9 Month Old With A Half Thai Mummy :)

[jannita89bradshaw]

Hello everyone

Was just looking or some advice really

I'm a 23 year old mummy, to 20 week old baby boy 'Theodore' (quarter Thai, quarter Jamaican and half English) new breed lool

I will be travelling to Thailand on the 5th December with a friend from uni, I know she will be a lot of hep but I was just wondering if anybody had any tips before i go. I have family in Ubon Ratchathani and i'm planning to travel there after i've done a bit of sight seeing around Bangkok and maybe Phuket/PhiPhi/Pattaya/Samui (only one of those, not sure which one is better for travelling with a baby yet). This will be the first time I would have been to Thailand with an infant and I'm actually pretty scared (who wouldn't be) so here are a few things i would like advice on:-

• formula milk... I use aptamil and when I travel, Theo will be around 9 months therefore follow on milk is what he will be drinking, soooooooo do I take my own formula, or should i risk giving him the formulas in Thailand (if anybody has a list of the formulas out there that would be GREAT! and i'd appreciate it a lot)
  
• FLYING! I'm flying with Etihad, it is a stop off flight in Abu Dhabi, does anyone have preference to a stroller easy to carry on and off the plane?
  
• Nappies, I've been to and from Thailand - England all my life and not once witnessed a baby in a nappy, maybe it's a village thing or I've just never been interested, but I'm curious as to what type of nappies are available in Thailand and are they actually any good or should I take my own?
  
• Clothing - so confused about this... is it appropriate to just have my little one in a nappy? I know in my mums village in Ubon Ratchathani he can be butt naked and weeing and pooing everywhere in the sand, but I want to travel around Bangkok and ....... so what is acceptable... just a baby gro maybe?
  
• Food - So I know i asked about milk formula, but what about general eating, I've started giving him baby rice with banana or apple and will be introducing him to meat when he is 5-6months, but how do i go about getting baby food in Thailand
  
• Places to stay - does anybody know any places (hotels and attractions) that are child friendly in Bangkok and Phuket/PhiPhi/Pattaya/Samui and which do you recommend
  

Also would like to note that my parents will be coming out on christmas day to meet me and their grandson so i'm worried up until then until my saviour (my Thai mother) arrives I think i'll be on edge until i know what i'm doing, I suppose it's part of being a new parent hey!

Thank you in advance for commenting

Jannita....

Edited August 25, 2012 by cdnvic
Removed identifying info (FB)

[pigeonjake]

youll be fine,

milk not a problem,

nappies yes you can get them here, all brands,

i think you can get a pushchair from the airline,

hotels, youll find that most and i mean most thais love children, so youll get all the help you need in the hotels, same as when you go eat, youll find the staff will want to hold your baby while you eat, more so being falang baby,

as for general food for your son, you can get allsorts of stuff now,,,lol,

dont worry youll both be fine,,

have a good trip jake

[woody087]

I agree with Jake you will be fine.I have a 9 month old in Thailand now.nappies and formula easy to get.we take stroller on plane.stewards take it for you when you get on and give it back when you get off

Sent from my HTC Legend

[Boo]

• formula milk... TBH changing the milk CAN cause stomach upset but it depends on the child. The brands in Thailand are totally different to UK brands, no aptimil or SMA. If you can, bring at least one canister with you then you can mix some feeds with local & some with aptimil, it will help with any stomach upsets. I did this & it worked fine.
  
• FLYING! I'm flying with Etihad, it is a stop off flight in Abu Dhabi, does anyone have preference to a stroller easy to carry on and off the plane? I had a maclarens, an umbrella type which laid down flat, perfect for travelling around & when baby is tired you could just lower the back & off to sleep. Buy a cat net, they help keep bugs off, which is an abolute must in thailand. Esp. if you are spending time in the villages.
  
• Nappies, Mammy Poko I found to be the best & most reasonable costs for quality but tesco do an own brand which is OK in a pinch.
  
• Clothing - I never like my son being naked all day as it can get sweaty & the bugs are everywhere so I bought lots of the sleevless vest type things, pack of 3 from mothercare is around 6 quid, also things with little shorts attached to the all in one for if we were going to eat or to a mall or something. One thing I found to be invaluble were muslin cloths, you can buy them on ebay or mothercare & they are perfect for covering baby in the sun or when they are asleep as they are very lightweight & help absorb sweat.
  
• Food - You can but baby rice & things like that from the supermarket, there are also places you can get Jok & most food places will help you to mash up some banana & rice for him.
  
• Places to stay - No where really child friendly in the western sense but go for somewhere close to local shops & with a pool, that way if you don't want to go out you can hang by the pool & baby can paddle. I would personally suggest in BKK staying near KS road for pure convience, food, shops, 7-11's etc all on the doorstep. There are some nice places away from the main strip that would be suitable like rambuttri village bangkok. Can't advise on PhiPhi, Phuket as not stayed there with a baby, would avoid Pattaya as went with my son when he was 3 months, not great, smelly, crowded & the beaches are crap. Samui, I would stay on lamai or Bophut, Lamai has everything on the doorstop within walking distance & great beaches, Weekender resort & Holiday park are my recommedations but my experiences of them are a few years out of date. I can't advise on Bophut as I don't usually stay there but other people seem to like it & a good option for someone with a small child.
  

[jannita89bradshaw]

Ah thanks everyone!

I speak fluent Thai anyway so hopefully that will be a bonus

I think I'm swaying more towards Samui as i've never been there before and I want to visit new places rather than sitting in the village all day in the shade for 7 weeks

Thanks again, really appreciate the help!

Jannita

[fletchsmile]

As Jake and Boo say, you'll be able to get most of what you want here, in terms of food, nappies, milk etc. Tesco would have most of these. There's a branch in Ubon Ratchathani. Not sure how well it compares to BKK, but Tesco branches in BKK would have virtually all you need..

On milk, there are quite a lot of brands now, including SMA, Nestle, Enfamil and a whole host of others. We liked "Snow" levels 1,2,3. It seemed to mix more smoothly than most. Bottle sterilizers and bottles aren't that expensive either.

Baby food such as baby rice, baby cereal are available. Jars of puree fruit and veg are also available, in combination with things like chicken and beef pureed, depending on age, tho' there's usually only a small section in Tescos. If you think about it, many Thais will just mash up fresh fruits like papaya, watermelon etc themselves, so it doesn't make sense to pay a couple of dollars for a small jar to most Thais when you can get the whole fruit at the same time. hence a smaller selection for food in small jars.

Nappies: Mammy Poko was our first choice. They also do the pull up pants which are gender specific. Up country nappies/pants are expensive for many Thais, so many Thais particularly with boys are happy "au naturel". Personally would prefer the pants, and a top on, but up to you. The less clothes, the more space for insect bites, so a decent mosquito bite cream comes in. Boots nappy rash cream can also be useful, for any rashes etc that come out in the heat.

Etihad provide strollers at the airports. Check with them beforehand or at least check-in. We had an occasion where they had all gone....