FOOD/DRINK:
--The food in China is very good. Our hotel breakfasts offer lots of choices. Lunch and dinner are less familiar, but tasty.
--Plastic water bottles with wide openings (easy to clean and refill with water from disposable water bottles that you purchase in China). We bought four large bottles of water at the Carrefour store next to our hotel the first night (assuming we will go through at least one per day) and use the 3 free water bottles we receive each day from the hotel.
--Starbucks Via packets: it is easy to make coffee in the hotel room with the kettles. Tea is more readily available in China than strong coffee.
--Gatorade Propel packets: these have electrolytes in them, which help with hydration. My rule of thumb: drink one water bottle with a packet first thing in the morning (or on the bus) to hydrate up before starting a tour.
--Lipton's soup packets: These come in handy for quick dinners in the hotel room when you are just too tired to go out or if someone in your party has a sensitive stomach (our first night here). We bought saltines, but I wish we had brought some from home for convenience.
--Cliff bars (or an easy-to-carry snack bar): I pack a couple in my backpack each day. Our 10-year-old has been very adventurous in trying new foods, but these bars are a good backup on days when choices are limited.
--Disposable plastic containers: Good for making soup or carrying around Cheerios/snacks.
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| This is our food/snack pantry. We have bottled water, Cheerios, Goldfish crackers, sippie cups, plastic containers and plastic forks/knives/spoons. The drawers below the safe include medications, chicken noodle soup packets and some baby food prunes. |
CLOTHING & LAUNDRY:
-- We will be here about 18 days and brought six outfits each, and we plan to wash each twice.
--Pack complete outfits in Ziplock bags. Then, you can just grab and go -- important when you are tired.
--Our clothing is mostly the "fast-drying" variety: we bought dry-wicking shirts, socks and even underwear and they are totally worth it. In Beijing, we can wash a shirt and it will be completely dry by morning. (It takes longer in Guangzhou because the humidity is so high.) So far, it is easier for me to wash a few items each night rather than trying to do all of our laundry at one time. The Radisson Blu in Beijing has a clothing line, but you can also hang up a couple of shirts on hangers over the shower. Unfortunately, doing laundry at the Marriott is more of a challenge because there is no clothesline or shower rod. I improvised by placing the ironing board in the shower stall and hanging wet shirts from hangers off of it so the water drips into the drain. After we get our baby, we may splurge for laundry service, but so far it is easier to wash a little bit in the bathroom sink each night.
--I bought "Campsuds," a small bottle of detergent for both laundry and dishes, at REI. It is ideal because a little bit of soap goes a long way.
--A travel size squirt bottle of Febreze also works wonders on jackets.
--Pack Tide-to-Go and Shout wipes for those spills, particularly if you are a novice with chopsticks.
--Shoes: We brought 2 pairs: comfortable waterproof shoes (such as Garmont or Merrell) and Keens waterproof sandals. Bring one set of shoe trees to keep a pair fresh while wearing the others. Consider buying cushioned insoles to help with comfort.
HEALTH:
--My main concern is always staying hydrated, so again, drinking a bottle of water with a Powerade packet first thing in the morning helps.
--We also brought lots of Tums, which I have taken as a preventative measure before meals. So far, so good!
--If you have older children traveling with you, bring medicine for colds and sore throats.
--Brushing teeth: To keep yourself from accidentally swallowing tap water, do this:
1. Put some bottled water in a glass from the hotel.
2. Dip your dry toothbrush in the glass to wet it.
3. Put toothpaste on your brush.
4. Brush your teeth as usual. Hold toothbrush in one hand and glass of water in the other to keep yourself from accidentally turning on the tap.
5. Take a swig of water from the glass and spit.
6. Repeat until teeth are clean.
7. Rinse toothbrush in glass of water by swirling around in water.
8. Dry off toothbrush with a towel or Kleenex.
--Public restrooms: be prepared to squat. Take small packets of Kleenex because many public stalls don't have TP. Some have TP outside the stall, so grab some on your way in. Throw TP in the trashcan next to squatter--don't flush it. Take hand gel in case there is no soap. There is always a sink, but no towels. TIP: look for toilet seats instead of squatters at the end of a row or in a handicap stall. My daughter is very proud of the fact she knows how to squat now.
DOCUMENTS:
Before I left home, I assembled a binder of all of the documents we need to complete the adoption. I slid each one in a plastic sleeve to keep it neat. Then I labeled each page with the document title on a sticky note so I can locate it quickly. I also included pages for our travel itinerary and copies of plane tickets, as well as phone numbers for our social worker and pediatrician.
