Hi there - soon to be mother here. Just wondering if there are any must have items (for baby) that i should have my mom bring over from the states? Things like baby Tylenol, desitin rash creme, soothies nursing pads (i hear are good)...anything else that might make things easier? (already bought the recv blankets and onesies over there..)

thanks!
rachel

I'm about to have a baby in 3 weeks. I'd bring the breast pads - I read about them online and haven't found them here. And I"m sure if I did find them they'd cost an arm and a leg.

I'd suggest maternity bras if you have larger sized boobs (they only seem to go up to a D cup here and bras are very expensive). Also cloth diapers and covers if you plan to use them. And maybe a baby carrier or two. I got an Ergo and a wrap from an American friend - haven't used them yet but I think they'll come in very handy. Here they only seem to have baby bjorns.

quote:

already bought the recv blankets and onesies over there.

I don't know what these are but they sound intriguing!

I would definitely bring the medicine. I don't actually know Tylenol but I case it's for bringing down a fever? I brought something similar in the UK - baby and child medicines are a lot cheaper and easier to get children to take them then the ones that my paed prescribes here. (Plus, does anyone else find that the medicines are so complicated here? We had an antiobiotic that had to be mixed with water and the instructions were so long and dense that even OH wasn't sure of the dilution - and then my son wouldn't take it anyway as it smelt disgusting!)

I don't know what is or isn't available here as we just moved here a year ago when my kids were already out of the baby stage. But, in the states we loved the following products

Sleeping gowns with elastic bottoms and envelope style neck openings (very convenient the first 3 months)

Maybe a "boppy" (a nursing pillow that goes around your waist and supports the baby while you're nursing at home... makes it easier on your back)

Cotton nursing pads to put in your bra to help with leaking

A sling ... they even have these at Target now...great, versatile carriers

I actually preferred Weleda diaper cream... much better smell than desitin and very effective

Hylan's teething tablets... very effective in soothing a teething kid

The Weleda and Hylan's products I picked up from health food stores or Whole Foods.

For later months, I LOVED the baby safe feeder... they are now also at Target with a different name... but basically it is a net attached to a handle that you can stuff with food like bananas, avocado, grapes, apples... even teething biscuits and it allows your child to chew on something tasty without the risk of choking on it. My son would gag on even pureed food until he was nearly a year old, but really loved tasting and this worked perfectly for him. My daughter was more into actually eating and found it frustrating to have to suck the food through the net. It will depend on your kid.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Kanga,

I second the boppy and the elastic bottom nightgowns! I just had a baby a month ago and my mom brought me both. The nightgowns are very convenient, but the hospital might not want them. My hospital wouldn't even put pants on the babies, just onesies, a sweater and socks, but you'll use the nightgowns once you're at home.

I would also have your mom bring you cloth diapers. They are great to use for everything. I use several a day, mostly as burping towels.

My mom also brought me some Gerber little long sleeve cotton shirts with a little cover for the hands so they don't scratch their faces. These are great and very light material, good also for the summer and cheap so it doesn't matter what happens to them!

I also asked her to bring me a good baby reference book in English so I could be informed about how things are done and what is recommended in the states.

Basically, my mom was shocked at how much everything costs here, so if your mom has extra baggage just for the baby, have her bring anything and everything you want.

Congratulations on your upcoming arrival!

one more thing...a very nice nurse at the hospital gave me some silicon nursing pads to help with soreness and they were GREAT! So, I know they have them here, but I couldn't find any at the pharmacy once I left the hospital. Fortunately, they last about 10 days and by then I didn't need them anymore. My sister also used them in the US and found them to be a lifesaver, so if you plan on breastfeeding, I would ask for some of those too.

And any kinds of nursing tops are extremely convenient. I have a cami from motherhood in 3 different colors and I wear them almost everyday under regular tops.

Children's meds are great but the problem comes in if they have a reaction and you have to translate all of the ingredients.

Desitin

I HIGHLY recommend getting Lansinoh cream. It is made from lanolin and is 100% pure. You put this on your nipples if possible before the birth but if not, a few times a day after the birth. You wil not get cracks or other problems. I swear by this stuff.

