Last year I put up some posts entitled:
Tips& Tricks. I appreciate all that people share with me and it was fun to share it with you. Here are links to last year's Tips & Tricks posts:
Post 1,
Post 2,
Post 3,
Post 4 and
Post 5. I know I will use these later when Hannah is home.
This month I'm working on a new theme:
Tips & Tricks: China Bound! Once again people have shared some really helpful tips and tricks with me that will help both in preparing for traveling to China and also while I'm there.
Here are some of the tips I've learned:
Place Family Day/Gotcha Day Clothes in Ziploc Bags: It's important if at all possible to leave our little ones in the clothes we receive them in for as long as we can, possibly even until the following day. A baby's sense of smell is so acute and at a time when their entire world is changing, these clothes can be very comforting for them. When I do change Hannah I am going to place her original clothes in Ziploc bags. When we move from Changsha back to Beijing, I will give her a piece of that clothing when she goes to bed that first night. Hopefully the familiar scent will help comfort her during the transition. Then, when we fly home to Canada I'll do the same thing with a different piece of clothing that has also been stored in a Ziploc bag.
Tie a Ribbon Around the Bathroom Tap: Drinking the tap water in the hotel or even just using it to brush teeth can cause a person to be sick for a number of days. None of us need that so this wonderful tip from
Doris will be super helpful! In my new mommy haze and excitement, hopefully a brightly coloured ribbon on the tap will help remind me not to use the water to brush my teeth.
Mouthwash in the Shower Following along the same theme of not swallowing the water, it was suggested by
M3 that I put a tiny bit of mouthwash in my mouth before hopping into the shower. I don't think I normally drink the water in the shower but I figure better safe than sorry!
Take a Metal Bowl, Colander, Rubber Gloves and Chopsticks for Washing Bottles and Nipples. I bought these items at lunch today and when Norma asked what they were for her reaction was, 'Wow! Who thinks of all these things your need to take?' You're right friend...not me! I hadn't really thought about how I would wash Hannah's bottles so I'm so thankful for M3 sharing so much with me! The next couple of tips are from her too.
Nalgene Bottle for cooling water that has been boiled for bottles. I understand the hotel rooms normally have hot pots for boiling water for bottles but this water often needs to be cooled while more water is boiled and
placed in a thermos to take on day trips.
Coordinating Luggage Tags/Ribbons for Travel Group. Our travel group now has matching ribbons and tags one our luggage. Hopefully this will be helpful when we're trying to gather all the luggage together when travelling. Once the babies are added to the mix, I'm sure my focus will be on my gorgeous Hannah so Dad will be struggling to figure out which of the 50 navy suitcases going round and round the luggage carousel is mine. Hopefully these tags and ribbons will help.
I'm sure these are Tips are just the tip of the iceburg! If you have tips or suggestions for me I would love to hear them and will share them here for others too unless you ask me not to.
WOW....we're flying out in only 20 more days!!! WHEEEEEEEE!!!!!!! Hang on Hannah! Mommy is coming!!!
Note: These tips are ones that I believe will be helpful to myself and possibly others. If you don't agree then that's just fine but please don't post criticism about what I find helpful. Thank you.
Here are some of the great tips and tricks that were shared with me in the comments of the last 'Tips & Tricks: China Bound' post. Thanks to all who have shared from their experiences.
Small Scissors A couple of pairs of small scissors, packed in checked baggage will be useful for cutting larger holes in nipples and misc. tasks while away. Our babies are often used to rice cereal being mixed in their formula so the texture is much thicker. If this is the case with Hannah I will slowly remove the cereal over time but in the beginning I want to make the transition as easy as possible for her which might mean thicker bottles for now which will mean larger holes cut in nipples. Thanks for the tip Kim!
Mailing Tube Take a mailing tube from home (packed with little things like baby socks, toiletries, etc on the way to China) can be a great way to transport art, scrolls and other special purchases home without them getting bent, ripped or creased. Thanks for the great tip Jodi!
Prunes... yummo! It is not unusual for the babies to struggle with constipation when we get them and since prunes can be a challenge to find in China you may want to take some with you.(It's funny. When I read Stace's reminder about taking prunes I had just returned from the grocery store and buying Hannah's first jars of baby food...including prunes!) I know she might not be eating baby food but I'd rather be prepared when we get home by having some in the house rather than running to the store in our jet-lagged state.
