Karen's Top 10 - Travel Gear for Kids

Hey folks!  I have some good news to share...In exactly 4 days we will FINALLY move in to our apartment.  Yes, that means that we've been in a hotel now for entirely too long, almost a month.  As our hotel room seems to get smaller and smaller by the day AND now that my husband officially began his studies, I have been on my own with the kids for the better part of the morning for the second week.  I have to say it's been a challenge getting around on my own, but suprisingly not impossible.  I decided right away to get out as soon and as often as possible with the kids, for the reasons listed above.  We all have a tendancy to go stir crazy if we don't plan to do SOMETHING. 
This time on my own has also given me a chance to put our kids' gear to the test!  Some of the adjustments to living in Beijing have come as suprises to us, but for the most part we came very prepared thanks to the advice of the families that came to Beijing before us.  Without their recounts of "trials and errors", we would not have known to come here as equipped and prepared as we did.  That said, I have compiled a list of the MOST useful gear that has made our overseas journey with the kids as smooth as possible, and I hope this information proves useful to the FAO families and others planning international travel with kids:

1.The Dueter Kid Comfort II-

  

I can't say enough about this go-to baby carrier when we need to get around the city. If you're like us and couldn't bring your car overseas, it's an essential if you plan to do long day trips with kids and your little one isn't a walker yet.  Our almost-two-year-old is walking allright, but refuses to hold anyone's hand, has a gut instinct to bolt toward the busy streets whenever the opportunity presents itself, and is still prone to nap whenever he deems necessary regardless of where we are or what we're doing.  Thus, this carrier has been a lifesaver.  It's got a great soft frame that fastens both around your waist and across your chest, so even our 30 pound butterball can be carried quite comfortably, with his weight pretty well distributed across your back, shoulders, and core.  Though Sonny carries it most of the time, I have also carried him in this and find that the frame can adjust to fit a woman's body well.  Also, Beijing is just NOT well-built for handicapped access, which means it's not always stroller friendly either.  We use this pack when we're riding the subway and sightseeing amongst Beijing's older infrastructure. 

2.  Baby Trend Expedition Double Jogging Stroller-

If you're at all familiar with the constantly fluctuating air quality in Beijing, you know that on good days you can look up and actually see a blue sky, while on the bad days you might as well be chain smoking as you are inhaling about as much from the air pollution and come home reeking of smoke from head to toe.  My point here is we don't used our jogging stroller for jogging outside anymore, as we've stuck mostly to the indoor gym and pool for our workouts.  And even though I listed some problems above with getting around the not-so stroller friendly city, with some advanced planning to ensure your route is good to go for strollers this one comes highly recommended by me.  When we found out Jacob was on the way, I was desparate to purchase the high-end brand BOB stroller, and for months I scoured craigslist, the REI used gear sales, and other sales ads to get my hands on one for a price I could live with.  I ultimately decided to put the 650 bucks to better use and only spend 190 on this bad boy, the Baby Trend Expedition.  It was everything I needed when I was running with the kiddos back in the States, and it has served us well navigating the obstruction-filled sidewalks and alleyways of Beijing.  The shock absorbers are much more comfortable for the kids on the bumpy sidewalks than any umbrella stroller could provide, but much like the umbrella, you can set the front wheel to a swivel position to more easily work around tight corners, or even grocery store aisles if needed.  If I had it to do all over again, I might have sprung for a narrow and compact Phil and Teds double stroller, which seats the kiddos in-line making it ride and turn like a single.  However, I can park my stroller outside of a restaurant or store with a little more peace of mind that I haven't left a $700+ nest egg where I can't see it.  Basically, if someone were to take ours, I'd surely be upset but it's nothing we can't replace still for less money than shelling out for the BOB or Phil and Ted's.

