[Jessi_76]

Hello everyone, and a Happy Saturday to you all.

A few clothing questions:: We have bought TONS (WAY too many) clothes for our children - partially because it's SO much fun, and partially because we aren't sure if what we bring to wear in Russia will make it home (ie: may be soiled and need to be thrown out).

Anyhow, my plan was to bring two outfits and one pair of PJs per day for each child. A) Do you think this will be enough, and B) I am not 100% certain that the outfits/sizes will even fit them so do you think it's okay if I bring everything new (tags still on) that way I can return it and get some money back in the event that nothing fits. My plan, naturally was to wash it all first, but I stand to lose hundreds of dollars on each child if nothing fits. What to do? What to do?

Also, do you think that judging by their weights is a safe way to purchase clothing, or am I going to be WAY off base? I typically went by their weights, then up one size for stuff to be worn immediately, just to be safe.

Thank you!!!

[kretzklan]

Some things you should be able to tell by "eyeballing" - my kids were older, but they were well behind the sizes they should have been in.
I would definitely leave the tags on most things. Take tee shirts or onesies that have been washed to put on under everything - that way you'll lessen the risk of any reaction to the clothes (although they could also have a reaction to the detergent).

Also, we washed a lot of stuff out in sinks (I took woolite)...overpacking is your worst enemy! We only took one pair of shoes per child...they wore those boots so much I was worried they would never wear boots again!
The biggie will be the coats - the folks in Russia will really be "checking" for warm coats, hats, mittens...everything!

[Mykidsmom]

Just my 2 cents, but I would not take expensive clothes with you. As you mentioned, you my need to discard some items. If you want that special outfit for leaving the orphanage or arriving in America take that but that is all. I adopted babies and 1 had scabies and 1 had giardia so I did not want to risk taking something that I truly loved and then it get messed up either from medicine or a diaper blow-out.

[beckyww]

If the kids are really little - two outfits daily, for sure. Don't take anything that would upset you if it was destroyed or stolen.

Buy outfits in colors that go together.

I took Woolite with us on both trips and washed in the hotel sink. We looked like the Beverly Hillbillies, but so what? When was I ever going to see the hotel staff again. Ironing wet clothes helps them dry faster.

Becky
The Woodworth Family in Beautiful San Antonio TX

[Jpride]

If I were to do it again, I would not take new expensive outfits with us. Our daughter was 12 months old and I threw out brand new really cute outfits. On the 20 hour trip home she went through 4 outfits alone! We ended up wrapping her in a airplane blanket because I only had one outfit left and I needed something to dress her in when we got to the airport!

Pack lots of diapers!!! I packed what I thought was a lot for the trip home, but I was changing her every 1/2 hour for 20 hours (sometimes more)!! I was getting pretty nervous towards the end of the flight!

I went by weights and was pretty on. Our daugher was so small some things were a little big on her, but not bad. Our son was pretty short, so we had to roll his pants up for a little while.

[Ebadge90]

Bring lots of onesies. Even if a little big, they will do. Be VERY careful about how much you pack. As unforgiving as a toddler or infant is to a diaper, the Russian airlines are to overweight baggage. Get pants with elastic waistbands, as they will fit many different size waists.

[Jessi_76]

Hello everyone, and Happy Sunday

Thank you so much...all of you, for all of your great advice!!

Ok, here's the deal...basically, I bought them lots of super cute stuff for when we get home, and lots of cute stuff to bring (although the stuff to bring was mostly summer stuff on sale, it still adds up because I'm bringing 20 outfits x 2 children = 40 outfits, and 20 pairs of pjs total). I won't be devastated if I have to throw out any of the stuff I'm bringing...that's why I bought it. BUT, it's one thing if they wear it and I have to throw it out, vs. if I rip the tags off, wash it, and then it doesn't fit so I can't return it. That would be a bummer.

Many more questions interspersed throughout my responses to everyone! Please help!!


Michelle ~ GREAT idea about putting onesies underneath...that may help contain some diapering messes too. Ok, what you brought up about dressing warm in Russia...that's something I'm REALLY freaked out about !they even yelled at me on our first trip for not dressing warm enough - ha ha!). Anyhow, to the point, we will be there in the DEAD HEAT of August. Do they expect me to have the children bundled up when it's 90+ degrees outside?? Are they going to "yell" at me, or look at me like I'm a horrid person if I have the kids in shorts?? HELP!!