I loaded up on Carter's baby clothes at the outlet near San Francisco as the prices were amazing. Especially the tee shirts that wrap around instead of going over their heads.

We used Sweetpea's (nightgowns with elastic at bottom or snaps at bottom) for both when they were less than 3 months and I loved them. The hospital staff here went nuts for them as onesies are not good on a newborn's cord stub.

The great thing was that all of the onesies I got cost about 1 dollar each and I resold them all for 1 euro each! I loved used clothing stores!!!

Hi and good luck! You don't really need tylenol, tachipirina is the exact same thing and it comes in drops here and most important in supposotories which is much easier to use if the babie has a fever. I see that you live in florence I don't know when your baby is due but if it is in July or August you won't need any nightgowns! You will need the mosquito net to put over the carriage. If you go to Gigli to the Toys store, they have plenty of carriers and they also have lanolin ointment at the farmacy there. The best thing for sore nipples(and the cheapest)are cabbage leaves,put them in the fridge and then into your bra between nursing, the make swollen sore boobs go away like magic. The pasta fissan is really good cream,and so is the one Chicco makes. I found the you will need more toddler stuff from the usa than newborn, they have everything here and they do also have cloth diapers, there is no need to bring those! I would ask for the mylocon(I can't remember how its spelled)drops for colic, those are a lifesaver and I haven't seen those here. Also ask for onesies in all sizes because bodysuits are really expensive here but in the us they sell packs of the gerbers onesies for all ages, get them for all sizes, they are the best! Where are you going to have the baby? There is a new wing at Careggi where your husband can sleep there with you in the room with a double bed and a birthing tub, its really nice!
Good luck

btw, they use a powder here in Florence on the belly button it falls off in like a day and it heals really quick so you won't have to worry about the onesie bothering the baby. Tell your mom to bring clothes,clothes,clothes! They are so expensive here, she should bring you bags full of all sizes!

The hospital might give you a thing of lanolin also. I had asked if they had anything for me (expecting back a nasty comment) and they gave me a huge tub of lanolin.

AmyAmy - I've never seen baby carriers (except the baby bjorn type things) here in Rome and I've met with blank looks when I've asked other mums or baby shops for cloth nappies. You can order them online but they are much more expensive than in the US. My friend who uses a baby wrap for her newborn gets stared at on Rome streets.

Maybe things are different up in the North?

The lanolin cream which my midwife recommended for sore nipples is called PureLan. I think it's basically the same as Lansinoh in the US.

Tachypirina is acitominophen just like Tylenol. The difference is that it's about 3-4 times as expensive here!

BTW - weleda products are from Germany and are available here in many erboristerie.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Ramona,

One thing I'd recommend making sure you have is a rain cover for the stroller! We used ours a lot. Also, make sure your stroller is lightweight enough for you to carry it up/down stairs yourself (with baby), and folds small enough for a small car trunk. With that said, it still needs to be sturdy enough to handle the rough pavements. (We used a Combi stroller and it was perfect....although it doesn't compare to the fancy Italian - think expensive and fashionable - strollers.) I had no problem finding diaper rash creme in Italy, but couldn't find baby gas drops. Those are good to have, just in case! Best wishes with your little one. AJ

Hey Ramona,
I don't know what baby stuff they have in Rome because I am only ever there for business stuff but they sell the ergos here as well as alot of other brands even chicco makes an ergo model type that you can put on your hip.
Italians probably look at baby carriers for 2 reasons, 1 they probably would like to buy one or 2 they feel bad cause once those babies start getting heavy and the weather is hot the carriers are not such a great thing(my opinion).
For cloth diapers have you tried asking for sorrisi? I can find them at the farmacy here and I doubt rome is that different from here, after all I live in campi bisenzio which is a suburb of florence so it's not like I am in L.A.
The price of the supposotory tachipirina 250(thats the one I use my youngest kid) is around 3,90 I can't remember how many are in there it seems like 12(which is way more than you need for a bout of fever)now I don't know the price of tylenol but since it is usually in liquid and for you would have to give it say 4 times a day maybe for a baby the weight that would use 250 seems like the bottle I saw in the states was anywhere from 6 to 8 dollars?? for a 1 oz bottle, doesn't seem like that much of a price difference(not like for clothes!) my next daughter uses the tachipirina in liquid and that costs 4 euro so that comparison to the tylenol seems about the same,my other son takes asprin already since he is older which is kinda off the subject...
purelan is pure lanolin and works great.

