India with 2 little girls!

Travelbub

Hi

I am extrememly excited to be travelling to India for 2 months, as my husband is briefly working out there, with our 2 little girls, 2 & 3 yr old but I need some advice, I have read quite a lot of what has already been said - but could do with clarification - anyway here goes! We are in Gurgaon for 2 weeks & Mumbai near Churchgate for almost a month and hope to have a week in South Goa loved Palolem when I was there a number of years ago - so was thinking there.

- Pram I read that some have said not to bother, but I have one with a buggy board (god am I mad or just very optimistic) but as they are both just under 2 1/2 stone each & with 2 of them the sling/back pack isn't really an option... I also want to keep them tied down somewhat!

- Getting from Gurgaon to Delhi, is driver the best option? Can I get the train, or am I being to ambitious, perhaps a driver for the days we want to investigate Delhi? And how much would I expect to pay?

- Safety issue, sure I am just being silly and before children I wouldn't have batted an eyelid, but now the over protective mother in me is coming out... though we will not be out a night alone, it will just be me and the girls during the day. Are there any places to avoid or some that are really good with children.

- Getting around Gurgaon, I have read loads saying it isn't the easiest we are staying in sushant lok 1 sector 43, can I walk to places or is it really drive only?

- Parks with playgrounds?

Gosh, I did seem to have so much more to ask but have gone blank, sure there will be more

Thanks in advance

- oh yes babysitters - though not planning on doing that one till the girls are settled and happy with the thought, but any advice would be great...THANKS

Ignite

Hi Travelbub, welcome to India Mike.

Here's an excellent article by one of the members. In the article, the author(Dhans) talks about taking kids to India and their experiences in the subcontinent.

As for your other enquiries i'm sure one of our other members will come along and help you out soon enough.

__________________
“Nothing is so aggravating than calmness.” Oscar Wilde

Travelbub

Thanks Ignite this site seems to be a wealth of knowledge!!

I had read the article, and is very helpful!! Though that is the one that has made me question the practicality of the pram!

ladyvetphd

Hi big welcome to you and your little babies.
Prams are of limited utility, You can use them inside housing complexes, but not so much on the streets. The best way to take your children out is in cars. along with a nanny.

In delhi, if you go alone to places of public interests, make sure you stay with the crowd. Don't go to isolated spots.
Best befriend other women with kids and have a good time.

__________________
Ladyvet
http://allthingsindianbyuma.blogspot. com

Travelbub

Hi Ladyvet - thanks for the welcome and advice - though haven't a nanny! But will definately consider a driver!

dhans

Hi travelhub,

Great you're taking the kids to India and being careful is a parents first task, so there's nothing wrong being protective, but also no reason to bcome paranoid.

You have found the India with kids section by now. And yep, it's true; prams (especially with the boards) are of limited value, although Delhi would maybe be a good place to use one. Make sure you take lots of desinfecting wipes to clean the hands of the kids and read the tips on hygiene carefully.

I would definitely hire a car and driver for the day. I would also try and find a girl / babysitter to help you once you get out with the girls. In our experience it's good to have someone for each of the kids.

Try to find those places where they can walk around a bit. Red ort is fine. Laxmi Narajan temple is also nice and most (not all) of the parks.

Have fun,

Hans

__________________

Tips for trips to India with (young) children: India with kids
Stories about our travels in India: Journal

Travelbub

Thanks Hans and also for all your tips in India with kids - best find a driver and an extra pair of hands!

lisa sally

hi travelbub, delighted to find someone else travelling to India with kids! We're off in october with our 2 girls too! aged 3 and 6, my packing list is enormous! At least it sounds like you've been before so you know what you're letting yourself in for!

Looking for someone to tell us we're not mad!

Nick-H

Moved this thread out of the introductions section to the more practical part of the site.

Haze

Hi Lisa Sally

I travelled to India on my own with my two daughters last year. They were aged 3 & 5 and we stayed for 3 months. We had a blast and are going back for Diwali next month. I guess it helped that I had lived in Asia for about 10 years before we made this trip and I had also been there for a number of visits - the longest of which was when my daughter was born in 2002. She arrived 10 weeks early during what was supposed to have been just a quick trip - and I took her back to Singapore 9 months later.

If you have any specific questions about travelling with little ones, I'd be delighted to help. I know I posted on here before we left with a packing list and some other ideas - but I can't remember what part of the forum.....

When I have a few minutes, I'll do a search and see if I find anything that might be of general use.

Cheers!

Haze

dhans

You're not.

Cut down on the packinglist! There's laundry wallahs everywhere.

Please post your experiences in the comments section of India with kids once you return.

CU

Hans

Haze

Hi Again, Lisa Sally

I would suggest that you bring baby wipes. They are available in India, but cheaper in the UK (because you can get generic own-brand ones in supermarkets) and more readily available. The other thing we found really useful was the hand-cleaning gel that you use without the need for water.

Apart from that, I was relieved on many occasions that I'd brought reins for the girls. I'm contemplating bringing them again when we got back next month - even though my girls are now 4 & 6 - because I just find it less stressful when I know they can't get too far away from me. I mean the ones that go from your wrist to theirs - not the really baby ones with the harnesses.

I have bracelets for my children with my (local) phone number on them for added piece of mind as well.

You need to bring very little in the way of clothes and shoes - everything is available over there. Just bring the shoes they're wearing (Clark's Doodles are fantastic because they can be washed. You might be lucky to pick some up in an end of season sale near you!) We bought as we went along and then gave most of the clothes away before we left - there was a community under the flyover near us that was happy to take them off our hands.

If you practice yoga, you can get lovely yoga gear in India - though I am sure that will come as no surprise to you.

Oh! And I brought quite a bit of art and craft stuff with me last year - I needn't have bothered. There was enough for them to do in India and enough arty stuff available there to keep them well occupied.

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

Cheers!

Haze

Travelbub

Hi Lisa Sally

No we are not mad!!! Very excited as I leave on Sunday and have managed to completely cut down on the packing - though have plenty of wipes & nappies (as my youngest still wears one at night) also bug repellant - plenty of that, my theory is that as I use it the space will make way for anything I might buy (better find some more space)!! As Haze did I have those ID bands for the girls.

Though I have been before it was a number of years ago without children! Were are you going?

lisa sally

We're off to Delhi, Chandigarh, back to Delhi, Udaipur
Ranakpur, Rohet, Manvar, Jodhpur, Ranthambhore, Jaipur, Agra, Varenasi and back to Delhi.

...phew ... all in 3 weeks!

using bvarious means of transport, car aminly some trains and one flight, oh and elephant of course!
all transport is booked (hopefully)

I can post our hotels-for feedback, is that allowed on the site?

k_cborty

Just don't worry...Gurgaon is a great place to live with all modern aminity...i live in gurgaon with two little daughters aged 3 yrs and 3 months and travel a lot around India.

Any help in Gurgaon do let me know.

regards

kaushik

__________________
Yeh Zindagi ek safar hai suhana...