Buenos Aires-- Would you take a 1.5 year old?

[Anonymous]

DH will be going to Latin America for work and I could go and bring DS (1.5 years old). If you have gone to Buenos Aires before, is it doable with a child this age? Issues I'm foreseeing are: carseats? crib? usual stuff. Thoughts?

[Anonymous]

Just came back from 3 weeks there. What would you be doing while he is working?

Buenos Aires is a huge, modern, expensive city. Much like a European city. There are lots of parks and green spaces, and local squares and plazas. There is a zoo too. There are safe neighborhoods and not so safe ones so you would need to be careful where you went. I am not sure I would want to travel with belongings and a baby on the subway as it can get very crowded - taxis would be okay.

It was really hot while I was there so spending time outdoors was limited by the heat. There isn't a lot of English spoken outside of touristy spots and hotels.

Parts of the city are beautiful. Colonial buildings, tango and folk dancing, craft markets and shopping, a beautiful waterfront etc... however I am not sure how much of that you would be doing with a 1.5 yr old.

[Anonymous]

Thanks PP. I've heard that you can do tons of walking, so I assume I could that with a stroller. But would it be a waste of effort?

[Anonymous]

Sure. If you would go to NY with the child, go. If you wouldn't, don't.

[Anonymous]

Yes there are many parks and green spaces to walk in. There are wide sidewalks along the roads and a stroller would work fine. It is a huge city though so it isn't like you can walk across it or even to another neighborhood.

It depends what you envision yourself doing while you are there. If you are okay spending the day walking around, going to parks / playgrounds then go for it!

[Anonymous]

Took 1 year old to Rio last summer and going back this summer at age 2. I do not know how different Buenos Aires is, but here was our experience.

1. We brought carseat and used it on the plane. Otherwise, it sat in our hotel room closet. We were staying somewhere pretty centrally located and when we taxi-ed anywhere, we did not use the seat. I never saw anyone else using carseats in taxis, and we took a bus in from the airport.

2. Most hotels have cribs, but at least in Brazil, when I said "crib" the person I was speaking to did not know what I meant. When I clarified that I wanted a baby bed, they understood. It was a standard crib, that they brought up and got ready for us. DD slept like a champ in it.

3. It was a really good time. People on the street are much more friendly to babies than I have found them to be here. We did run into some issues with night time things just starting later than we were used to (dinner reservations at 8:30, food served at 9, etc.) but that's something that's fairly easy to accommodate if you need to.

Have a great trip!