Mexico City with a Baby or Toddler: Know Before You Go

Many Americans have a pretty one-sided view of Mexico City. When we announced we were planning to visit Mexico City with kids, we got a lot of this:

“Aren’t you afraid they’ll get kidnapped??”

Look. Cuidad de Mexico (CDMX) is a big city. There is crime, there are murders, there are kidnappings. But that is true in major cities everywhere, and Mexico City is not as dangerous for foreigners as it once was. Travel is never free from risk, but the key is knowing where to stay and how to behave to stay out of harm’s way.

And now that that is out of the way, let me just say this: CDMX is amazing! It is vibrant, historic, friendly, and oh-so-delicious. If you are planning to visit Mexico City with a baby or toddler, read on to learn more.

Note that while we visited with a 2 and 4 year old for this trip, this guide is tailored to babies and toddlers (with some info that is applicable for big kids, too!).

CDMX is family-friendly.

This is a city of 9 million, and you bet there are a lot of families. And in a county with a culture that is known for nurturing families, even the most cosmopolitan and business-savvy city is going to be family-friendly.

We did not encounter anywhere that the kids weren’t welcomed, including lots of little street restaurants that went out of their way to make our kids comfortable. Kids menus, coloring sheets, and high chairs are a thing in Mexico (this is very much not the case in many areas of the world).

Our kids were welcomed, but not fawned over. When we’ve visited Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and other Asian countries, people would constantly stop us to play with the toddler or take pictures with the baby. In Mexico, this never happened once – they are used to seeing kids like ours and the locals were all kind but not overly friendly with them.

Plan to stay in the right neighborhoods.

So I am going to really start out with some of the safety issues, and then get into the more fun stuff. And where you stay makes a huge difference in this city.

There are neighborhoods in Mexico City that are not safe for tourists, period. I hate to generalize, but when traveling with kids, follow the conventional wisdom and stay out of these areas. A few of the most notorious are Tepito (the black market), Doctores, Cuidad Neza, and La Joya.

The historic center is also known for having lots of crime, although during the day it is mostly pickpocketing. At night, this area can become unsafe, so it is recommended to visit but not stay there.

But there are also wonderful neighborhoods to stay in. The Condesa/Roma area is the most popular for tourists, and for good reason. It is extremely walkable, with adorable tree-lined streets and many of the best restaurants in the city. It is a hip, comfortable, and safe area to stay. Condesa tends to be a bit more family-friendly than Roma, which has more nightlife. Either is a great choice for visiting Mexico City with toddlers!

We chose Condesa, and opted for an Airbnb that was walking distance to Chapultepec (since we knew we would spend multiple days there). If I were going again, I would try to find somewhere a bit more central to the Condesa neighborhood, and just plan to Uber to the park, since it was a long walk anyway.

Speaking of Uber…

Do not get into a taxi.

We read this in several blogs ahead of time, and then heard it from multiple locals while we were there. Whatever you do, don’t get in a taxi.

Why? They will rob you. And not like taxis in tourist areas normally do by overcharging… they will take you to an ATM and rob you at gunpoint.

Of course not every taxi will do this. But enough of them do – especially to tourists – that it is a serious problem in the city.

(This is not a general rule for all of Mexico, by the way. Taxis around the country are lovely. But avoid them in CDMX.)

Luckily, there is an easy alternative. Everyone uses Uber in Mexico City, and it is safe, well-priced, and readily available. From your first trip from the airport and all around the city, just use Uber and avoid the taxis altogether.

Bring your car seat or plan ahead to get baby around safely.

We did not get a chance to try out much of the public transport while in Mexico City, but if you are wondering how to get around without bringing your car seat, it’s worth looking into.

Mexico City has a well-developed underground metro system, and if you are mostly interested in getting to the major tourist sites, you can pretty much use it exclusively. You can preload a metro card to make it extra easy, and if you choose your lodging close to a metro stop, this is a fantastic, easy, and safe mode of transportation to move about the city – no car seat required.

There are also several different bus options for getting around the city. Too many for me to understand and explain here, but I found this run-down of public transportation in Mexico City to be super helpful and straightforward.

