Anyone here in China or Hong Kong?

[pittpurple]

Hiya,
I'm terrible at remembering where everyone is, I really need a cheat sheet! I've just booked a trip to Beijing and Hong Kong in June - a week in Beijing with my husband, daughter and I and then a week in HK to meet up with DH's parents and sister. Just wondering if anyone is on here who can help! Am particularly nervous about food so am just curious what is generally available in supermarkets and if there's anything that would be easier to bring with us. Am assuming we can find nappies and wipes and general baby gear rather easily...right?
TIA!

[Deleted]

I'm in Shanghai, so I'm probably not much help, as what is available here is not necessarily the same as what is available in Beijing.

ErinExpat is in Hong Kong, she can probably help you more with things there. Hong Kong should have a much better selection of a lot of things than mainland China and is much safer in terms of quality. 

What sort of food are you curious about? Imported food, or?

There is a store here and in Beijing (2 shops there) called CityShop that has a large selection of imported products. You can check out their online store at this link, their products are pretty expensive generally and the selection can vary from store to store and depending on when they get shipments of products. 
www.cityshop.com.cn

China has a lot of problems with food quality and safety and has had scares relating to baby formula (melamine in baby formula), I know most expat moms and even many locals import the baby formula they use. 

You also cannot drink the water here, so plan on buying a lot of bottled water. When we travel we usually buy a gallon jug or two to leave in the hotel room and we refill smaller bottles from those. 

Chinese also do things differently somewhat in terms of child rearing. Many children don't wear nappies at all but are in pants with a split open crotch and their parent or grandparent have them go in the grass or over a trashcan or pretty much wherever they happen to be. As a result, things like nappies and wipes just aren't as easily available as they are in western countries and the quality may be vastly different from what you use in your home country. 

Basically, for your time in Beijing, I would plan on bringing a good bit with you, as you probably don't want to have to spend a bunch of time going to multiple stores searching for acceptable nappies/wipes/etc. And the markup on products here might be such that it is cheaper to bring them with you than to buy them here. 

You should also consider buying N95 masks for your family for when you visit Beijing. The pollution in China is extremely bad, especially in Beijing, and I would not want to risk exposing my child on the high level days even for a week. On bad days, you can literally smell the pollution in the air (in addition to seeing the smog looming over the city). It generally isn't as bad in the summer, but investing in a couple masks to have with you (we've got some simple ones that we got for about $2.50 each) isn't a bad idea and is worth it to not feel like crap on the polluted days.

[ErinExpat]

I'm in Hong Kong!

[ErinExpat]

Thanks for tagging me, juliash.

She hit the nail on the head. In Hong Kong diapers and wipes are readily available, including brands like Pampers and Huggies. Any grocery store or 7-11 will have those.

I buy imported Similac that is also widely available at pharmacies and grocery stores. Distiller water is also easy to find for bottles.

If you tell me which items/brands you're looking for, I can see if they're available.

There is no need to worry about food here. There is a wide variety of cuisines from Chinese-light to real, local stuff, to Italian and Thai, KFC and McDonald's, etc.

The quality is also good, so you don't need to be skeptical about mystery ingredients, unless you're trying a food stall/street food, which is also safe and delicious.

[ErinExpat]

Also, as far as supermarkets go, Wellcome and Park N Shop are a typical, local store that also stocks Western brands like Lay's potato chips, Prego tomato sauce, etc.

If there is a niche, gourmet ingredient or something more specific you need, there is a second tier of stores that are here, too (City Super, Taste, International, Three Sixty). Your family members should be familiar with all of these.

Let me know if there's anything else you'd like to know!

[pittpurple]

Hi and thanks for such a fast reply!

So is milk generally available? She just drinks full-fat cows milk now so no worries with formula but not sure how much dairy stuff is generally available. Would bringing formula be easier? Then we could just mix it with boiled water.

