Tips on Travel

Since I have been getting this question a lot, here's what I either brought with me and was thankful, or forgot and had to find.

hope it helps some of you on your way...

1. Bottle nipples -- glad I brought a selection. It took about 4 different nipples for Quynh to settle in on one she liked. Bottles -- Q likes the ventaire and A likes nuk, so who knows.

2. Infant Tylenol Cold/Cough -- Quynh had a cough that this cleared right up. I brought some, so haven't looked to see if you can find it hear. (In Hong Kong, the brand is Panadol, so maybe look for that.)

3. There is plenty of baby bath stuff here, don't waste space to bring it.

4. Spoons -- I didn't bring these and had to find them, so might be worth it to throw a couple in, especially if your child is around that age.

5. Formula -- the formula our girls was on was very grainy and smelly. We switched to Enfamil with Iron and have had no problems. There are plenty of selections to choose from, just may not be what you can get in the States.

6. Our girls became extremely constipated when we brought them home. So much so that we had to find infant suppositories, which was interesting. We did find them and they helped tremendously, but you may want to bring a couple just in case.

7. Diapers are just ok. The brand that is the best I have found and not so plastic-y are the Bobby Soft (teal green package). You can bring your own and they will be better, but you can get by on what's available here.

8. Big C is a wal-mart type store that we bought a lot of supplies from. Most taxi drivers no it by name, just make sure you ask them to wait for you. Ours waited for about 45 minutes and it was about $3 extra.

9. I brought way too many clothes for the girls. I found that with the heat, you might as well keep them in cool, cotton stuff. Save the cutesy outfits for home. You need to have them covered when you go out too, and most of my outfits don't cover appropriately. :-)

10. I have had sitters come and stay with my girls while I run errands. If any of you need one, please email me. We have a couple that are WONDERFUL! Would love to give you their numbers.

11. Hanoi is HOT in these months. I am accustomed to hot from living in Hong Kong, but be prepared for HOT and HUMIDITY! I can't stress this enough. Bring comfortable shoes, and clothes that can be washed and dried easily. Meaning, if it is thrown in the dryer, you don't mind. I brought all bermuda shorts and tees. I wore capris and ballet flats to the G&R.

12. Might be good to bring hand fans or those little battery operated ones. They will come in handy when you are sitting outside at restaurants and stuff.

13. A friend recommended that we do a bleach water dip after washing the bottles to help with diarrhea. We haven't had a diarrhea problem yet.

14. Shopping -- clothes are really cute here, so save room and buy some outfits.

15. Bjorns -- it is the only way we get around, but they are hot, so be prepared.

16. We are staying at Somerset Grand, which has been spectacular. There is a grocery store on the ground floor that has been very helpful and easy.

17. ATMs seem to only dispense VND 1,750,000 at a time, but you can use your card a few times. I seem to be using more Dong than Dollars, but always good to have cash.

18. If any of you are bag ladies, make sure to go to Ipanima or Tina Sparkle (sister of Ipanima) for some funky totes.

19. Lan Ong street is baby street, where you can find everything you need for supplies. Just walk around the area and you will find a ton of stuff. it's in the Old Quarter.

20. Toys -- throw some in, as well as teethers. They have been a big hit.

21. Teething gel has been a good thing too.