Adopting and will be in a hotel for 2 weeks with a newborn - what to bring?

[vikivoly]

This is a cross post from the lounge, but someone suggested you ladies might be able to provide insight into the situation.

No, not me, I've got my hands full. A friend of mine is adopting a newborn out of state and can't cross state lines until some paperwork is filed and it can take 2-3 weeks. Any ideas of what to tell her to pack? She's taking a PNP with a bassinette and obviously will be formula feeding.

Also, will she be able to tell the hospital which formula she wants the baby to have? Do all hospitals have both the Enfamil Lipil and the Similac Advance or do they only carry certain brands?

Any other advice on preparations to be made before the trip will be helpful.

Thanks in advance. I'm so excited for them!

[BillK]

My wife and I just adopted in February and had to assume we'd have to stay in Los Angeles for about 2 weeks (it turned out we were only there for 6 days thankfully!) - we're from the Pittsburgh area.

Anyway - I'd suggest your friend look into Residence Inn's (or other extended stay type hotels) so that there's some room to move around. We did it with the idea of having a kitchen to sterilize bottles etc but the hospital hooked us up with probably 3 weeks worth of the 2oz. Similac Advance disposable bottles & nipples (what a Godsend!) - so sterilizing wasn't an issue. It was nice to have our own kitchen to be able to 'eat in' rather than getting every meal out though. Our Residence Inn also had a Pack N Play available - so we didn't have to worry about bringing that.

As far as what formulas the hospitals have - I guess it depends on what drug reps come calling - I think I once heard that Similac is the more common "freebie" though.

As far as other stuff - we just bought an inexpensive Costco infant seat while we were in LA for our rental car - and used it on the plane on the way back - it's currently slated to be residing in Grandma's car. We also picked up a "universal stroller" so we could plop the car seat into it and go for walks (and for the trip through the airports) - assuming your friend is flying.

My wife is the "planner" in our relationship so I'll try to direct her to this post to see if she can offer any additional insight. Also feel free to PM or email me with any other questions - or have your friend - it's a great experience and I wish her luck!

[Melanie]

Thinking back to our first time with a newborn, though not adopted, they will probably be in need of quick meals, snacks, and movies.

Something to keep them occupied while they are hauled up in their hotel room.

What about a boppy or other type of feeding pillow?

Lyrics to lullabys (or a laptop and internet connection) because along about day 4 they will have no memory left from sleep deprivation and won't be able to remember a thing (seriously, I was singing Christmas Carols to Ds b/c it was all I could think of).

A baby book like Dr. Sear's or other to answer their "urgent" three am questions about what color poop should be. LOL.

A Digital Camera

Pacifiers, if they are so inclined.



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Expecting #2 - A Girl!
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[StephanieW]

We just returned from 2 weeks in a hotel with our nine month old. The things that I wished I'd had;
comfort food for the parents
a plastic bowl to wash dishes in (unless staying ar a Residence Inn like place)
tweezers, rubber bands, ziplock bags in different sizes
more bibs
more sets of PJs
A stroller (possible to puchase there?)

I am glad I had;
My computer to access AAP's web site and send email
extra receiving blankets
2 different types of bottles
Instant coffee
A child's photo album of family (used as book)
A book for me to relax during down time


Some of these things may not apply but I figured somethings may help.

Best wishes to your friend.

[cmdunn1972]

We took physical custody of Sean (now 10 weeks old) as he was being discharged from the hospital at 4 days old. We were in Japan for 4 weeks.

We were told to bring plenty of onesies, a receiving blanket, a carrier/stroller, and a carseat. (Many hospitals require that infants be discharged strapped in their carseat because they are required to make sure that parents have one and can operate it.)

Other items that we brought that we weren't required to but are glad we did were extra receiving blankets, diapers, baby book (I brought Dr. Sears'), pacifiers, baby body wash, washcloths, bath towel, diaper bag, and a hat for the baby.

I wish we had brought more diapers, diaper wipes, bottles, and formula.

Other items that weren't an issue for us but might be if your friend is staying domestic is a bottle sterilizer. (They had hot water dispensers in the hotels in Japan for tea which we used for sterilizing nipples and warming bottles. Running water through a hotel coffee maker might do as well is she needs hot water quickly.) She might want to also buy or bring liquid dish detergent for cleaning bottles.

Thanks about all I can think of for now, but I'll add more later if I can think of anything!

Btw, there is something out there that's pretty amazing. The miracle of modern medicine has allowed adoptive Moms to breastfeed by inducing lactation using hormones and/or breastpumps, so it isn't necessarily 'obvious' that an adoptive Mom will formula feed.