One of the best parts about living in Costa Rica is that people want to come visit you! We just had family visit for the holidays, and quite a few friends coming over the next two months. I started this list on a scratch piece of paper for my sister-in-law and then decided why not write it down for others.
First off, Costa Rica is an extremely kid friendly place! Many restaurant's have toys or playgrounds for kids. And the locals (Ticos) are so friendly and helpful, and they especially love babies. But be ready for them to tickle your children's toes or give their cute chubby cheeks a lovingly little squeeze. There isn't the same sense of boundaries as found in the states, and believe me Baby Sonny loves it that way!
After having lived here for over 5 months, and having traveled to Costa Rica numerous time since 2011, here is what I would tell my friends and family with kids to pack.
SWIM
Swim suits/ sun shirts - I would bring at least 2 pairs as things take much longer to dry here. I would refrain from buying a brand new suit or bringing your favorite suit as some of the beach sand stains suits and they can get moldy easily.
Rash guard- super important if you think you'll be surfing at all. Although most surf places will allow you to use one of theirs with a rental of a board. Also nice for kids so you don't have to keep reapplying sunscreen as much.
Towels- Quick Dry/Microfiber because the dry quickly. (This is my favorite towel poncho for my kids)
Sand blanket - here is the one we have and Joel often says how it is his favorite thing we brought with us!
Hats for everyone!
Snorkel equipment or goggles for the pool (good goggles are hard to find here)
Swim floaties or life jacket - My boys learned to swim here at 4 & 5 years old, but I still feel so much more comfortable having them wear some floatation device in the ocean.
Waterproof dry bag - for keys, wallet, phone & passports. You'll want to keep valuables on you at all times. (waterproof backpack)
A collapsible sand bucket is useful, but not necessary - this is the one we have.
SHOES
For beach
Easy on and off sandals (easy to shake out) that you can walk comfortably in
My kids favorites are either normal crocs or the croc sandals
My favorite - my plastic Birkenstocks or Chaco's
Joel's favorite's- Havana Flip Flops & Chaco's
For Jungle
Rain boots are a great way for kids to safely explore the jungle. (Adults too if you have the space). Easy to wash off, and it keeps them protected from ants, bugs & snakes.
Hiking shoes or Sandals - good for longer/more strenuous hikes
CLOTHING
Quick dry clothing
Avoid cotton shirts
Loose fitting clothing for the hot beach areas
Hats
Warm Layers for the cloud forests/jungle
Rain Jacket
Fleece
Long sleeve shirt
Long Pants
You wont need nearly as much clothing here as you think. Most places will have laundry facilities, or laundry at an extra cost. When I travel I like brining Earth Breese laundry sheets, to wash clothes by hand.
MEDICINES
Bring ALL the sunblock and bug spray your family will need for your entire stay, as it will cost you an arm and a leg here.
Other helpful things to bring are:
Tylenol/Ibuprofen (kids and adults)
Benadryl (pills and cream)
After sun cream/aloe
After bite cream/hydrocortisone
Neosporin
Band-Aids
Peptol Bismol (or something similar)
Imodium
(optional) Melatonin- When we travel with our kids, this is often helpful with late night flights, change of time zones, or just to help with sleeping at a new place.
Your own shampoo/conditioner or kids shampoo that you like.
All of the things I mentioned above are extremely expensive to buy here in country.
Note: Pharmacies here in Costa Rica are extremely helpful, and many of them have a doctor on hand where you can pay a flat fee of around $50 to be seen and they can write you a prescription. We had to do this when we first arrived and our one of our kids had an ear infection on a Sunday.
Note: Travel Doctor- Most of Costa Rica is clear of Malaria, but make sure to check in with your local travel doctor to see if you'll be in a malaria area of Costa Rica. They will also prescribe you some good anti-diarrhea medication for just in case.
TOYS etc.
I'd say leave most toys at home, but you will want to bring a small bag of toys/activities for airplane, car rides, waiting for food at a restaurant.
We try to be as screen free as possible, which I know can be hard traveling, but this is our "on the go bag" usually contains the following:"
Coloring books & markers or crayons
Some i-spy books, or books your kids can read on their own ( we are a big fan of Paper Peek Books)
Yoto player & headphones- this is an audio player
Clip boards - this makes coloring in car seats, outside or on the plane much easier.
Stickers or painters tape - so many endless possibilities with tape ;)
STROLLERS
Before moving to Costa Rica, I stressed so much about WHICH stroller to bring. With three little kids ages 8 months to 5 I finally decided upon a used Single BOB, and our City Select Double Stroller with a standing spot for our oldest. After 5months in country, I can count on ONE hand the amount of times we've used each strollers. Most places do not have sidewalks, and roads are rocky and unless you plan to bring an off road stroller like a BOB, you won't have much luck pushing it.
