Travelling to India with a baby / toddler (17 month old)

Hi Sudha,

I totally agree with your views. Something changes when people land here. Hopefully i have not changed that much. My in laws cant belive that i am so casual( i make it a point not to take anything special from here for my kids). both my little ones grew up licking the flour, biting the doormat etc ( we were in India when they were 8 months and just crawling and teething), and believe me they did not fall sick!!.

I strongly believe in yours views of not overpampering the children , and yes all my trips back home are very pleasant, free of worries and illnesses ( both of them now have strong constitutions). They love our food more than the pasta and pizza etc..... . I do not take medicines from here, i buy the local medicines when there.

I think of late, the views are changing though and more of us Indian wives coming back home are not so paranoid anymore. But with the kids dads, thats a different story altogether!!!:x

Vandhana

 

Checklist For Moms With Babies,toddlers During International Travel

Hi all,

1).LIST OF THINGS FOR FLIGHT JOURNEY

A). FOR 2DAY FLIGHT JOURNEY U WILL NEED : U MAY EXEMPT ANYTHING
FROM THE GIVEN LIST..DEPENDING ON WHAT THE BABIES/INFANTS EAT OR DRINK.

i)PACK YOUR DIAPER BAG :

-15-16 DIAPERS
- CLEANING WIPES
-DIAPER RASH OINTMENT
-PAPER NAPKINS
-3PAIRS OF DRESSES(SLEEP AND PLAY WEAR)
-CAP,SOCKS.
-BLANKET
-GERBER FOOD ,GERBER CEREALS
- GERBER JUICE
-FORMULA(SIMILAC)PACKETS OR ENFAMILK WHATEVER U USE.
-MILK BOTTLES WITH LINERS(PLAYTEX BRAND HAS WITH LINERS).
-BIBS
-RATTLES
-GERBER BISCUITS
-SNACKS ETC(SAMPLE PACKETS) .for kids of 2years,u can carry m&ms,CHIPS,COOKIES.
-MINERAL WATER
-THERMOMETER,TYLENOL(FOR PRECUATION),INFANT COLD DROPS.
ii).UMBRELLA STROLLER(COLLAPSIBLE STROLLER) :- VERY MUCH USEFUL.THOUGH THEY TAKE IT AT PORT OF ENTRY AND GIVE IT IN THE DESTINATION,IT IS MORE USEFUL.

iii).ITS ALWAYS GOOD TO CARRY SOME FOOD FOR OURSELVES TOO (ESPECIALLY FOR FEEDING MOMS) LIKE SOME BREAD ROLLS,PULIYOGRE,PEAS RICE ETC IN SOME ZIPLOC BAGS.

iV). AND ESPECIALLY MOMS,PLEASE WEAR COMFORTABLE CLOTHING LIKE PANTS ETC ESPECIALLY APPAREL COMFORTABLE FOR NURSING FOR NURSING MOMS.

2).LIST OF THINGS TO BE PACKED FOR UR KID IN UR CHECK IN BAGGAGE : IAM LISTING THE IMPORTANT THINGS WHICH I CARRIED AND FELT USEFUL FOR MY KID.

i).LOTS OF DIAPERS,DIAPER RASH OINTMENT
ii).CLEANING WIPES
iii).ENOUGH GERBER FOODS AND JUICES,GERBER CEREAL PACKETS
iV).GERBER TEETHING BISCUITS
V).FORMULA
Vi).BATH TUB(OPTIONAL)
vii).johnson head to toe shampoo+hair shampoo,body lotion
Viii).BRITA WATER PITCHER WITH EXTRA CATRIDGES.(its always good to
use this purified water than taking mineral water throughout the trip
in health point of view).
ix).,EXTRA MILK BOTTLES (EXTRA SIPPY CUPS AND NESQUICK FOR KIDS
AROUND 2 YEARS OLD).
X).GERBER INFANT TOOTH PASTE AND FINGER BRUSH TO CLEAN INFANT TOOTH/TEETH.IF KID IS A TODDLER TAKE TODDLER TRAINING TOOTHPASTE.(FINGER BRUSH TO CLEAN BABY'S TEETH IS ALSO AVAILABLE IN INDIA IN MANY MEDICAL SHOPS IN INDIA OR IN SOME FAMILY CLOTHING STORES LIKE CHERMAS ,HYDERABAD ,BABY SUPPLIES SHOPS,ETC.).

