1. A compact camcorder (we had a standard 8mm --- too big; so we bought a compact one), at least two extra power packs and an adapter for your charger (cheap and easily available --- in the US), lots of tape. Tape your first meeting with your new daughter (grandparents could do the taping, if you bring them; be sure everyone practices with all the equipment BEFORE you leave). Then tape the morning after your first night with your new child. That footage will be gold. I believe your daughter will be able to see how she was folded into the family instantly, and see it over and over.
2. A good autofocus camera. These new 35mm cameras are amazing. My old 35mm SLR was far too heavy to take and takes to long to focus to get good snapshots, so we didn't take it. On the other hand, the fixed-focus cheapie we did take wasn't really adequate.
3. Rolling luggage. We took only rolling luggage-the ones that look like hand trucks-and kept ourselves to within their capacity, orphanage gifts (clothes, etc.) and all. We still ended up buying another one in Beijing for all the stuff we bought. But in Guangzhou on our first day in China when we didn't know where we would be going, we didn't have to strain ourselves with bags that had to be carried.
4. Diaper bag backpack. A regular diaper bag will eat at your shoulder after a while. Go for a backpack instead. But don't bother with a special purpose diaper bag backpack. Instead, buy a lightweight internal frame backpack-preferably with belt-that has vertical side pockets. That way it won't rip the way our backpack diaper bag did. Why vertical side pockets? For bottled water-don't take water bottles because water is sold in perfectly sized and shaped bottles-and bottles of formula.
5. We carried a thermos of hot water. Now you can buy a thermos baby bottle. We now use ours a lot for going to church, etc.
6. You can get by with very few clothes. Take 100% cotton, except for outerwear. Our rule was three sets: one for wear, one for the laundry (universally cheap and good enough for cottons), and one for the travel day. Worked well. PACK LIGHTLY PACK LIGHTLY PACK LIGHTLY. Then use the extra space for things like a good autofocus camera, for example. No need for wash and wear fabrics: the laundry irons your clothes. And don't take linen: it's a hot fabric that takes forever to dry (I learned the hard way, of course).
7. The more grownups who go along, the more the work and worry is spread out. Everyone who would like to go should go (grandparents, for example). Everyone can bond with baby.
8. Powdered soy-based formula: one or two large "base cans" for the luggage, and a smaller one for the backpack.
9. Medications: Immodium for diarrhea, Cipro for anything that comes along (including diarrhea), Bactrim or Septra (trimethoprim-sulfa) for urinary tract infections, insect repellent cream, your favorite antihistamine, sunblocking cream, Tylenol, aspirin/ibuprofen/etc. (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory), Pepto-Bismol tablets, other antacids or anti-heartburn meds (they do not replace Pepto-Bismol; sometimes nothing else will do), Lotrimin cream for fungus foot, anti-fungal vaginal cream, No-Doz for coffee-holics (get both regular and chewable; carry the latter for when you are out & about). If you take any medications regularly (e.g.-cimetidine, Ritalin, Premarin) make sure to take them along. Be sure to take ANTIBIOTIC OINTMENTS (you will need them for the baby).
10. Other medications (e.g.-anti-malarials) check with your own M.D., as well as FCC (they have LOTS of good information).

N.B. --- Split up your medicines across several pieces of luggage, in case one is lost (something about eggs & baskets).
11. Syringes: You may not need to use them, but take a few along. (New 7/1/97)
12. Rice cereal: "Using rice cereal and salt it is possible to make up a less bulky substitute for Pedialyte. Use 2 cups water, add 1/4 teaspoon table salt and dissolve the salt in the water. Gradually add 1/2 to 1 cup infant rice cereal to the water until the mixture is as thick as is drinkable. Mix well. You can offer the solution to your daughter after each diarrheal stool, giving infants a half cup and older children a full cup. It should be discarded after 6 to 8 hours. If your child is vomiting, offer the mixture in amounts of 1 teaspoon or less. If your child fails to urinate, she does need a medical evaluation." From D. Borchers M.D. [The standard recipe for Pedialyte is one level teaspoon of sugar and one pinch of salt in eight ounces of water. I have been told by a pediatrician not to use this because getting the proportions even a little wrong could have deleterious consequences. Hence the recipe above. --- Ed][Another thing: Pedialyte tastes so awful I don't see how anyone --- even a sick kid --- could stand to drink it.]
13. Check out the Forslind homepage (http://www.tiac.net/users/sunny). There is an overinclusive list there on stuff to bring. Read it (we read a paper copy before we went) as a stimulant to your own thinking. We put everything in zip-lock bags, for example. Didn't need to do it, but we could have…
14. Take the phone numbers of one or more pediatricians and family practitioners with you so you can CALL HOME FOR MEDICAL ADVICE! Your doctor can tell you what might be wrong, and what to try. Why more than one? Sometimes the doctor taking call for your MD might not be too eager to do a transoceanic telephone consultation.
15. Take the phone numbers of your Congressperson and both Senators. Before you leave, send them your itinerary, with the name of your agency and contact numbers for your agency and your family.
16. New!! Diapers
17. Toilet paper
18. Perhaps a stroller.
19. Formula

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Q: Wondering what people found most useful as the book they took to China with them on baby care (and turned to usefully in the middle of late night traumas!)