Mykidsmom ~ I definitely anticipate, as per our agency, to have to throw out a lot so I did shop for things that I could part with...my biggest fear though is that nothing I bring will fit. Or, that I'll wash it all, bring it, and nothing will fit, even worse because then I can't return it!

Jpride ~ No expensive outfits here. Anything that was even the slightest bit pricey or sentimental stays home. Oh my goodness on the four plane outfits! YIKES! So, do you think for an 11-month old and a 21-month old two outfits per day and one pair of pjs per day is enough, or do I need to bring extras to be safe??? I am definitely willing to wash some in the sink like you guys mentioned if necessary. YIKES on the diapers! I asked our agency if they thought 8 per day, per child would be enough and they suggested not bringing nearly that many and just buying them while in Russia. Can you give me your suggestion? Our flights will be broken up - one five hour flight from Siberia to Moscow and then about four days later, a flight from Moscow to JFK (10 hours 15 mins).

Becky ~ They will be 11 months and 21 months on Gotcha Day (ooh, it's SO fun to say that -- ). What do you think about 2 outfits per day and 1 pair of pjs per day each? Is that enough? GREAT tip about the ironing...I never would have thought of that!! Thank you!!

Ebadge ~ Thank you for your advice. We weighed our bags at home first last time and they passed through fine...hopefully we can do that again this time, and get an accurate weight so we can eliminate where necessary to avoid those horrid baggage fees that I keep hearing about. Have a great day, and thanks again!


THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH!!!

[ddahl]

Our son was 18 months at the tim of pick up. I had tons of outfits and onezies and PJ's with me and still ran out of clothing for everyone. I decided in country that I could not stand onezies because you almost have to totally undress them to do a diaper change so it was easier for me to donate all the onezies and just buuy more jammies.

Tops were the thing we needed more of. Little spills caused many outfit changes. We also needed extra socks because any poopie issues resulted it a gravity induced poop on the legs. TAKE AS MANY BABY WIPES AS YOU CAN PACK!

We were totally in the room alot so casual was fine. Our son lost weight between trips so even the age appropriate size clothing just swam on him. Its hard to know. You will be so busy that you will likely not even care about what you do not have.

My guestimate is 2-3 bottoms per day and 4 tops and two jammies per day. Lets say you wash out afew things or do hotel laundry then I would take a combination of items to last 3-4 days without having to wash anything.

I found that I needed way more tops than I brought with all the little spills and spit up and messy hands etc.
DO yourself and DH a huge favor pack as light as possible. You will be happy you did in the long run. Also, mix your clothiing throughout your luggage so there is clothing for everyone in each suitcase. If a bag becomes lost at least you will have a few items for everyone in each bag.

[kretzklan]

Jessi - Just label me the "duh" person. I was thinking winter...not summer. We weren't dressing our kids in summer in Russia - although it was so stinking hot there on our first trip. I would still take a light jacket for evening...if you are out and have babies, they'll probably expect a little something! Good luck. Also, being in Russia is probably not the time to be worried about a little spit up on the shirt...especially when your in the room. Good luck!

[momraine]

I brought inexpensive clothing, I got them at clearence sales and dollar stores and such. I bought each thing in three sizes, one size I thought would fit and one larger and one smaller and then the other sizes I donated to the orphanage. Of course I did one trip so the suitcase room taken up by the donated clothes was used for souvineers coming home. If it's warm enough in the hotel room you could probably get away with a diaper and t-shirt or even just a diaper. When I went to Poland we washed clothes in hotel sinks. I found a kit on amazon that had individual packs of woolite and also a clothesline with suction cups. I also brought inflatable hangers and we found most clothes dried overnight. For a child who is walking safety pins can help if the pants are falling down, also some little kid pants have elastic waist and belt loops then you could add a belt if they are too big. I know for my 8 year olds I have found pants with adjustable waists, I am not sure how small they come though, but those are awesome.

[papedge]

I took those plastic panties and put over Emmas pampers just incase that way we had no mess in the clothes.