NOTE: TRY TO BE EARLY TO AIRPORT AND CHECKIN EARLY AND REQUEST FOR BABY ISLE SEAT AND BASSINET .NORMALLY KIDS SLEEP IN THAT BASSINET HAPPILY.AIRHOSTESS IN THE FLIGHT WILL HELP U A LOTT.THEY ARE VERY HOSPITABLE TOO.IF U ARE BUSY WITH KID AND NOT READY WHEN THEY SERVE U FOOD,U CAN ASK THEM TO GET IT LATER .THEY ALSO SUPPLY GERBER FOOD.BUT I USUALLY DONT TAKE THAT COZ,THEY ARE NOT MANUFACTURED IN USA.I NOTICED SOME URDU SCRIPT ON IT..SO BETTER TO CARRY USA MAKE GERBER FOOD.

- ONE MORE THING DURING TAKEOFF AND LANDING,ALWAYS MAKE SURE THAT U R FEEDING SOME FOOD/NURSING UR BABY SO THAT THEY DON'T FEEL ANY DISCOMFORT IN THEIR EARS.NORMALLY BABIES CRY BCOZ OF EAR DISTURBANCES DURING TAKE OFF OR LANDING.EVEN FOR US WHEN FLIGHT TAKES OFF AND LANDS,ITS BETTER WE SWALLOW JUST LIKE THAT,SO THAT WE DON'T FEEL ANY DISCOMFORT IN OUR EARS.

Hope this helps u travelling moms,
-HAPPY AND SAFE JOURNEY,
-VAISHU

 

Re: Checklist For Moms With Babies,toddlers During International Travel

Dear VVL

That is a good list.I have never travelled with an infant, but did a lot of travelling when my son was around 2 yrs.

I would say you can clearly exempt some things from this list to reduce baggage weight. For eg. you can reduce the number of diapers in checked-in baggage.Wherever you are going,you can buy the diapers there,these days you get good quality diapers almost everywhere for a reasonable price.If you are going to India,you can use undies for your kids at home instead of diapers.That is more hygienic too.

Secondly,you get Gerber bottles too almost everywhere these days.In carry-on baggage,you will need some,but you may not need so many in checked-in baggage.Also,What is this thing about something being written in Urdu? If you buy products in Germany,everything will be in German,have you noticed?If you buy anything in UAE,everything will be in Arabic. Same thing applies to many countries. It may or may not be manufactured in that country.So we cannot form an opinion based on that.

Sometime back, I think it was our member, RVnachar,who had written that we desis,when we come to U.S.,we become very fussy and overly cautious with everything.Sometimes, I can see that in myself already(being here for just 2 + yrs). I am trying my best to get out of being classified that way.

I am not meaning to be rude or harsh. Your list is a very good list but somethings can be avoided and can be bought at the place where you are going to,assuming it is India. If you are going on tour/vacation/sightseeing etc. to some unknown place,then you can carry everything in that list.

 

Re: Checklist For Moms With Babies,toddlers During International Travel

Dear Sunitha and all my friends,

First thing i would like to mention here is ,i carried the things which i felt useful when i visited india for my kid.

