Ok, so after having spoken to a lot of ladies , I have come to a conclusion that i must take the following with me to lahore and Islamabad
all baby food ( formula and other food packs )
All medication for things like , Diarrhoea, flu, fever etc
Nappies
Drinking water
Toiletries ( his bubble bath, shampoo and wipes )
anything i am missing on the list here , or anything that i have unnecessarily added ? please can you guys tell me your experience ? Did you buy things locally in Pakistan or did you take every thing with you from here? baby is nine months old ..
I have travelled all through my childhood and never once managed to remain healthy in pakistan, always fell ill , ALWAYS ! despite consuming boiled water ! so , please advise me on the strategy to keep baby safe in every way possible ..
^ Even boiling the water doesn’t seem to be enough. I would use bottled water for anything that goes in baby’s mouth (and even your own – including toothbrushes).
Do you have a means of sterilizing the bottles where you will be staying?
I have found antiseptic mouthwashes, Purell gels, and antibacterial wipes and soaps are really handy and important for staying well there. I know it feels crazy to take all that stuff especially since I don’t use most of them at home, but I have noticed a difference in my health when I use these regularly in Pakistan. And I’m sure they affect the kids.
But I have more experience with visiting Karachi. I hear it may be different in Islamabad/Lahore.
Seriously the immune systems are so bad? Or is Pakistan so dirty? To be honest I never sterilise my baby’s stuff. Never. Not since he turned four months (yes go ahead and kill me)
CB a lot of what you are doing is major overkill for cities like Lahore or Islamabad. Just stay away from street food and have home cooked food, and all will be well. Now every home gets mineral water from dispensers, I never really believed that they boil water for the required time or properly, but then again I don’t really feel we need it. I guess we are immune.
Best drinking water is boiled. You can’t trust bottled water there. I was very careful when I went to Pakistan with my son. His doctor went over everything I should avoid in Pakistan before I left. Gave a typhoid shot to him but my son still ended up being sick. Take formula, boil water, boil it yourself. Take pedialyte. I went for only 2 Weeks. My son ate only at home, absolutely no dairy produts except packaged yogurt, I came back with very very sick baby.
I have been to Lahore with a kid who was the same age as yours.I stayed there for 2.5 months and Alhumdulliah she was fine.
Do carry his formula (if he drinks that) enough to last the entire trip,his shampoo & soap,lots of disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizers.
Also carry his basic medicines…diaper rash ointments,fever reducers,nasal saline drops.That is pretty much the only drugs infants can take and are available OTC.Also yes,do carry Pedialyte,incase you need it.
Do not worry about diapers.They are very easily available everywhere,even at the neighborhood pharmacy and both local and imported Pampers are pretty good.
I did carry some baby cereal and baby food but most of the times I made homemade stuff for her.
Regarding water,stay away from bottled water.I used to filter water and boil it for 5 mins and cool it off.I used to make her formula and dilute her food and wash her teethers and toys etc in it (she was teething at that time and everything ended in her mouth).Also I used to boil her bottles daily in a big pot of boiling water for 5 mins and let them air dry.I’d say you don’t need to carry the entire water supply with you.
A 9 mo is young for a typhoid vaccine so he wont get that but I am sure other vaccination is up to date.
It is actually easy taking a kid his age to Pakistan as they eat only what you prepare and feed them.It becomes troublesome when people feed or offer or serve different things and you have to refuse.
When will you be there..??..If it is end Dec/start Jan,it does get pretty cold there and most houses are not centrally heated,so I did take a lot of fleece clothes and booties to keep her warm.It was something we didn’t use a lot here in the USA as homes are always heated.
I think people are or become immune to everything in Pakistan.I have spent more than half my life in Lahore and although we avoided street food,we were never crazy about boiling everything either and we were fine..!
I see my BIL’s kids there and they stay fine even when they drink tap water and eat everything.My jethani used to tell me she never boiled the water for her kids or their bottles and that they have always been fine.I went back home for a visit and fell ill with typhoid..and I still don’t know how I got it.I think I have lost my immunity…
Angel Mist .. I will get regular in a few months as soon as I return back from holiday in the new year
Deme, yes , the immunity does get low indeed, while living abroad .. the air is alot more fresh, the water is fresh and filtered and our bodies get used to not being able to fight off the usual stuff that alot of your bodies manage to fight off .. its a fact ..