So what would I suggest bringing?
A travel stroller. Something small and compact, like an umbrellas stroller or those travel strollers that can fold easily for airplanes etc. In fact, we had family bring us one when they came to visit. The times I have used a stroller- or wished I had a stroller with us- have been for times that our baby is ready to take a nap or needs a shaded safe place to be contained while at a restaurant, outdoors or on the beach. That, and traveling in the airport.
But what we use all the time is a baby carrier. My favorite wrap with all three of my kids has been the Lille Baby 3-in-1All Season, as well as a ring sling for quick easy in and out while traveling.
Pack-n-Play, High Chairs and Car Seats
I would also suggest brining a pack and play if you'll be traveling with a baby. Check with your hotel or Airbnb host first, as they may offer baby equipment rentals. Most restaurants have high chairs, but if you plan to be cooking at home a lot you may want to bring a travel high chair.
Something I find really helpful here is a mosquito net for my pack-n-play, as my baby reacts quite extreme to mosquito bites here. It also gives me a lot of peace of mind, knowing he is covered and protected in a pack-n-play on the floor. I use the mosquito net over the stroller too.
Finally, depending on your age I would recommend brining your car seat. Some car rentals will have car seats available, but you never know the condition. We have always found it easy to bring the car seats on the airplane. We check them all the way through in car seat bags (and I even stuff in diapers or wet ones in with the car seats).
FOOD
We all know that hangry melt-downs are BAD.... well hangry melt-downs while traveling are a thousand times WORSE!
I hate saying this, because I am all about trying to assimilate and eat what the locals eat, but I would highly recommend brining some of your child's favorite snacks here. When it comes to keeping kids fed and happy while traveling, it can often be tricky. I think our first six week here our boys were ALWAYS hungry, because I just didn't know what to feed them or they didn't like the food available.
Depending on where you are traveling you can find some of the "American" snacks like Goldfish, Ritz Crackers, Peanut Butter, Chips, Oreos and pretzels. But they are going to be at a much more expensive price. Get ready to pay $9 for a small jar of jiffy peanut butter.
If you find your self looking in a local grocery store for snacks. Here are some of my favorite snacks that can be found affordably here- all kid approved. :)
Chikys - cookies with chocolate on the bottom
Crackers- there are a large variety of these
Rice Cakes- these are very common and can be found at most stores. We like to put peanut butter or Nutella on ours to make it a bigger snack.
Plantain chips- either the sweet kind (dulce) or savory kind.
FRUIT - Pineapples, papaya's, bananas, watermelon and coconuts will be super cheap. Mango, Apples, Oranges and Avocados will be on the more pricey side.
If your traveling with a baby, I would bring snacks/foods they like such as pouches & puffs. Sadly, much of the baby food that can be found here will have added sugars in it, or it will be very expensive/hard to find.
Being from Wisconsin, and cheese heads, my parents always bring a small cooler bag on the plane with them with cheese. Cheese is VERY expensive here, we are very grateful when they bring us cheese! :)
Liberia Airport: If traveling in and out of the Liberia Airport you may want to plan a stop at Walmart or PriceSmart to get some of your food/snack/baby essentials so you don't have to fly with them. PriceSmart is directly across the street from the Liberia International Airport. It is almost identical to Costco. You'll need to buy a year membership for $35 to shop there, but it may be worth it as you can get things in bulk for much cheaper such as diapers, wet ones, kids snacks, cheeses, fruit and the most affordable jar of Peanut Butter you'll find in the county.
Miscellaneous Things To Bring
Wet Bag - for dirty or wet swim suits
A travel clothes line - this is the one we use on a daily basis!
Chargers
Portable Fan- We have one that is charged by USB and is helpful with our baby when in the carseat or at the beach.
Headlamp/flash light (and any batteries or charging cord) - the electricity does go out occasionally!
Water bottles
Any small fun gifts from your hometown to give to guides or people you stay with.
Small cooler bag for beach, grocery shopping ( we used ours as a carry on on the plan as my "purse")
A good day bag - a family diaper bag ;)
Night light for outlet - this makes night time bathroom trips easier in a new place
Painters tape... this is perfect for covering up outlets, taping up a garbage bag to the window if you need makeshift black out curtains or entertaining kids at a restaurant.
I know everyone's children are different, just like every trip to Costa Rica is different, but hopefully something here will be helpful, and can help make your trip to Costa Rica even more amazing. Also know, traveling with kids is hard. Anyone who makes it look easy is lying, but what I can tell you is it is totally worth it! So enjoy.
Pura Vida!