From: John George
Sent: Sunday, March 31, 1996 11:22 PM
Subject: Re: Spock, Leach, Brazelton--your vote?

To limit weight I only brought copies of certain pages out of a medical book, e.g. re: diarrhea, fever etc. I had called my pediatricians office before departure and made a list of the doses for all children's medications I was bringing. I felt I could wing the rest with lots of holding, lots of bottles (most babies drank 9 bottles a day!), lots of quiet time and common sense! And that worked out fine.

Greetings, Selma
John George <jbgeoss@worldnet.att.net>

[Ed here --- see also #14 above.]

From: Nathaniel L Beck
Sent: Sunday, March 31, 1996 9:49 PM
Subject: Re: Spock, Leach, Brazelton--your vote?

My friends with young babies rave about Laura Nathanson's The Portable Pediatrician. I loved Brazelton's stuff, but that was twenty years ago.

Neal

Nathaniel L Beck <nbeck@weber.ucsd.edu>

From: LZ
Sent: Sunday, March 31, 1996 10:19 PM
Subject: Re: Spock, Leach, Brazelton--your vote?

Penelope Leach, absolutely. Common sense approach, sound approach to illness and behavior and clothing. Reduces guilt enormously.

It's the only one I used, and believe me I owned them ALL.

Lynda

From: Lisa A Woodford
Sent: Sunday, March 31, 1996 10:39 PM
Subject: Re: Spock, Leach, Brazelton--your vote?

I owned all of them , but hands down vote goes to Sears and Sears "The Baby Book"

I still refer to it occasionally, the others are gathering dust.

Lisa Woodford
Ma to Jade, 11 months

lawoodfo@smartdocs.com (Lisa A Woodford)

From: ZapGirls@aol.com
Sent: Tuesday, April 02, 1996 12:48 AM
Subject: RE: Spock, Leach, Brazelton--your vote?

For the trip we cut the medical section out of "What to Expect the First Year" and took it. At home it's definitely "The Baby Book" by Sears and Sears. His attachment parenting style makes a lot of sense for a baby who has had the attachment bonds cut and is struggling to reattach. I also dip in to Penelope Leach because she her writing is delightful. It's like reading a travelogue into a child's mind. Sometimes I pick up Brazelton just for a little reality check and I also like to skim through the age-appropriate sections of "What to Expect the First Year" so I can compare what Lia is doing and assure myself that she's is a genius.

After all this reading I am usually confused and end up doing what I think is best anyhow.... When do I find time to read -- late at night. You may get the idea that we don't sleep much around here anymore... we don't! Store up your sleep now while you are waiting... it will soon be a thing of the past.

Alexis
ZapGirls@aol.com

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From: Jan Lupson
Sent: Tuesday, April 02, 1996 7:11 PM
Subject: Re: Women's Facilities

On Tue, 2 Apr 1996, a correspondent wrote:

> I am not sure how to phrase this question(s), but here goes. I sent off and received the Magellan Catalogue for travel supplies. The woman I talked to suggested something called "Funnelles". She said that most bathrooms for women in China consisted of a hole in the ground and a foot placement on each side. This brings to mind some severe logistical problems for those of us who wear jeans/pants almost exclusively.

> Could anyone (preferably female) out there who has already had the Chinese Adoption Experience please comment on the bathroom facilities you encountered on your visit to pick up your child(ren)?

--- Lost somewhere in the Document Jungle, inching my way to China

I'll add my experiences here. In the hotels, no problem, definitely Western style facilities. In Yangzhou, we were about to take a long boat ride and decided we better use the facilities. We went to a nearby university (no students were around at that time) and our guide showed us to the bathroom - if I recall, there was no door and there were two stalls, whose walls were only about 4 feet high. There was a concrete trough running through the stall and every so often a great gush of water came barrelling down this trough and went off to heaven knows where. I NEVER wear dresses so it was a bit of a balancing act and luckily I had carried my roll of TP with me. At another place, a restaurant we went to, there were western stalls, none too clean, but the toilet paper (if there was any) was outside of the stall and you had to tear off some and take it in with you. I remember being in the Lufthansa Centre in Beijing wanting to change Tavia and going into their washroom and the sinks were all pedestal types with no place to change. We ended up changing her on top of the garbage receptacle outside of the washroom, which unfortunately swiveled so again balance was important. One of the other couples we were with ended up changing their daughter in mid-air on the street, much to the amusement of passersby. I think it would be a good idea to carry some TP with you (take out the centre cardboard and it collapses down for better packing).

Jan

Jan Lupson <jlupson@uoguelph.ca>

At 04:38 AM 4/3/96 UT, you wrote:
>I would like permission to use this in the FAQ website
>
>Thanks
>
>--ed
>
>P.P.S. --- see, I told you you're full of good . . . stuff!

