[babycav]

Hello Everyone! I have been lurking, reading and educating myself through your posts--
We are adopting a baby boy that is due in a few months- We will be flying out to Texas when he is born but will need to stay there for at least 10 days for the ICPC-- My dh will be with me for a few days but will have to come back to work- from there my best friend is coming out to stay and fly back with us- What do I need to take with me? Or should I wait and buy things while we are there just in case- Thanks for your help!!

Hoping to be a Mommy

[babycav]

bump

[mznia504]

Congrats on your impending adoption. We are adopting a baby boy who is due in less than 3 weeks ! He is being delivered here in our state, so we won't have to stay in a hotel or hospital with him for long. So far we only have essentials such as a few (only 3) bottles, a few newborn onesies, 2 burp clothes, a package of pampers (swaddlers), receiving blanket, socks, and of course a car seat!

It sounds like alot but trust me it's nothing! We plan to make bigger purchases once he is in our arms. So if I were in your situation, I would only pack minimum things for the baby, until you have him in your arms. The hospital will send the baby home with lots of essentials like pampers and sample bottles of formula, so you don't have to stress much there. Your major purchase should most definitely be a car seat.

[lmitch]

Don't forget the bottle brush!

[EmmaLeigh2882]

I second the last post.... Ask the hospital for samples and supplies ( many times manufacture give out whole baby bags FULL of supplies and coupons- but you have to ASK for it!! You may want to have the birth mother as for some things too- the more you ask the great chance of getting more items)

The first few days you wont need to much- and there are tuns of walmarts and targets out here in Texas so if you did need something you could always run and get it. I don't know what state your in and the weather there- but pack accordingly- if its going to be snowing when you arrive ( or a chance of it) make sure you pack warm clothes. Or layers... also baby's need a few extra changes here and there- so back enough clothes for the flight and some zip lock bags for dirty clothes!
You MAY want to get a stroller too ( lugging a car seat thru a airport might seem like fun to some- but I don't personally think it is!!)

[Leigh131313]

no clue as we took M straight home...


however, take your courage...yer gonna need it

[babycav]

Thank you so much for your kind responses! I did not know the hospitals would give you all kind of samples- that's great! We are here in GA were the temps fluctuate from day to day- it has been crazy lately!! I was thinking of just a few things and getting the car seat once we get there- I don't want to jinx anything!

Hoping to be a Mommy

[EmmaLeigh2882]

You may want to do a search on some consumer reporting web sites to see the best items to get- $$ doesn't mean quality or value.

[mommamarci]

Okay, I just did an ICPC stay in August. My advice: since you are flying, don't take much. Find a Wal-Mart when you get there and get bottles, diapers, wipes, etc. I would get a few clothing pieces, towels, wash clothes, etc. (You can do nuetral colors to avoid a jinx.) These things need to be washed and it is much easier to do this at home and pack them. The car seat: you must have this in order to leave the hospital. Will you have time when you get there to go get one? What if they are sold out of the one you want? I would stress over no car seat. That is the first thing I bought before we were even home study approved.

If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask me. Good luck and I hope all goes well! Here is to a fast three months.

[2manyks]

the hospital gave us a whole case of formula. we stopped at target the day after ds was born and picked up a carseat. i laugh about "what if they are out of them" because we had to buy the display, because guess what, they were out of carseats! but we picked up everything we needed and more, but then had to haul it home. the basics are great, more if you want to. i used my bjorn (a baby carrier) the most because i was worried about germs getting to my newborn. also, don't forget the pacifier - one of the most important baby items, in my mind!

[Beckta]

Wow. You guys got matched fast. We are still waiting a year after signing up. All the paperwork is in, just waiting for the call.

[nycfsa]

One thing you don't need is a pack-n-play. We waited 10 days for ICPC too, and our son slept in a drawer! We took one of the dresser drawers out and put it on the floor and put a towel in it, then we put blankets over him up to his chest (way too much air conditioning in Arizona!). It worked out really well. Newborns don't roll over, so as long as you put him down on his back he won't roll over onto his face.

We also bought a plane ticket for him and brought an empty carseat on the plane when we flew out to get him. We got strange looks from the flight attendants until one of them finally asked us where our baby was! But I was definitely glad to have a seat for him on the way home, since he slept for the whole 5 hours.

[babycav]

Wow! So much good information- I Love it! ! question: will we need to buy him a plane ticket? Or can I hold him during the flight? I am so not sure of the protocol of flying w/ babies.... Yikes!

Hoping to be a Mommy

[alpacamommy]

We rented a car seat from the car rental so we wouldn't have to lug it around. I can't express a sling for baby (not a pouch, they are bad for the spines early on) to keep them tucked away from strangers. Drihan was preemie so keeping her germ free was important to us. We found our laptop and digital camera to be useful with updating everyone until we could get home