If you prefer to stick with Ubers, our experience was that they were very receptive to our car seats. Our toddler was at the older end of toddlerhood for this trip, and using a Ride Safer Travel Vest (ages 3+. She was almost 3 for this trip so we decided to use it for short city drives and help ensure that she stayed positioned correctly). Our older child was using a booster seat, so between the two, there was a lot of installing that had to happen in every Uber. And (almost) every Uber driver was patient about it.

We always booked the large Ubers (for up to 5 people) because the standard is up to 3 people. I think if we were not using car seats, a 3 person Uber would work for our family. But we were fine paying extra to be able to use our car seat alternatives.

We did encounter a few Ubers with missing or broken seat belts in the back. We were able to arrange ourselves so that my husband and I were the only ones without seat belts (not ideal, I know), but also… don’t feel bad refusing an Uber because their seat belts don’t work.

Watch out for elevation sickness.

Mexico City is up high. In fact, it is 7,382 feet above sea level – that’s more than 2,000 feet higher than Denver, a city with a reputation for causing altitude sickness in some people.

That being said, true “high altitude”, or the level at which up to half of people feel some effects of altitude sickness, is around 8,000 feet above sea level.

Regardless, the elevation of Mexico City can cause your oxygen levels to be 25% lower than you are used to. We noticed that we got winded easily while walking, especially while baby-wearing a toddler.

Some common symptoms of elevation sickness are headaches, nausea, fatigue, dizziness, loss of appetite, and sleep problems. Most people don’t experience these traveling to Mexico City, and age and gender do not increase your (or your child’s) chances of feeling these effects.

However, if you notice that your child is exhibiting these symptoms without another cause, it is something to keep in mind. Typically, mild elevation sickness symptoms clear up quickly. Get lots of fluids and limit exercise until your body has adjusted.

Mexico City has a lot of pollution.

It’s unfortunate, but true. If you or your little ones have asthma or lung problems, be sure to take this into account.

The city has come a long way from the days when it was declared the “most polluted city in the world” back in 1992, but it still has a long way to go. Partially, this can be blamed on the altitude and the lack of oxygen. But a bigger contributor is the massive population and it’s reliance on cars.

We did not find the air quality to be noticeable while we visited, but that could have to do with the time of year. We came during the rainy season in late summer. It felt like typical big city air – not exactly clean, but nowhere near what we’ve experienced in southeast Asia, or even at home in the PNW during wildfire season.

There are parks all over the place.

But they are not all created equal.

The parks throughout the city on just about every block go a long way to help out with the pollution. Many of them are lovely green spaces that you can relax, have a bite to eat, and let the kids play. Many of them have play equipment.

But some of them are seriously sketchy.

It’s clear that while at some point there was an initiative to put in these lovely green spaces and play areas, there doesn’t appear to be much (any?) upkeep. And I’m not just talking dirt and grime, but dangerous wear and tear. Rusty sharp edges. Broken stairs. Platforms that used to have protective plastic panels to keep kids from falling, but don’t anymore.

Did we still visit and play at these parks for a short break while exploring? Sure. Did we let our toddler out of arm’s reach? Not so much.

Spend lots of time at Chapultepec.

If you have been researching Mexico City for any amount of time, I am sure you know of Chapultepec Park. It’s twice the size of Central Park and with far more to do, and one of the oldest urban parks in the world.

Even if you only stick to the main attraction area of the park, you will need multiple days to see all the things that your little ones will want to see. But that time is well worthwhile, because Chapultepec has all the best entertainment for a toddler in Mexico City.

Zoos are a topic of controversy. We went, we kind of regretted it, but our kids enjoyed it. I try to avoid visiting zoos that are not WAZA-accredited for this reason, but on this trip we decided to give it a try. If you’re interested in learning more, see this post about ethical animal tourism with kids.

Our favorite parts of Chapultepec? The lake (definitely rent a pedal boat!), the castle (plan for a long hike to get up to it, though), and just the lovely green areas to run around and see all the people enjoying time with their families.

