Help me buy things please!

[hjdong]

Hi all - I'm starting to buy things for my soon to be adopted son. We will hopefully be able to travel to bring him home in Jan. and he will be 18 months at that time.

I went out to begin to buy clothes and found it very difficult. He was premature and the last information I have on weight/height was about 6 months old ( almost 10 lbs, about 18"). Any thoughts on what his size might be at 18 months? Also, in China at that time it's going to be very cold, but we live in Southern California - still blisteringly hot. Any thoughts on inexpensive cold weather clothing?

Finally, is there anything I just must have for an 18 month old? All the baby books give you lists for a newborn, but assume you've figured it out by the time their that old.

Thanks in advance for your help.

[MamaKath]

Useful stuff-
*a good stroller
*a booster type feeding seat with a seat belt (instead of a highchair, the Stokke seat is wonderful!)
*a good convertible (infant/toddler) carseat with a rearfaceing limit of at least 30 lbs. (if he is on the tiny side I would put him rearfacing still, can be until they have less than 1 inch of hard plastic above their heads)
*board books
*a nice lovey of some kind (my kids like soft blankets to snuggle, soft beanie baby type toys, etc)
*sippy cups (an avent system is good where you would have bottles with nipples or sippy tops depending on what he is used to)
*snack cups, children's utensils, plastic child's plate set
*diaper bag that holds a few diapers, wipes, a change of clothes, sippy cup, book or two (I love the LandsEnd Messenger style bag for this)
*Medicinal stuff (Tylenol, Motrin, BandAids, Epecac syrup)
*Child sized tooth brush
*Sling

Oh and an item I have found invaluable is good kitchen shears (ours is Pampered Chef) for cutting their food into small pieces, lol. One of the best items with kids aroung!

As for clothes, I would try the big box type places for inexpensive winter clothes (Kmart, Walmart, Target) as well as The Children's Place and Old Navy. Layers are great and then will be more useful for you at home too. Oh and LandsEnd Overstock section has some great deals always.

Interview pediatricians prior and ask for their suggestions as well!

HTH~ If I think of anything else, I'll post it!

[egoldber]

Kath's list was really terrific. I think that covered most of the basics. Here are a few toy-type things I can think of.

Playdoh
crayons and drawing paper
an easel - the ones with a chalkboard on one side and a place fro drawing paper are really nice
a "doll" - as you feel appropriate, there was a great post a few months ago about Asian dolls
music CDs
wooden knob puzzles

As for clothes, I would buy a few things to tide you over, but then buy the bulk of stuff here once you get home.

Fleece jackets and buntings are great when you don't need an exact fit. If its too big you can scrunch up the sleeves and legs and it still looks cute! We got a nice one at LLBean last year on sale. Its an 18 month size and it still fits her.

HTH,

[mom2kandj]

Holly -

I vote for Old Navy! We've got a ton of stuff for DS that I picked up last year for this winter. If you can wait until the end of December, I'm sure that you'll be able to get some great deals on toddler boys gear(always better sales than toddler girls :( ). We bought most of his longsleeve shirts for $2-4 each and his pants for about $4 each.

BTW - We're in SoCal too(I'm in Vegas right now and am soooooo sad that I'm missing the heat wave! LOL!)! We've even part of the BBB SoCal Moms Group! If you want more info or need some shopping ideas for the little guy, just PM me and I'll get you hooked up! Our next get together is just around the corner...........


Rose
mom 2 Katie (34 months)
& Jack (18 months)

[Kimberly H]

Holly,

I'm planning to use the height/weight charts from the FCC site to plot Mia's "expected" growth, using whatever info we're given, and go from there. I've read that you can buy clothes very inexpensively in China in case you choose the wrong size or don't feel like packing a lot, yet I'm not sure how much time I'd want to spend shopping for those things. (except for squeaky shoes!)

Here's a link to the site: http://www.fwcc.org/growthchart.html

Oh, and Mia has a closet and a dresser with clothes from 6mos to 2T, which I hope to fill out properly once we're home. ;D

Living vicariously through you...

[Momof3Labs]

Congratulations!!! How excited you must be!