I have been told that I should get Nestle bottled water and boil that before giving it to baby .. Typhoid is my biggest fear for baby .. I got him all his half yearly vaccines done , rest will be done on his first birthday after we return .. I insisted to the doc that he gets his MMR , which they have given , but Hep A couldnt be given since he is too young for it ..
I want to know please , which diapers are best to use and how much do they cost roughly so we come prepared … where abouts in lahore can we get the better quality ones .. last year a friend went with her 10 month old and she used some diapers that constantly leaked ! she always takes enough diapers for the baby now , all the way from the UK ..
For sterilizing , I have bought a few packets of sterilizing tablets , if I pop that tablet in boiled water and dip his bottles and toys in that , you reckon that will be ok? or do i still need to boil bottles in water?
yup plan was to take it all enough for the baby .. but since trip is for 8 weeks , husband says the weight is gonna be an issue , so now I am going to carry half of it , and see if he is ok with the water there , in case he isnt we will use the water we are taking from here ..
I am just going to share my experience.Dengue was an issue when I took my daughter and we met with an infectious diseases doctor before we met and he prescribed antimalarial drugs.Mine was 6 months at that time and it was my personal choice to not give her the drugs,totally my choice.
Regarding how I kept her safe,she almost stayed indoors,only went out when had to go to someone’s house,the windows were screened of the house,she wore full clothing,and we used mosquito repellent mats in the rooms.I did carry a bug repellent spray with me but never had to use it.You just take the general precautions and In sha Allah all will be fine.
Pampers is a good brand of diapers to buy.I do not recall the prices,maybe Demense can tell you that.Regarding availability,they are available very easily…the neighborhood general store or pharmacy will carry them.Otherwise you can always find them at the higher end departmental stores in Liberty like Al Fatah or H Karim Baksh.
I got my kid a MMR shot before traveling too,and a flu shot as well.You are right,he is young for Hep A vaccine.What about Rota virus vaccine (not sure if the schedule is same as US for you guys or no)?
Regarding typhoid,it is easy to control what goes in a 9 month old’s mouth rather than into a kid say like 2 yo.So don’t worry,he will be fine.
it’s easier to protect if u still breastfeed. take precaution with water and keep his stuff sterile as much as possible. keep all medicines from here. The mosquito bites are a problem and ask the people u will be staying with to buy stuff. Take insect repellent. Would suggest to avoid street food- you don’t want to get sick. if you baby didn’t sick much before hopefully he should be fine. In case the new atmosphere doesn’t suit him have some sort of plan to come back early. Many healthy kids do great in Pakistan and enjoy the attention from relatives .
Thanks Chips that awesome information .. i am so scared due to my own experiences that i have asked inlaws to get me a mosquito net lol .. they think no one uses it in todays times , but i dont care if it looks ancient or what , i want my son coming back healthy and hearty In shaa Allah
Ok CB here we go. Number one, the diapers I would recommend are canbebe. You can find them in any large store in Pakistan (al fateh, HKB, most pharmacies) and cost would be around 1100 for a pack of 40 i think for the size u need.
As for the dengue, trick is to avoid going out in times of mosquito. And btw by the time you come, mosquitos will be dead anyway. Cos they don’t survive the cold. Beyond that, I apply mospell (liquid repellant) on baby’s clothes a bit before taking him out. It will be cold and so baby will be bundled in long sleeves and only hands and face will be exposed when u come. No worries. As I said, bugs will be dead
I would have handy a first aid kit for baby. Whatever he is used to. Like calpol, vicks, nasal sucker, thermometer, ibuprofen, nail clippers…blah blah. Mine has his vit D drops, iron syrup and calcium syrup too. U know better what ur baby takes.
In the beginning, I used to boil bottled water for my kid. Then I just used bottled water and never looked back. Now he sometimes drinks from the tap when bathing and he is fine. U can boil bottled water. Rather than nestle, I would advise using a bakery’s bottled water, like gourmet.