We use pampers when we travel and she does have eczema so it's better not to switch her stuff around too much. Maybe *I should try and bring a week's worth of nappies for Beijing and be able to stock up in HK? Wipes are easier to pack so I'll just plan to bring a full supply.

Our general go-to foods (though that might change in 4 months!) - toast, chunks of cheese, cans of corn, bananas, pasta with tomato sauce, cheerios. She's not a picky eater exactly but she eats tons of cheese and I just had no idea how easy the stuff I consider basic is to find. We rented an apartment in Beijing but will be staying at a hotel in HK so assume they'll have breakfast there with things she recognizes so it's just for having snacks around. She ate stir fry with noodles last night and loved it!

Are children generally welcome in restaurants? Are there highchairs? Erin - have you ever rented a driver with a carseat? We're working on one for Beijing through the apartment host and plan to take public transport otherwise (we don't have a car in Scotland so we're used to it) but for getting back and forth to the airport it would be nice to have a driver.

We use lots of baby food pouches when we travel here, do you have them there? Like this - www.amazon.co.uk/Ellas-Kitchen-Stage-Months-First/dp/B005I45ELI/ref=sr_1_1?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1390816250&sr=1-1

We thought we might just bring tons of them in our checked bag (then leaving room for souvenirs on our way home!) so we have something as a backup but then I thought I was sounding a bit crazy for planning to bring so much with us.

I'm most worried about the pollution actually so thanks for the tip, will look for masks so at least we have some sort of protection.

Erin - would love any tips on HK! My inlaws are bound and determined to go to Macau while we're there, I think it's an insane idea with the heat and a toddler - what do you think?

We've travelled all over Europe and to India and Japan on our own (and a few places in Europe with the baby) but this is the most 'adventurous' trip we've ever done with her so thanks so much for your help!

[pittpurple]

Jan 27, 2014 4:41:52 GMT -5 ErinExpat said:

Also, as far as supermarkets go, Wellcome and Park N Shop are a typical, local store that also stocks Western brands like Lay's potato chips, Prego tomato sauce, etc.

If there is a niche, gourmet ingredient or something more specific you need, there is a second tier of stores that are here, too (City Super, Taste, International, Three Sixty). Your family members should be familiar with all of these.

Let me know if there's anything else you'd like to know!

Huh. Didn't realise I could do this.
Anyway, DH's family is American so just as clueless as me!

[ErinExpat]

Oh, you're just meeting them here. I thought they were expats! Sorry.

Cow's milk is widely available here, any grocery store will carry it.

You can feel free to bring your own wipes but they are very easy to find, unless there is a specific brand that you need. I can check to see if they're in the stores. Buying here and bringing them to Beijing sounds like a plan.

Pouches are available at the nicer, Western-style grocery stores and at other baby stores.

Cheese, Cheerios, toddler/finger foods, etc are all easy to find.

It will be hot in June, but it will be just as hot in HK as it will be in Macau. The boat ride will be about an hour with some queuing/waiting beforehand.

Everyone brings their children to restaurants, so no worries. I honestly have not noticed many high chairs around, but that could be because DD is still too little to use one. There are some, and for sure chain restaurants have some. Many places are too packed with tables too close together to accommodate them.

I know I'm forgetting something. I'm on the app, sorry.

[pittpurple]

Jan 27, 2014 5:41:11 GMT -5 ErinExpat said:

Oh, you're just meeting them here. I thought they were expats! Sorry.

Cow's milk is widely available here, any grocery store will carry it.

You can feel free to bring your own wipes but they are very easy to find, unless there is a specific brand that you need. I can check to see if they're in the stores. Buying here and bringing them to Beijing sounds like a plan.

Pouches are available at the nicer, Western-style grocery stores and at other baby stores.

Cheese, Cheerios, toddler/finger foods, etc are all easy to find.

It will be hot in June, but it will be just as hot in HK as it will be in Macau. The boat ride will be about an hour with some queuing/waiting beforehand.