BABY/TODDLER STUFF:
I know some people say you should pack light and buy baby supplies in China, but I'm really glad we brought lots of things from home because it was nice not to have to think about going out and finding things once we got here. Instead, I have spent the time organizing our room, relaxing, and of course, bonding with Wendy. Here are some of the things we are glad we brought for Wendy, who is 22 months old and about 20 lbs:
--Ergo baby carrier--Sport model (holds up to 45 pounds): Other moms have praised the Ergo and I totally agree. It allows me to hold her close to me (she is a snuggler) and have my hands free for everything from the breakfast buffet to shopping. Since we are not using a car seat in China, it also makes me feel a little better about having her ride on my lap. I chose the Sport model because it has more openings, which keeps both Wendy and me cooler. It gets pretty warm quickly. By the way, you've not lived until you've used a squatter toilet while holding a baby in the carrier on the front and a backpack on the back.
--We just bought a stroller on Shamian Island (a shopping area in GZ), but we won't use it until at least 4 days after getting Wendy because our guide recommends using the carrier exclusively at the beginning to help with bonding. Get a light one with a shade to block sun and rain.
--Toys: #1 on the list = stacking cups: Again, this recommendation comes from other parents, but she loves them! They are great on their own or in the bathtub. We also brought three board books, a tiny rubber ducky, inflatable beach ball, bubbles, soft blanket, stuffed animal
--Diapers, wipes, Bibsters: I brought two sleeves of Pampers from home and will either buy more or leave some here, if necessary. They take up lots of space in the suitcase, but are not very heavy and will be replaced by souvenirs on the trip home. I ended up giving 20 diapers to another family because I brought too many and they had trouble finding some.
--Bottle, sippy cups, snack trappers, plastic bowls with lids: Because of her age, she is not really using a bottle, but I am giving her one at bedtime to help with bonding. The sippy cup I chose has a soft dispenser (kind of like the flexibility of a bottle nipple), and it has been very easy for her to drink out of it. The plastic bowls with lids are great for holding Cheerios, Goldfish crackers (brought from home) and for packing up a little fruit from the breakfast buffet for her to eat later.
--Infant ibuprofin: She felt a little hot to me the first night we had her and she had a little bit of a cough. I gave her a dose of ibuprofin before bed, and she seemed fine in the morning. Our guide said it is common for babies to get colds and fevers when they have to transition from a warmer orphanage to an air-conditioned hotel. We also brought Pedialyte popsicles, but fortunately, we did not need them. We were able to give them to another family who did need them, though.
--Clothing: She will come to you only with the clothes on her back. I packed a few 18-24-month dresses with leggings based on the update I received from the orphanage and they seem to work OK. Chinese citizens keep commenting that she is tall, so the leggings are great because they offer flexibility. Her overall build feels tiny to me, and some of the clothing we brought is loose on her. In some provinces, Chinese people scold adoptive parents for not covering up their babies, but Guangzhou is so warm that it is acceptable for babies not to be completely covered. I brought a variety of PJs, including warm footie ones and some other pant-shirt combos. I brought a sweater and a windbreaker as well as a swimsuit, swim diapers, and a floatie for toddlers. She is wearing the shoes she wore home from the orphanage, and I would like to buy some more while we are here.
--Johnson & Johnson baby wash/shampoo and lotion: I probably brought too much, especially since the hotel gave us a travel-sized set, but I'm glad to have plenty here. The lotion is great for bonding because you can give your baby a massage before bed.
TECHNOLOGY:
--Express VPN: Because of China's strict censorship policy and blocked websites, I would not have been able to log into this blog or use Facebook without first purchasing a month's use of a VPN (virtual personal network) for about $12. When I had trouble connecting in Beijing, I emailed Express VPN and their customer service reps got back to me within a few hours with helpful suggestions. It did disconnect frequently, but I think that had more to do with the hotel's wireless connection.
--Wireless: We enjoyed free wireless at the Radisson Blu in Beijing and at the China Hotel/Marriott. We did not pay for service in Hong Kong.
--Cell phones/iPads/laptops: We put these on airplane mode before we left home to avoid being hit with expensive roaming charges. We did not need any cell phone service within China because we were constantly with each other and frequently with a guide who had a cell phone. We were able to Facetime our families from the hotel, which was really cool.
--Adaptors: The Apple products' universal plugs fit right into the hotels' plug outles, but we did use an adapter and surge protector to plug in multiple devices.
Thanks for sharing these tips Katie!
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