Kimberley

[Jpride]

I do think that you are guessing on the number of outfits per day right. Just be prepared for the worse on the flight home. We had more clothes for our daughter, but they were packed in the checked bags. Our daughter started her "blow outs" as soon as we were about ready to leave for the airport.

Not sure where you are staying, but we were able to do laundry during the week we had custody, so that helped also.

I will tell you that our agency said that we could buy diapers in Russia, but they were not as good a quality as ours are. I brought a package of Huggies and it did last for the whole week. We just ran into problems on our flight home. Our daughter did not go through that many the rest of the week we had her in Moscow!

[karla-k]

I would bring a couple extra pair of jammies besides the one pair per night. Our kids occasionally wet through their diaper into the pajamas. Although washing things out in the sink is good, poopy things go in the trash in my world!

Good luck! I think my biggest ordeal will be convincing my husband that he does not need a clean pair of pants every single day that we travel to Kyrgyzstan! You can wear the same thing more than one time, it's okay

Karla

[Bcelli]

OK, I may be in the minority here, but I think you are over-packing. The less you take with you, the less you have to tote all over the planet and with two young kids with whom you cannot communicate and who will be going through some tough transitions just trying to get home, the last thing you need to worry about is the weight and volume of your luggage. I would take one outfit per child/per day they are with you and say 4-5 onesies/bubble suits per child (emergencies and comfort). I would also take only 2-3 pajamas per child. One pair of shoes each and 4 pair of socks each. When we adopted our youngest, we were in country 19 days. He was with us for only 4 of them. Even if your kids are with you the whole time, you can wash and /or buy stuff there, which makes for great souvenirs. We also bought an umbrella stroller there and have since put it away for his child(ren). Take a couple of packs of diapers and buy extras there if you need them. They have everything you need, if not in your region, then in Moscow. I would put more focus on ensuring I had a few things for entertainment and snacks. Cheerios are always a good bet with most kids. Our son was 2.5 years old when we brought him home and ate everything in sight, UNTIL we got on the plane. Then he would eat nothing but butter. For 22 hours. (We didn't think about snacks for the plane.) Also, quiet activities for the plane, a stuffed animal, a picture book, etc. I would also talk to your pediatrician about Benedryl or some other medication you can give the kids if necessary to help them rest or relax. I was anti-meds for anything other than their intended purpose until our last trip home. Teething tablets also - if your kids are at that stage. You'll thank yourself if they need them.

But I do know where you are coming from about buying clothes in anticipation. It can be quite infectious. Mine are now 10 and 6.5 and I'm still thinning the herd as far as closets go.

Oh - and disperse their clothing between different bags with at least one complete outfit per child (footwear included) in your carry-ons. That way, if you get separated from some or all of your checked baggage, at least you have something with you. And the rubber pants are a great idea. Have a great trip.

[pwnort64]

I can't remember whether you will have custody during the 10 day wait, so I don't remember how many days we are talking about. If we are just talking about 5-6 days, I agree with BCelli...one outfit a day. Also, jammies can be worn for more than one night if there are no diaper incidents. I would pack light.

Guessing on the size based on the child's weight is absolutely the way to go. Forget the sizes on the labels that relate to age. If the height/weight is right, you have a better chance of them fitting. And if they don't fit exactly, it will be okay. Going bigger is better than smaller, but going too big could cause problems. If they are just slightly bigger, you can roll up the pant legs or roll the waist. Take a few safety pins in case you need to cinch the waist.

I personally didn't have any diaper issues on the airplane, but did experience vomiting. So my advice for packing for your trip home is to remember to pack an alternate outfit for yourself, as well as one or two for your children. A couple of blankets is a good idea, too, just in case.

If you run out of clothes, I am sure that you can rinse them out in the sink. Kids clothes are small and will dry quickly when draped about the room or hung up. You'll have time when the children nap or go down for the night. So just take a bit of laundry detergent with you or, if you are going to be there for a while, pick some up when you get there.

I second the comment about the baby wipes, too. I took what I thought was a huge container and still ran out. But if you do run out, more than likely, you can pick some up in country. The same with diapers and just about anything else that you might need.