Childcare?

[ggunn]

This may not be the most popular reply - but here goes. When your kid(s) is/are very young you make sacrifices to ensure their safety and well-being. Maybe taking them to a foreign country and putting them in the care of a stranger while you go off and have fun is not the most responsible thing you could do. My daughter is 23 now (and an excellent diver, BTW), so it's been a while since we've had this to deal with, but there's no way my wife would have done that when my kid was a baby even if I would have.

 

[Cacia]

I respect that, but I did leave my children with many wonderful people in foreign countries. recently, the Director at my son's school had some concerns about him taking the city bus. he said "does he know not to talk to strangers?" And I explained to him that he needs to talk to strangers because those are the people that will help him if he needs help. It is a different philosophy, for sure. My 13 year old flew to Japan by herself (met)and she is such a condident person for having handled herself, that I think she is less likely to be a victim. Sure, it could happen.
I was always more worried about them getting to a pool before they could swim than being abducted. Don't get me wrong, I think I was very vigilant, just about different things. I wanted to hear about the kidnappings Dan spoke of....that would really be disturbing. I always felt safer in parts of Mexico than NYC.

Like I said, I think you should pick the person, never put yourself in a position where they pick you. Thats my problem with agencies and lists at hotels.

 

[Diplomat Bob]

This may not be the most popular reply - but here goes. When your kid(s) is/are very young you make sacrifices to ensure their safety and well-being. Maybe taking them to a foreign country and putting them in the care of a stranger while you go off and have fun is not the most responsible thing you could do. My daughter is 23 now (and an excellent diver, BTW), so it's been a while since we've had this to deal with, but there's no way my wife would have done that when my kid was a baby even if I would have.

It's not about popular, it's about perspective. The whole point of the thread was to see if there was childcare in cozumel divers had used before. The website for Cozumel childcare:

http://www.cozumelvillas.com/childcare.html

looks pretty reputable. Had others used them/known of them, that would have been a nice vote of confidence. As they are closed, other options are being explored. The philosophy of whether one should leave their kids with babysitters is up to each set of parents. We both work, so the kid in question is familiar with daycare. There is a wide range of difference between vetted childcare at a major hotel and someone picked at random on the street. And for us, Mexico is not a particularly foreign country as my wife lived there for many years and we are quite familiar with people/customs/etc.

I work (and dive where possible!) all over, and have found that generally everyone has kids, loves kids, and you can find decent childcare just about anywhere. Whether you choose to take advantage of what's available is where perspective and judgement comes in. At this point we are down to probably just needing one night, since I think my mom is coming and she'll provide the bulk of the work, But we'll still need a night on the town. Baby-free beers just taste better.

So thanks to all for the practical suggestions. Will be on the net and the phone asap.

 

[HammerNoMore]

Ok, it's been a good run here, and I'm glad to see all of the opinions. But turns out the Coz daycare for tourists has gone the way of the dodo....

Anyone have any good suggestions of daycare options on Coz? I'm really not interesting in hearing about how bad a parent I am for considering the idea, or how Mexico is the hotbed of child snatching...I think that kind of bigotry has run it's course. What I'd like to know is what is the best quality care I can get on the island for our child?

James

 

[scubawife]

James, I know that there's a Montessori school on the island. Maybe they have a parent's association and someone there could suggest a sitter? I believe they start kids at around 2 1/2 or 3yrs of age. Or, does your dive op have any staff with young children? Maybe they can recommend someone, or have a family member who could sit for you.

I personally think it's great that more people travel with their kids these days starting at a very young age. Why should you stop activities you love and traveling just because you have kids? Make them part of your travels and enrich their lives with unique experiences they'll have in other countries.

Hope it works out for you. Enjoy your trip!

 

[ggunn]

I'm really not interesting in hearing about how bad a parent I am for considering the idea, or how Mexico is the hotbed of child snatching...I think that kind of bigotry has run it's course.
James

For the record, I never called you a bad parent, and I assure you that bigotry played no part in my response to you.