It is possible to find safe, reliable childcare.

We really wanted to have a couple evenings to ourselves while in Mexico City, but I stressed for a long time about finding childcare. There are licensed daycare centers where you can plan ahead and drop off your child during the day, and I would feel safe doing that.

But we were looking for evening care. We did come across a couple of nanny agencies online that looked wonderful, but ultimately we couldn’t find any reviews for them outside of their own websites, so we were not comfortable with that.

But then we came across an Airbnb listing, right in the neighborhood where we wanted to stay, that advertised that childcare was available as well. This was a Superhost, with tons of positive reviews on the place and a few that mentioned the babysitter, and I had peace of mind knowing that there was an accountability trail with Airbnb.

So I reached out to this host, and the babysitter was actually the nanny of her own children, who was available for evenings and weekends. She turned out to be a lovely grandmother who taught my kids a few Spanish words, let them watch a show, and put them to bed. We felt great about her the first evening, so we booked her for a second evening as well. Unfortunately it looks (from the Airbnb listing) like she no longer offers this service, though, sorry! I wish I could share the recommendation.

While not all Airbnb hosts can offer something like this, it is worth looking into whether your host or hotel has a trusted babysitter. Often times they do, and they will have worked with several travelers in the past. You can message a host before booking to ask – I would do this if it is a host that you can tell has children of their own, because of the kids’ amenities they offer.

As with any time you find childcare on vacation, there are certain precautions to take. But don’t rule it out because of CDMX’s reputation. If you are comfortable with travel childcare, it is possible to find in this city!

Prepare for weather with a mind of it’s own.

If you think that a trip to Mexico City is, weather-wise, just like a trip to Cancun – think again! The climate in CDMX is cooler (it’s that elevation again) and quite volatile. It would be a lovely 75 degrees and sunny one hour, and then the clouds would blow in and the temps would drop significantly, and then suddenly it was thundering rain all over us.

An hour later? Sunny again.

While we have found places on the coast to be more predictable even in the rainy season (sunny during the day, rainy at night), Mexico City was all over the place. Plan ahead and dress in layers, and don’t assume that a sunny morning means a nice afternoon!

You’ll probably be under-dressed.

We stood out like sore thumbs in Mexico City.

When we travel with babies, we dress for comfort. We layer up for warmth. We bring our most versatile clothing and our comfiest shoes.

And we found ourselves feeling way under-dressed, even just for street tacos! Everyone in Mexico City dresses extremely well, and if you’re not wearing heels, you look like a tourist. If you wear shorts or yoga pants: tourist. Flip flops or sneakers? Tourist. Mexico City is cosmopolitan, and generally people dress quite formally.

Is this a problem? No, not really. If you’re there with kids especially, no one really cares. Yes, you will stand out and that might make you more of a target for scams, but that’s about it. If you are planning to take advantage of childcare and go out to nicer bars or restaurants, keep in mind that there might be a dress code.

Avoid drinking the tap water.

Yep, this is true everywhere in Mexico, and that includes Mexico City. It turns out the the tap water from the plant is actually quite safe to drink, but the pipes that it travels through to get to your hotel are definitely not.

Mexico City might actually be better than a lot of the country in this regard, and you will find locals who swear that the water is great. But when you are visiting with a little one, it’s not worth the risk. (And coming from someone who has experienced Mexico water food poisoning, it’s not worth the risk for you, either.)

Remember that you need bottled water for more than just drinking. Use it to brush your teeth, to make formula, and even to wash your dishes if you don’t have a dishwasher. If you do have a dishwasher, it will get hot enough to sterilize your dishes.

Throughout Mexico, hotels and restaurants typically use filtered water for drinks, so you are safe to have ice in your drink. A bigger risk might be the salad that was rinsed in tap water.

It’s going to be almost impossible to 100% safeguard yourself from any water contamination. But do the best you can, and for babies and toddlers, stick to food that is packaged, peeled, or cooked (no raw fruits or veggies that you can’t peel).