On the clothing size issue, it sounds like he will be tiny for his age. You could get some winter items at second hand shops (if you can find winter clothes in SoCal) or pick up a few things off of eBay. Do the stores around you tend to carry winter clothes at all? Outlet malls, especially Carter's stores, are good sources for inexpensive clothes, too.

[Karenn]

Holly,
I was just thinking of you this morning, trying to figure out what kinds of things you were going to need! I didn't come up with much though. I was thinking along the lines of toys. One thing Colin can't live without is a ball so it might be good to have one of those on hand.

Also, I have a snowsuit that Colin never got to wear. It's light blue with balloons on it and I think it'd be about the right size. It's made out of parka material and has a hood with covered hands and feet. Let me know if you want me to send it down to you- I'd be happy to do it.

I've said it before, but I'm just so excited for you!

[stillplayswithbarbies]

I would look at the Hanna Andersson clothes. They seem to fit a wide range, where you can roll up the cuffs at first, and they look cute even if they are a little big or a little tight. So you can guess at the size and they will probably fit him. There is a 20% off code right now, posted on the Bargains board.

...Karen
Jacob Nathaniel Feb 91
Logan Elizabeth Mar 03

[hjdong]

Thanks to everyone - I am madly copying things down to get me started.

Karen - I would love the snowsuit. I'll e-mail you - Thanks so much.

Rose - I hate to sound like an idiot, but I don't know what PM means - private message? Sorry.

Finally, Kimberly, I printed out the charts already but he's so small, he's not on the chart - below the 3% mark. So. . . I kind of plotted it myself, assumed he wouldn't take any huge jumps. You can see this is most likely not the most accurate method. However, trust me - this is the best "problem" I've had with the whole process! You'll be here soon.

Take care,

[Kimberly H]

Holly, you're getting a sweet "peanut"! Honestly, I'm hoping for one too.

You probably already know this, but you might want to look at the ChinaTravel, CarryOnOnly and ChinaShopping Yahoo Groups. I'm not going COO but I've gotten some great packing tips from that site and I actually have a packing list together. Now all I need is a referral, TA, Consulate appt...you get the picture.

Please let me know if there's ANYTHING I can do to help.

[heidi_timms]

Another vote for the sling. Your baby might bond quicker being carried in a sling.

After Christmas, you should be able to get some great deals on winter clothes. Also, I would pick stores that have a good return policy in case something doesn't fit.

Good Luck with everything!

~Heidi
Mom to Kailey Ashlin
4/27/03

[Melanie]

I agree with some comfy Hanna clothes to tide you over, then do a bunch of online shopping when you get home, or venture out with the little guy when you're ready. Although they'll probably be putting out bathing suits already - LOL.

For gear
-If you want a carrier like a Bjorn, I would suggest a BabyTrekker. I still carried my one year old in it at 24 pounds without any trouble at all. Or a sling for the hippy carry.
-Sippy Cups (unless he uses a regular cup already)
-Snack cups - the kind with the rotating lid, I like Tupperware the best


For Play
I really like the Gymboree book on Toddler Play, I would get that if I were you, plus their bubbles are the best. =)

As for toys, my son is almost 24 months and here are things he's enjoying/enjoyed in the last year:
-A rocking horse
-A wagon
-Lots of Balls!
-Things with Wheels to push
-Stand up Push toys/walkers (even though he doesn't support himself with them, he loves to push them, or maybe get a lawn mower)
-Any toy that resembles something Daddy uses (lawnmover, shovel, hammer, screwdriver)
-Water Play toys like watering cans or cups to dump water in
-Toddler-size armchair/rocker/table & chairs
-Blank Paper & Crayons (I like the beeswax the best. The others all chip or break from Ds' pressure)
-Bead Maze
-Those fold-up pretend toys like fire engines or just crawl-throughs
-Doll w/ a change of clothes
-Stuffed Animals (he started showing interest in these around 15 months)
-Little People toys are great. Ds really likes the barn.
-Magna Doodle (I like the Parents brand one from Target the best)

[mom2kandj]

Private message or email! Your choice! If you email me, I could probably just invite you to join the BBB SoCal Mom Group! HTH!


Rose
mom 2 Katie (34 months)
& Jack (18 months)