REGARDING GERBER FOODS :
------------------------
i was specific in mentioning the "urdu script".coz.....when i went to india for 2month trip when my son was 9months old,i carried gerber food for 15days from here,thinking that we can give him naturally and home processed foods when we stay at home and use gerber packs during travelling,.and if at all i run out of gerber packs i can as well purchase them in india..Nowadays u get them in many medical pharmacies too in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comffice:smarttags" /><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">india</st1lace></st1:country-region>..

i ran out of gerber stock...we informed one of the good pharmacies there..he ordered from mumbai and got them..all of them were of same flavour(apple+rice cereal combo).we saw the dates..they were till 2007..i fed him 2 bottles .he was ok..the third one,,he had severe vomitings from 4-5 hours of its intake..i was worried and took him to doctor and he was there for overnight under observation..doctor told “it was gerber food that effected him".he also told me that "if u want to give him any food give him naturally processed ones(home made)or if u have the one which u got from <st1lace w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">ur</st1:City></st1lace> place..though u people use gerber food regularly in <st1lace w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">usa</st1:country-region></st1lace>,,there is a small thing u got to note when u come here..the foods there in <st1lace w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">usa</st1:country-region></st1lace> are well maintained under optimum temperatures and also the temperature is very cool there..i don’t blame the gerber company here.Once they are dispatched from the company,they go into many hands like dealers,pharmacies etc .i only say that the optimum temperatures may not be maintained all the time due to hot climate.We don't know what happens after the dispatch of the food from the company..though they don't require refrigeration,they are atleast to be stored in cool and dry place.Slightly wamer or hot temperatures may spoil any food..since foods are perishable and normally here the foods in refrigerator also tend to perish soon.”


when i asked the medical pharmacist,he replied:"we don't open the packs and test whether it is good or bad..how would we know..we gave u the pack which we got from gerber company..we are in no way responsible..he asked us u can return whatever u r left with and i would send them back"..this is the answer we got.i didnt have any time to pass a complaint..coz i ran out of time in <st1lace w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">india</st1:country-region></st1lace>..
so later i used only home processed foods and my husband got more gerber food when he came to <st1lace w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">india</st1:country-region></st1lace> to pick us up .

so i advice my friends to be aware of foods they give their kids during their iternational travel and make it a good pleasant trip..





REGARDING DIAPERS : Ofcourse i do agree with u in point of luggage.U can take the diapers depending on ur baggage weight.

But i took lots of diapers from here considering following two factors for my kids case :-
------------------


1).cost..it was a bit expensive there.

2).size mismatch..he was extraordinary size.taller baby but thin..so bigger size is too loose and hanging down and smaller size is too tight..even now he needs special sizes for dresses..<?xml:namespace prefix = v ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" /><v:shapetype id=_x0000_t75 stroked="f" filled="f" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" oreferrelative="t" o:spt="75" coordsize="21600,21600"> <v:stroke joinstyle="miter"></v:stroke><v:formulas><v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"></v:f><v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"></v:f><v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"></v:f><v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"></v:f><v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"></v:f><v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"></v:f></v:formulas><vath o:connecttype="rect" gradientshapeok="t" o:extrusionok="f"></vath><o:lock aspectratio="t" v:ext="edit"></o:lock></v:shapetype><v:shape id=_x0000_i1025 style="WIDTH: 11.25pt; HEIGHT: 11.25pt" alt="" type="#_x0000_t75"><v:imagedata o:href="http://www.IndusLadies.com/forums/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif" src="file:///C:\DOCUME~1\mkmogali\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtml1\01\clip_image001.gif"></v:imagedata></v:shape>


i do agree to use undies for kids when we are in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">india</st1lace></st1:country-region>,which is more hygenic,..i too did the same thing when i was in <st1:country-region w:st="on">india</st1:country-region> bcoz of warm temperature there which helped me in potty training my son and i used diapers only when we were travelling here and there in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">india</st1lace></st1:country-region>.


And in no way,i meant to hurt any one..It is not that only the ones which have urdu or german or any other script not good ones.My intention in mentioning the script is to alert the moms about the gerber bottles that had the script which i purchased and fed my 9month old (bcoz of which he had to suffer with vomitings and it took almost 10days followup with doctor for recovery) when i was in India .

Any questions please feel free to pass the message,
cheers,
-vaishu

 

Re: Checklist For Moms With Babies,toddlers During International Travel

Hi M,

With all the recent increases in fuel prices, all airlines have cut down on the baggage alowance. Here are the new rules:

For checked in baggage:

Adults full ticket: 2 pieces of checked luggage not weighing more than 50 Lbs.
For kids ( 70% fare): same as above
For infants ( paying 10% fare) : it is one piece of checked baggage not more than 50 lbs.