anyway if you want to know any of the better baby stores out here in the burbs Rachel it would only take you a short drive depending on what part of florence you are in just let me know I would be happy to give you a list with no problem, all 3 of my kids were born here so I know where most of the stuff is!

ps there is also a form of acetominophen it is the SAME EXACT THING AS TACHIPIRINA its called sanipirinia and costs about 1,50 less and also comes in 125 but also in 300 for when a toddler is not quite at the weight for 500 but too big for 250, ask your farmacists because he obviously will always offer you the product that costs more

Thank you ALL so much for the great feedback and advice - I am definitely going to ask her to bring the rash creme, teething tablets, some sweetpea gowns...and i know this has been said a million times here but i can't believe the prices of clothes here! I went to Kohl's when i was in the states (like target) and spent $150 on about 20 outfits!
Also i know this is farfetched but has anyone seen a glider rocker chair anywhere here? I just can't stop thinking about it! (husband had to peel me off of it in babies r us) The woman at Prenatal looked at me all confused when we asked if they knew of any place that carried them. Ugly yes, but SO comfortable!

Ramona & Perri - congrats to you both!

AmyAmy -I am due beginning of October, my doc works with Villa Donatello...but seriously thinking about finding a new gyn. (Although he came highly recommended, my guy is arrogant and incapable of answering any of my questions. my husband says in italy people tend to just trust their doctors more than we do in the states...but that's a whole other discussion!) Anyway i hear at villa donatello they do the husband rooming in thing too. I'm hoping to take a little tour of the place soon if i stay with this doc..that's great they're doing it at Careggi also, nice to hear things are starting to change!
and thanks for the sanipirina tip!
Also we went to one baby store in your area (i do have a car now)but it would be so helpful to know of others (we are new to this baby world!) The boutique by us in san vincenzo a torri said they can order almost anything but it would be kinda nice to check the merchandise out before dropping thousands on crib, stroller, etc etc etc. thank you!! rduskey at gmail dot com.

Ladies - thanks for the purelan recommendation. will save room in my mom's suitcase for other necessities!

thanks again!

R Duskey, I haven't been able to find a glider rocker either, or even a regular (wooden) rocker for that matter. I've given up the thought though because I'm sure the cost would be prohibitive. Considering what we're already paying for a stroller and a car seat (which still haven't arrived even though I'm due on Friday! ) a rocker is probably waaaay to expensive.

Baby stores are few and far between and the prices are high. Definitely have your mom bring you a lot of stuff. Especially the stuff that they grow out of quickly.

Best of luck to you!

I just had a baby here in January. I agree on the clothes basics. What I did before my mom came was buy a bunch of stuff (so I could pick it out) on Old Navy and places like that and had it sent to her house. I got a mountain of stuff spending about $200 in the U.S. while here that would have gotten me a couple of outfits.

I use the Avent washable breast pads. I bought them here and they come in a pack of six. But it's also helpful to have disposable breast pads on hand because you go through them...

Diaper cream and that kind of stuff you can find here (PureLan is GREAT for sore nipples - buy it here). Weleda is European. I suggest the 'Sciroppo di Prugnolo' (for mamma not for baby) after you give birth. It's for exhaustion, and I'd take about a tablespoon of that a day or put it in a tisana. It is also supposed to help with milk production.

One site I've found for buying baby things is www.bimbomarket.it. They are the cheapest (my Chicco Trio stroller was 200 Euros cheaper on there as compared to the Chicco store) for everything from car seats to high chairs. I've bought EVERYTHING on there and have gotten fantastic service. In the major Italian cities, you can even pick up from their warehouses and not have to pay shipping.