3.  Keen Shoes-

I know what you're thinking...I think.  If you're a frugal parent like me when it comes to outfitting your fast-growing kids, it's normally tough to justify a pair of $50 dollar kids shoes when they may only fit in them for a few months.  Our daughter went from a toddler size 9 to a 12 in what seemed like only 6 months!  However, I have to say that my kids are doing more walking now than I ever did when I was their age.  I have also personally sworn off kids socks, as every washer and dryer I use has a personal vendetta against me and ensures that I only get out 5 socks back when I was sure I had 6 when the laundry started.  So these shoes fit the bill for many reasons.  My 5 and 2 year olds put their own shoes on when we're ready to walk out the door, so it just became a hands-free operation for me...score!  When the temperatures drop, we'll have to adjust and find a good shoe that gets them through the winter months, but for the stifling summer we are sure to have in Beijing, what better way to get around than in a breathable sandal that protects feet more like a shoe? 

 My husband and I even have our own Keens, but we opted for a pair of hiking shoes and walking shoes seen below. 

They've taken us from hiking amongst the dense tropical forests in Hawaii to the Great Wall of China, and now we go shopping or out to eat in them because they are just that comfortable and easy to wear.

4.  Zip Away Pants-

Call them what you want: Pants, Shorts, Funny-looking.  They are all that and more....Functional!  I never saw a need to purchase these for myself before.  They always gave me flashbacks of those tear-away adidas pants our entire basketball team used to wear in middle school  (all you kids born in the 80's, you know!).  It wasn't until our move to Beijing, and our subsequent month-long stay in a hotel room with a suitcase of only a couple weeks worth of clothes that I realized there was a need for an article of clothing that was flexible enough to work with the highs and lows of spring temperatures in Beijing.  My kids, husband, and I all have some, and the lightweight versions are super easy to handwash (something my blog readers have seen is a skill any long-term visitor to China should acquire).  My husband can also attest to the functionality and versatility after he embarks on some very remote backbacking trips around Asia...blogs on this to come as early as June when he returns from his first trip.  My daughter's zip-aways even come with color coded left and right legged zippers so Mommy knows which side to return the zipped-off legs to.  We are happy with both our Columbia and REI brands we've purchased.  Try catching the after-season sales from REI for pants for the kids, where I scored them for around $15.

5.  First Aid Kit-

True, we are in a modern city with western medicine readily available, and we don't have to worry too much about catching some foreign water-born disease like Japanese Encephylitis.  But if your kids are like mine, it doesn't matter where in the world they are, they WILL get cuts and bruises along the way...and it seems to happen more often when we're travelling and in unfamiliar territory.  My aunt actually gave me this Johnson and Johnson kit when we visited her in Texas, but it needed restocking.  It actually worked out better to start with an empty kit that I could fill myself and cater to our specific needs.  In it, I put some individual antiseptic wipes, hello kitty AND spiderman bandaids, neosporin spray, single packed tylenol, advil, immodium, kids melt-away ibuprophen tabs, and travel sized aloe and sunscreen.  Check with your pediatrician for help restocking.  Ours at DLI was kind enough to give us the individually wrapped wipes and antibacterial gel.  The kids have indeed gotten little cuts and scrapes, and sometimes all it takes is a colorful bandaid and a kiss to make them not only feel like the "oweee" went away, but that they feel safe and secure, and life isn't all that different even though they're halfway across the globe.

6.  Wet Ones and Purell Hand Sanitizer-

I decided to list all sanitizing products as one of my top ten travel must-haves.  Even if you aren't bringing children with you to Beijing, you'll see right away that keeping your hands clean, especially prior to eating, is a must.  Allow me to ellaborate a little...has anyone ever heard of split pants?  Well, yes, they are still used enthusiastically here as a means for potty-training. 

Parents of these cute-bun-flashers pretty much let their kids "go" wherever they want.  In the grass, in the street, in the middle of the sidewalk, everywhere.  For some reason it's even more revolting to me to see a pile of poo now, because it's origin probably wasn't a puppy.  So the lesson learned is that no surface is safe here.  It isn't in the States either, but there are enough cultural and hygeinic differences here, that after riding the subways, climbing stairs, using the restroom, and not having access to soap and water right away, these antibacterial nuggets of glory can take care of 99.9% of the germs that spread common illnesses, and so far it's done wonders for us (the kids are also taking a multivitamin, but I'm hoping to cover this topic in greater detail on my future blog post about Nutrition).  Our little ones haven't gotten sick yet, and I attribute this to our vigorous, sometimes OCD-like use of santizer and wipes.  You really can't have enough, and thanks to our prime membership with Amazon.com, we have our free shipping replenishments on the way already!   You really can't pack enough of this stuff in my opinion.