For Carry on Luggage:
it is still the same. You are allowed one handbag plus one carry on luggage.
For infants : either one carry on luggage or stroller is allowed.
So if you are planning on taking the stroller, then take just one bag with all the essentials.
Typically i carry a multi pocket back pack in which i can pack all the diapers, wipes, foodfor the baby. My stuff, plus put the wallet in it with all the travel documents. I usually give the water they have on board since it is mineral water anyway.

Yes with the weight restrictions now, it is difficult to pack a lot. But since you get most of the stuff in India, it should be okay.

Do check the Lufthansa website , they should have up to date info. I am flying British Airways and this is what they had. MY SIL flew Lufthansa last month and she took 2 checked baggage 50 lbs each plus one carry on bag and a hand bag.

Vandhana

 

Re: Checklist For Moms With Babies,toddlers During International Travel

Hi Malathy,

Thanq for ur suggestion.I have changed my sentence case.Yeah whatever we take with us must no exceed the baggage limit.

I travelled via lufthansa from Portland oregon to Hyderabad.It was very good experience to travel in lufthansa.But please take care of your child's meals.Our children may be picky in eating.So it is better we carry their food if possible.They usually serve gerber food as child meal for kids under 2years.I had problem with kids meal.U will have to check this and clarify this before u travel.They only served some gerber food(my son grew over gerber food at 18months age).At request they could serve some vegetable nuggets,snacks,but my son was picky and he didn't have anything other than puliyogre which i carried for myself fortunately.

And about the baggage limits :
------------------------
FOR ADULTS :
->CHECKIN-2 bags of weight not more than 23kg each or both bags togehter of not more than 46kgs total weight.
->For CARRYON- cabin bag not more than 8kgs +one handbag/laptop bag.
FOR KIDS UNDER 2YEARS :
- They can have diaper bag+collapsible stroller as carryon baggage.
-For kids under 2 years checkin bag of 10kgs is allowed.

For kids over 2years..iam not sure..Please check www.lufthansa.com website.

And also when i went to india this time(my child was 18months old).I didnt take my carryon luggage for myself other than diaper bag(backpack)+small foldable handbag to have comfortable journey avoiding the risk of loading and unloading the cabin bag +holding/controlling the naughty kid during transit at frankfurt.Instead i added some more essential things in my checkin bag and paid $25 for excess baggage .And collapsible stroller u leave at the gate while boarding the flight in USA and collect only at the destination.

Hope this helps u,
-Cheers,
-Vaishu

 

Re: Checklist For Moms With Babies,toddlers During International Travel

Hi M,

Have you asked for the Bassinet? Please do , i think you will get it for KK( since she will only be 11months) . Else please request the bulkhead seat. That has more leg room than the usual seats and they should accomodate this request. Please do this ASAP. Since bassinets are few and first come first serve basis.

Yes you will be allowed to keep the back pack under your seat, no probs. They may request you to keep it in the overhead bins only during take off and landing.

You will get the stroller at Frankfurt airport. They do not check it in all the way to Chennai. So that should help.

V

 

Re: Checklist For Moms With Babies,toddlers During International Travel

Hi Malathy,

Good Topic about umbrella Stroller.I was told in portland airport that i can collect and use it at frankfurt.But they told"they never had or have any procedure of releasing the strollers in middle of the journey".I had no other option other than walking ahead till the terminal to catch my connecting flight.

Whatever be the case, during my return trip the flight got delayed by 2hour-40minutes due to bad weather conditions after i had checked in,and the stroller did a marvellous job in keeping my son in one place..orelse he would have wandered all around the airport.I didnt ask for the stroller at frankfurt airport coz my son was sleeping that time.


So please make sure and take a written statement from usa that u would use it at frankfurt.No one can say no.

Cheers,
-Vaishu