I too have found that as my baby gets older, I can't find those things that are 'standard' in the U.S., such as an Exersaucer. Everyone in the U.S. seems to have the Exersaucer, the jumper, the swing, etc.

You can have your mom bring a Boppy but they do sell breastfeeding pillows here. They are typically long and sausage-like and you wrap them around yourself. The only good thing about that is that you can also sleep with it during pregnancy and then use it for breastfeeding, so it serves a dual purpose. Yes, the Boppy is cheaper but it takes up a lot of space - I needed an entire small suitcase to bring one back with me last summer.

I saw one glider rocker here in a store called Primus but I didn't even check the price as Primus is overpriced. Though they are quite well stocked. If anyone is in the Milan area, there is a Primus in the center of the city (never been to that location though) and one in Lissone. They have things I haven't seen elsewhere, such as those rearview mirrors for watching the baby while you are driving. But I only buy there if I absolutely can't find something elsewhere as I find them to be more expensive than any other store. I just saw that they are about to launch an online store (site here). Again, they have some things others don't have but, in my experience, their prices are so high, 'ti passa la voglia...'

Another suggestion I have is to swaddle and to make sure you have receiving blankets or a Swaddle Me (I have one I never used - will send it to someone if you want it! It's blue.). I brought the Swaddle Me to the hospital but never asked a midwife to help me use it as I didn't know the verb 'to swaddle' and just forgot it in my bag. And they don't swaddle babies in the hospital here. Not swaddling my baby is the BIGGEST regret I have so far. He has always startled very, very easily and been a bad sleeper. I think if I had gotten into the swaddling habit, he would be a better sleeper for it today.

Other suggestions - I had my mom bring those Baby Fresh food cube trays and other containers for storing homemade baby food. I also got those rubber-tipped Gerber baby spoons, which I've never seen here. I've just begun to make my own baby food and I LOVE those baby cubes. They are the perfect portion size. I bought the Chicco baby food maker (40 Euros cheaper on Bimbomarket than in the Chicco store or at Primus!) and am freezing my own pear and apple baby food left and right for use as I begin to wean my baby.

If I can think of anything else, I'll let you know.
Michelle

This message has been edited. Last edited by: mschoen,

A few more suggestions that are suitcase-friendly:

Those scented plastic bags for putting dirty diapers (or soiled clothing) in when you are out and about and have to change a diaper. Those are lifesavers, especially because it's very difficult to change a diaper out in public here and you often don't find a trash can right away. In the same vein, those disposable changing pad. Yes, most diaper bags have a changing pad but if baby has an accident on that, how do you clean it when you are, say, on the beach (anyone ever see public bathrooms on a beach here? I haven't...)? When I am out, I put the disposable changing pad over the changing pad from my diaper bag just to make sure that if something gets dirty, I can just dispose of it.
Michelle

Finally and then I'll shut up. Books!

I didn't read about babies until after I had a baby and then I really regretted it (and was tired and had no time). When I began reading the forums and things online, I saw references to all of these books that I then had no access to.

Everyone was talking about 'Babywise' and 'Ferberizing' and I had no idea what those things were. Some book suggestions - and start reading BEFORE the baby gets here.

What to Expect Baby's First Year
Babywise (don't personally agree with the method but many people swear by it)
Dr. Ferber's book - not sure of title but he's famous for the CIO (cry-it-out) method
Dr. Sears' book (co-sleeping and attachment parenting)
Secrets of the Baby Whisperer (I found this to be the most balanced book and most helpful to me)

If you go on Amazon, you can see excerpts and reviews. Don't do what I did, which was to read everything about childbirth and NOTHING about babies. After the birth, I was exhausted and at home alone with a colicky baby who never slept and I had no idea what to do. What I wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep for a few weeks but that wasn't an option.
Michelle

Hey rachel, check your email!

bimbomarket.it is a great site, go to the store first pick out the model, check it out up close and then buy it off line! Have you checked Ikea for rocking chairs, seems like something they would have?

On the subject of books I would recommend also getting a baby book in Italian (if you speak Italian) as baby care and baby health has a whole new vocabulary that you will need when talking to your paed!