For what it’s worth, remember that Mexico City is famous for it’s food scene, with hundreds of world-class restaurants. You know places with a reputation to uphold are going to do everything in their power to avoid giving you food poisoning. We ate at all kinds of places around the city (including highly rated hole-in-the-walls), and it was the only portion of our 3-city Mexico trip that none of us had any stomach issues.

Bring or rent a stroller.

If, like us, you plan to spend most of your time in Mexico City wandering around the adorable streets and eating tacos, you’ll want to have a stroller. We ended up covering a lot of distance in this city; enough that it didn’t make sense to babywear my toddler like I had planned (especially with the reduced oxygen in the air making me winded so quickly).

The city itself is fairly easy to navigate with a stroller. We were all over Condesa/Roma with it, and there were very few obstacles or stairs. We really wished we had our UPPAbaby Minu (my favorite travel stroller) for this trip, but we were fine with the umbrella stroller we borrowed from our Airbnb host.

Make time to get outside of the city if you can.

If you have enough time to do it, consider exploring some of the area around Mexico City, as well. Teotihuacan is a very popular visit about an hour from Mexico, and we loved bringing the kids there. We found Teotihuacan to be toddler-friendly, with some caveats. Read all about visiting Teotihuacan with a toddler or baby here!

We had planned to make the trek down to the canals of Xochimilco, but ultimately ran out of time. There are some slightly sketchy stories out there about getting to Xochimilco, but you can always go with a tour for an easier experience.

Consider bringing a nursing shawl if you are breastfeeding.

Mexico has long been one of the countries with the lowest rate of breastfeeding mothers in the world, and despite the health department’s attempts, it continues to be uncommon.

Over the past couple decades, there has been a big push to normalize nursing, but you still might feel a little out of place breastfeeding uncovered in this city. While the family-friendly Mexican culture is typically supportive of doing whatever you need to for your baby, there are absolutely establishments that will ask you to nurse in the bathroom, or leave.

In 2019, the Museum of Modern Art was in the news after their security guard removed a breastfeeding mother with the excuse that food and drinks were not allowed. The museum has since apologized and made clear that they support mothers nursing while inside.

I always advocate for understanding the culture that you are traveling to and respecting the norms around breastfeeding. I did not see a single breastfeeding mother on our trip (formula is very popular in Mexico), and if I were still breastfeeding, I would personally bring a light cover and/or choose a secluded corner. I hate to do this, but I also don’t want to get into an argument about it where I don’t have the legal protection to breastfeed in public like we do in the States.

Baby supplies are easy to find.

There are many tourist-heavy cities that we have visited that were challenging to find baby supplies like diapers, formula, wipes, and baby food. Mexico City is not one of them. We were never more than a few blocks from a corner market (at least in the family-friendly neighborhoods we stayed and explored in), and most of them had all the standard baby stuff.

Many of the brands are the same that we were used to, which made us comfortable and provided some consistency for our daughters. We even found the Crest toothpaste with Elsa and Anna on it – phew. Crisis averted.

Get ready to eat the best tacos of your life.

I know this is on your radar if you’re planning a trip to CDMX. And no, this has nothing to do with babies. But it is worth mentioning: there is nothing quite like the tacos in Mexico City. They are amazing, varied, fresh, and available literally everywhere.

Even my picky toddler, who typically refuses tacos because she can’t possibly eat different foods that are touching each other, discovered her love for tacos. Just beware that some will come with jalapenos, and order accordingly.

We relied on Google reviews to steer us toward the very best tacos, but even the random street vendor tacos that we tried were awesome.

That being said, Mexico City has a thriving foodie scene that goes well beyond Mexican food. You will not be lacking for cuisine choices, so if you have a picky toddler (or partner, for that matter), you will have no trouble finding food that you love in this city.

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That’s about all that I can think of that you really need to know before visiting Mexico City with a baby or toddler. Anything I missed? Let me know in the comments. And I hope that you are full of excitement for an amazing trip, armed with the knowledge that you need to feel safe in a city that is moving beyond it’s unsafe reputation.

Originally published Nov, 2021. Updated July, 2023.