7.  Charmin Travel Toilet Tissue-

Don't Laugh.  We've used this particular item more than I can count.  Remember one of my previous blogs where we discussed the public toilets here?  Well, basically anytime you step out of your comfortable Hilton Hotel or other "western brand" hotels and apartments, you can expect to find nothing but a hole in the ground when it's time to use the bathroom.  Seriously. 

And toilet paper is never a promise!  In fact, we've been suprised to find that a few of our favorite local restaurants actually do provide toilet tissue.  I was delightfully suprised to find, before we left the U.S,. that both REI and Bass Pro Shop carried this Charmin travel tissue in their camping section.  I highly recommend that Beijing travellers ALWAYS keep one of these in their purse, and if you're a single guy this means there's never been a better time to buy a man-purse, man-bag, day pack, whatever you want to call it.  If you have one thing on your person, make darn sure this is it.  You'll be trying new foods, and the fruits, vegetables, and meats "may or may not" be prepared in the same manner your stomach is used to.  Just take my advice on this one and stock up on these handy packs from Charmin.  If not, make sure you take some extra toilet paper from your apartment or hotel before you leave on your daily outings.

8.  The Kid's Camelbak-

 

The antidote for when my daughter is feeling hungry for some attention- give her a sense of purpose and importance of course!  Enter the hot pink kid's camelbak, seemingly MADE for her, with 50 oz. storage capacity that a 5 year old can carry with ease.  We remind her that without her contribution, we would be so thirsty on these short day outings.  It has seriously worked, and reinvigorated our daughter when she gets into a whiny mood when we're out and about.  She is so proud to walk around with it, as though she's graduated to yet another level of independence, differentiating her from her baby brother.

Now for the real purpose of buying this: drinking water is hard to come by in Beijing.  Most western apartments provide a bottled water delivery service, but after leaving the sanctuary of your home or hotel, you won't just be able to find bottled water anywhere.  It's always a good idea to bring plenty of water with you in case you get stuck out and about longer than planned, and for us the Camelbak works perfectly.  We also have an Osprey dayback with a 120 ounce bladder in it for longer stretches, but we decided on buying one for our 5 year old to help get her excited about going out on adventures (think Dora the Explorer).  Definitely something to think about if you've got kids!

9.  The Cross-Body Bag-

Ok, so this isn't exactly kids gear, but if you're a mom like me, you hold more kid's stuff in your purse than anything else.  What I've found, between airport travelling, long connections in airports, carrying other shopping bags around the city, and chasing after the munchkins, was that my favorite hobo bag was just not going to work as my "all purpose" purse.  I wanted something that wasn't going to constantly slip off my shoulders, and something secure enough to keep pickpocketing at bay.  Now, each woman has their personal preferences when it comes to purses, so I suggest you stick with what feels right for you.  I actually picked this one up from Marshall's for $25.  I figured I'd give it a test run, and if this type of bag worked for me I'd promote myself to buying one in leather.  So far, no complaints!  It holds everything I need for going out, some of which is on this list.  I won't necessarily direct other moms to go out and get the cross-body bag, but definitely think about what it'll be like carrying your purse around at an activity level that's about triple what you're used to in the States.  It's worked really well for me and has helped me feel like all my stuff is a little more secure and put together.

10.  Lollipops-

That's it!  No high-tech reasoning behind the good ole lollipop- what I consider the big guns in my arsenal when my kids are in the worst-timed temper tantrum mode.  And I don't like to just bribe my kids all the time.  But sometimes they are just beyond the point where you can reason with them, and this point coincides with an appointment we have at the Embassy, or an extra-long cab ride with a short-fused taxi driver, you get the picture.  It works wonders, and it still has such a newness with my kids that they're willing to sit still and savor the sweet sugary goodness, and Mommy and Daddy have a chance to breathe easy:)  Enough said!

Well that's a wrap on the top 10 most useful kids gear I've used during our first month here.  I'd love to hear some feedback or suggestions if you have your own travel secrets when getting around with little ones.