Moving to delhi with baby

hermione

We might be moving to Delhi with my husbands job later in the year. His work will arrange housing but we will also be bringing our baby daughter who will be around 9 months old. I'm worried about the practicalities of living in india with a baby. Is the water safe enough for bathing, brushing teeth etc? Will I be able to find formula and nappies etc? How easy will it be to get around? Are there other mums with young kids out there?
Thanks

jyotirmoy

Yes the water is safe enough. For drinking you can use RO purifiers which are very popular.
You will get all types of formula and nappies.

There are million mums with young kids in Delhi.

wsminkapila

Hi,

The water would be safe and as rightly said above by Jyotirmoy, you can always use RO Purifiers which are very common now. You can get all kind of facilities here in Delhi for you baby girl.

As far as you talkin about How easy it is to get around... You would find it a little difficult if you do not do your homework before. So it's always better if you have a know-how of all things big or small beforehand. IndiaMike is a beautiful Platform where you always find helpful people to provide you all the support you require before and while you are travelling or staying for that matter.

You may also meet regular IM'ers on India Mike meet ups Forum and get to meet them in person while you travel. They prove a wonderful support while your stay.

For any queries feel free to ask anything.

Cheers !!!

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brownboy66

As said above - you'll be fine. I'm presuming things like a sterile supply of drinking water will be taken care of by your husbands work once they source accommodation? As both Jyoti and ws have indicate - water purifying units are fairly common here and do a good job. If their isn't one in the apartment/ house you rent then its easy enough to get one fitted.

Re babies supply - yes, you can get almost everything you need here. Nappies, wipes, formula, etc - are all available. You may not find exactly the same range here that you are used to - plus you may have to go to a few different shops to get things you specifically need - but it can be found with a bit of hunting (about the only thing we couldn't find we we arrived were swimmers - but thankfully we had brought a stack of those with us).

The other consideration, of course, with such a young baby is medical facilities. The hospitals here are very good (Apollo, Fortis, Macs, etc) - so the only thing you'll need to know is their location once you've worked out where you are living.

good luck

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edwardseco

I am less sanguine about the water. I would suggest purified water for even the bath since babies are not to clear about what to drink. My sister in law, the doc insists on boiled water. Some water purification in India (as in many western water filters) is rather minimal. I took my child for his first visit at about this age. I would recommend a good conversation with your pediatrician. They are often not too specifically aware of Indian conditions. However, if they are probed on conditions such as dehydration they can be helpful. I suggest taking a stock of pedialyte or such as a first defence. But, Indian doctors are excellent and affordible so indulge..

Nick-H

I think I would use exclusively purified water for drinking, cooking, toothbrushing --- maybe even showering, for a baby so small. Whether you buy it or produce your own is for you to cost/investigate.

What I would do (just me, you understand ) is to put an RO purifier to treat the supply for the whole house. I've always liked that idea as a gadget lover anyway, and have a small one in my kitchen which supplies all our drinking and cooking water. At very rough guess, the cost of doing that should be somewhere between one and two two thousand UK pounds --- and then you needn't worry about what comes out of any of your taps.

There is no way I would want any Chennai tap water in a small baby's mouth --- but the people who have answered so far know Delhi.

EDIT: Crossposted with Edwardseco, who has both children and doctors in his family!

I meant to mention dehydration. A small baby can become de-hydrated very quickly, obviously be diarrhoea, but also by exposure to heat.

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steven_ber

Agree about the water, a baby will try to drink the bath/shower water.

Nappies won't be a problem till your baby is about a year, then you'll, larger nappies aren't as available in India.

Watch out for the formula milk, some brands have to be consumed as soon as they cool down, so making 6 at once doesn't work.

Think long and hard about getting around with the baby, then think some more, pavements are poor, level pavements are rare, and a 12-18 inch drop to the road is common.

Almost all you'll hear will have you wondering if you are doing the right thing, but as long as you research and prepare, you and your baby will have a great time.

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capt_mahajan

=crossposted=

Not that much difference in the quality of water in any major Indian city.

I agree. Specially an infant unused to this water...

edwardseco

A back pack carrier works rather well till they reach 40 pounds. Women in India would surprise me by coming up to me and praising it and me (male)..

hermione

Thankyou every one thats all very useful. My baby is quite the cubbiest little thing so no longer fits her front sling, so a back pack might be a bit a good investment then. But will my buggy be of any use?

I don't drive (that makes it sound like a personal choice when accutally I haven't passed my test) I've read alot about drivers ect which I might have access to through my husbands work but any ideas about car seats.

thanks Hermione

brownboy66

you can get baby seats here - just not sure about the availability or cost (if imported they are likely to be expensive). We brought ours with us - and has worked out well.

re the buggy - bring it along if you've got it already. Going for a walk in summer might not be the most advisable (or comfortable) thing to do but in winter the temperature is fine.