention that we are big fans of the RSTV, and we did bring it on our cruise, but we didn't think the southern resorts would be worth the cost of cab fare and admission with a young child. We'll probably end up back in Cozumel in 2018 and then we'll bring the vest with us and go to Chankanaab or Punta Sur.)

 

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[williamsk]

Not much in walking distance besides pretty tacky shopping. Maybe rent a car with a car seat? The Chankanab dolphin park would be a consensus pick with a 4-year old. There are some (expensive) catamaran excursions that include snorkelling and beach time. 4 is young to snorkel, but parents can trade off and everyone will have fun at the beach.

 

 

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We booked a catamaran snorkeling trip with our daughter when she was almost two. We brought her safety vest from home and had to put the ill fitting snorkeling vest over it to meet the rules. We took a seaview raft that had a window for her to view the fish and handles that my husband and I held on to on both sides. It worked great.

[bearette]

I didn't read all the advice but why don't you rent a car. You can rent the right size car seat this way too. You can visit wherever you like and not compromise saftey or have to take along a bulky car seat.

[anonmom]

I didn't read all the advice but why don't you rent a car. You can rent the right size car seat this way too. You can visit wherever you like and not compromise saftey or have to take along a bulky car seat.

I have never heard of a car rental agency having a good selection of properly sized and cared for car seats...

 

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[ScubaPirate]

We just got back with our 2.5 yo, but she is tall and sounds like about your daughters size. We did a bus excursion to avoid the car seat issue, but ended up purchasing a less expensive seat from Walmart that was light and brought it on the trip. I wouldn't go w/o a car seat either, except on a bus trip, but although bulky, the inexpensive seat lets us fly without fear of damaging our nice one at home, is easy to carry, and was very fast to attach in a taxi!