Sure, Ed, go ahead and print my "potty post." Also, be sure and include the advice about carrying toilet paper and wet wipes for adult handwashing as well as baby diapering ... I carry that stuff without even thinking about it.

S. T.

From: S. T.
Sent: Tuesday, April 02, 1996 6:47 PM
Subject: Re: Women's Facilities

>At 12:45 PM 4/2/96 -0800, you wrote:
>
>>Could anyone (preferably female) out there who has already had the Chinese Adoption Experience please comment on the bathroom facilities you encountered on your visit to pick up your child(ren)?

Okay, and everyone else who has been alarmed by her note ... (I can't believe I'm about to discuss toilets with a thousand people.)

The toilets at the expensive Chinese hotels frequented by foreign tourists are just like any toilets you would see at home. At the Beijing Airport, in the domestic terminal, the women's rest room had three or four stalls, all with Chinese-style toilets. These are basically ceramic troughs that flush. (You may want to take advantage of the restrooms on the plane while you can.)

I don't know what you'll find at the airport in Guangzhou. In the Hong Kong airport's international terminal, the toilets were western-style. In Japanese airports and department stores (for those of you going through Japan), there's usually a row of stalls with the first several toilets Japanese-style (the same as Chinese), and the last one or two stalls at the far end are usually western-style. Jeans present a problem for using Asian toilets, as does any type of clothing that can't be hitched up out of the "damp" that's usually all over the floor. A full skirt is much more practical.

And, while we're on the subject of toilets, women traveling through the new international airport in Osaka will be delighted to find that the last stall at the far end of the women's restroom has a western toilet with a high-walled changing table right beside it.

Okay, folks, that's the ... uh ... story on toilets.

S. T.

From: Sue Ferrara
Sent: Tuesday, April 02, 1996 10:20 PM
Subject: toilet paper

In all this discussion about the privies, did anyone mention toilet paper??

Carry a roll for those out of the way places (like the Guangzhou airport which had run out when we got there!). It seemed someone in our group was always looking for a tissue or toilet paper.

Also, some of the bathrooms have nothing to dry your hands on after you wash them. Some places have cloth towels which have been used by everyone! You might want to consider taking some wash and wipes for your personal use.

And, in those out of the way places (like the public bathroom we hit in the town hosting the Women's Conference outside of Beijing) the holes were in the floor and there was no toilet paper, no place to wash hands, and an incredible stench!!! (We were on our way to the Great Wall after too many cups of coffee!)

And, not to get too personal, but you could tell the American in the bathroom. She was tall, standing (not squatting) and facing the wall, (not the middle of the room like the Chinese women!)

Sue

From: MRS JACKIE B SZCZEPANIK
Sent: Wednesday, April 03, 1996 9:04 PM
Subject: Potties and Planes

I personally NEVER travel outside the US without my roll(s) of Charmin! Actually, the first potty stop was what really pulled the women in the group together. Photos were taken and much laughter was enjoyed by all. The one who happened to be "over" the pot when it flushed itself was so surprised she nearly fell in! We lived in Japan about 10 years ago and I got to where I almost preferred the Asian pots. It's part of the experience , I guess!

We flew CAAC (China Airlines Always Cancels) JUST KIDDING!! well, sort of! from Hangzhou to Guangzhou with no trouble except it was crowded. The flight from Guangzhou to Beijing was.....canceled! But it worked to our benefit. Believe me, this was a VAST improvement from 11 years ago! Then, we flew on old Soviet prop jobs, planes w/out seat belts......my favorite though was when we boarded a REAL plane in Beijing (737 or something) it was hot and so the attendants asked if we wanted air conditioning. We were handed fans. I loved China then and my trip in November confirmed it!

Jackie

EBXY42B@prodigy.com (MRS JACKIE B SZCZEPANIK)

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From: BritsMum@aol.com
Sent: Thursday, March 28, 1996 12:16 PM
Subject: Re: Strollers

My husband travelled to Hangzhou in September of 1995. He took the umbrella stroller for our child. Everyone in the group took turns using it, partly because it was very hot and the babies were very uncomfortable in the snugli's. I would recommend it as would other members of our group who did not take one. It is relatively light and can strap easily to your luggage.

It also came in handy running through airports.

Good luck

Judy

BritsMum@aol.com

From: PATGORM@oitvms.oit.umass.edu
Sent: Friday, March 29, 1996 11:29 AM
Subject: Re: Umbrella strollers

For my first daughter, a mere 13 pounds when we met, a snuggli was just fine, and it added to the bonding to have her resting at heart level. For our second, where I went over without my husband and she was close to 20 pounds when we met, I really wish I had brought a stroller. Though there are places a stroller won't go, there were enough to make it worth bringing a real cheap lightweight one. If I were to do it again, I'd bring both a snuggli type thing and a cheap, light weight stroller. With both there you can decide according to activity, and then leave the stroller if it's too much stuff on the trip home.

Patricia

PATGORM@oitvms.oit.umass.edu

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