Barker Group List of Hints for the China Experience

By Michelle Potter:
Here is a list that Jason and Trish Petty and my husband, Andrew Iskowitz and I put together while waiting for the plane to take us from Changsha to Guangzhou. it is in no particular order except number 1. hope it is helpful...
1. LISTEN TO ANLI AND DO WHATEVER SHE TELLS YOU!!!
2. bring disposable bibs- wasteful, yes, but way easier than having to get regular bibs laundered or washing them in the sink each night
3. use playtex drop ins for bottles so you don't have to sterilize bottles while in china
4. even the fast flow playtex nipples may not be as fast as the babies are used to. you may need to cut a slightly larger hole- Anli can help you with this
5. bring a tupperware container that is large enough to transport cheerios- we put the cheerios in individual ziplocs in the tupperware to travel so the cheerios would not get crushed- and then use the tupperware to sterilize bottle nipples
6. get an cheap umbrella stoller in the province. Anli will take you to a department store or friendship store the within a day or 2 of getting the baby. invest the $20 in a stroller. it was a lifesaver for us, especially in the airports
7. don't bring too many toys- a set of plastic keys and some stackable cups are fine. you can buy more toys there if you want to but the girls were happy with little things like paper crinkled up into a ball
8. bring swim diapers (3 or 4 would be fine- you don't need a whole pack)for the pool in Guangzhou if you are traveling in warmer weather as the pool is
outdoor; you also may want to google your province hotel- some of them have indoor pools.
9.make sure you have a large enough memory card on your digital camera. the ones that come with the cameras usually hold a handful of pictures (they are usually 16 or 32 megabytes. consider getting a 512 megabyte or 1 gigabyte card. you don't want to run out just as you meet your child for the first time
10. try to mail a care package to the orphanage ahead of time. we (andrew and michelle) did this on our own with a letter translated for us by our chinese teacher but you can also do this through a service on-line called blessed kids. we sent a throw away camera, a small token gift for the caregivers, a small stuffed animal, a small cuddle blanket and a soft covered photo album with pictures of family and friends that she would meet. we got back the camera, photo album, answers to questions we asked in the letter and her cuddle blanket. they are priceless and the blanket was quite a comfort object for hannah while we were in china
11. bring cold medication and antibiotics for a sinus infection for you. if you get sick, which you may from travel, lack of sleep and new germs from your children who may have colds, you'll feel better with whatever medication you usually take for such ailments. Anli can get you to a doctor if needed and there is a medical clinic in the White Swan if you or your child is sick while you are there
12. consider bringing an i-pod with small speakers or some other music device to play music in your hotel room for you and your child
13. bring clothes in a couple of sizes but don't bring too much- figure 2-3 outfits a day including pajamas and count on doing laundry while you are there. the laundry is not cheap (but much cheaper if you use cleaners outside the hotel which Anli can find for you). It is cheaper to do laundry than to pay extra at the airport for bags that are too heavy. don't worry, you can always buy more clothes.
14.don't worry when you get your updated information from the orphanage shortly before traveling. the weight may be lower than it was at referral. in our case, they had weighed with tons of clothes for the referral and with nothing but the diaper for the updated weight.
15.if you have room, pack an extra duffle bag so you don't have to buy a suitcase in Guangzhou to bring home all the stuff you will undoubtedly purchase
16. buy scented bags for diaper disposal. we used 'sassy diaper sacks' available at buy buy baby. ziplocs don't hide the smell of a stinky diaper in a hotel room
17. bring something for you to do when the baby is sleeping and for the very long flight (ex: a fluffy no brainer book- you definitely won't want to concentrate on anything; cards, travel games)
18. don't bring formula- you can use what they are used to while in china and transition them once they get home.
19. if you can, keep the baby in the clothes she/he is in when you meet. for the first day /night you are with her/him. she/he is comfortable in these clothes and they may smell familiar
20. bring baby nail clippers
21. drink only bottled water unless Anli tells you it is ok to drink other water. it was hard to find really cold water except at the hotels and sometimes if you ask for water in a restaurant, they will bring you warm water. so, plan on drinking a lot of beer since it is served cold. also, buy bottled water at the market outside of the hotel instead of using the the mini bar or buying it in hotel shops. water is about 10 times as expensive if bought in the hotel and the bottled water at these markets is fine (big brand there is watsons). don't buy bottled water from street vendors at tiananmen square. safest bet- buy at a market
22. DOUBLE AND TRIPLE CHECK THE LIST BARKER WILL GIVE TO YOU ABOUT PAPERS YOU NEED TO HAVE WITH YOU WHILE IN CHINA. MAKE SURE YOU BRING EVERYTHING WITH YOU THAT IS ON THAT LIST JUST AS IT IS SPECIFIED.
23. you will get an itinerary including list of how much money you need for each day for official business- it is easier if you separate it and put it into it's own labeled envelope before you go
24. talk to your bank early about getting brand new unmarked bills. people who have gone before us advised us to bring approximately $6000 (this included all necessary fees). we came home with some money but we also used our credit card for some bigger purchases
25.wait to buy trinkets and kids clothes in Guangzhou. we highly recommend Michael's (just past the tennis courts on Shaiman island) and the charity shop (gifts from china). Anli can show you where both of these stores are. Be prepared for the hard sell and for bargaining in all shops in on Shaiman Island except those mentioned above
26. if your child is eating solids, many restaurants will prepare an egg dish for them if you ask. bring plastic kids spoons and plastic gladware type bowls (1 or 2) so you can make some rice cereal or use for leftovers for you or the baby
27.consider getting a panda phone, especially if you like to wander on your own. that way you can always reach Anli if you get lost. we used it to call home to talk with the grandparents. it was priceless to have for that reason. you can order it at their website once you know your itinerary. they will drop it off at the hotel in Beijing for you and then you drop it off at the White Swan before leaving Guangzhou
28. if you do go off on your own, remember to bring something with you that has your hotel information in chinese in case you get lost or need a taxi. the concierge often has a card that says "please take me to..."
29.if you want family to try to reach you while you are gone, you can buy a cheap Asia phone card at Sears in the electronics section. we xeroxed it (after scraping off the back to reveal the code) and gave copies to family so they could reach us if necessary. you room may not be under your name initially so if you want people to call the hotel instead of the panda phone, ask Anli if she can change the reservation to your name
30.HAVE FUN!!! This is an adventure in lots of ways. TRY TO GO WITH THE FLOW.