Everyone brings their children to restaurants, so no worries. I honestly have not noticed many high chairs around, but that could be because DD is still too little to use one. There are some, and for sure chain restaurants have some. Many places are too packed with tables too close together to accommodate them.

I know I'm forgetting something. I'm on the app, sorry.

Thanks so much! I'll be in touch when we know the hotel and maybe you can help me figure out the easiest/closest place to find baby pouches and a good grocery store. I think it's probably easiest to just bring a ton of wipes since she's had reactions to brands before so it's one less thing to have to think about!

The only thing you missed was the carseat question for getting to/from the airport.

Oh - and what do you see people using for getting their toddlers around? We're going to get a backpack carrier anyway for the Great Wall but would a stroller work generally? Do you use one?

[ErinExpat]

About the driver-no, we have never used one.

We use public transport here, either a bus or the MTR (metro). To be honest, carseats are used in private cars but not in taxis. I am not sure if a private car service would be able to offer that.

As far as transport to the airport, you can take an express train to the airport using the MTR, provided you have only one suitcase per person. It would not be possible to maneuver on the train otherwise.

[ErinExpat]

Baby wearing is very common here. Most use an Ergo, sling or something similar.

I do use a stroller but ours is quite large as DD is only 10 weeks old and must be fully reclined. With a toddler, a compact stroller is a good bet. Plenty of people use them. The only thing to keep in kind is that streets can be narrow and crowded and the closest MTR entrance/exit may not be equipped with an elevator. This can mean a lot of hoisting the stroller up and down stairs. I usually use the stroller if I am going to be in an area that I know to be more "stroller friendly."

[ErinExpat]

I just clicked your link and yes, the Ella's Kitchen brand is available at a few places here, just off the top of my head.

When you know more about where you're staying, let me know, and I can point you in the right direction.

[Deleted]

It sounds like you'll be good to go! Having an apartment will be nice.

Which section of the Great Wall will you be going to? We visited Mutianyu and there are a lot of stairs on the wall itself, so you'd probably be better off with a baby carrier rather than a stroller there. Also note that if you are using the metro, they will not always have lifts or escalators, so you might get stuck hauling a stroller up the stairs
China doesn't have car seat laws in general, which is why it is often difficult to get them. Shanghai just finally enacted some, we'll see how that goes

All the food items you mentioned should be easily available at City Shop in Beijing or another import focused store. I would only buy imported dairy - they'll have a lot of imported milks in the tetra paks (non refrigerated). Fruit is usually very easy to find - there are always lots of small shops along the street with it. And the local stores will have a selection of local crisps, crackers, biscuits, etc. that are fine to buy.

There are a lot of western food restaurants in Beijing - McDonalds, KFC, Starbucks. There is even a TGI Fridays over by the Bird's Nest. There are also lots of Indian and other varieties of restaurants. 

There is a great restaurant delivery service called Sherpas. They usually have a good variety of restaurants available and the delivery fee is small. We use them all the time. 
www.sherpa.com.cn/index.shtml

For masks see the below link - make sure you get one that says N95 as they filter out the dangerous particles in the air, regular cotton or paper masks do not filter those out sufficiently. 
www.amazon.com/3M-8511-Particulate-Sanding-Respirator/dp/B0002YKBV2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1390822169&sr=8-2&keywords=n95+mask

[pittpurple]

Jan 27, 2014 6:50:19 GMT -5 @juliash said:

Which section of the Great Wall will you be going to? We visited Mutianyu and there are a lot of stairs on the wall itself, so you'd probably be better off with a baby carrier rather than a stroller there. Also note that if you are using the metro, they will not always have lifts or escalators, so you might get stuck hauling a stroller up the stairs
China doesn't have car seat laws in general, which is why it is often difficult to get them. Shanghai just finally enacted some, we'll see how that goes

Thanks for the tips! I never worried about food before but the idea of travelling around with a jetlagged, hungry baby is a bit overwhelming. So glad it seems I was definitely over-reacting!

We thought we'd go to Mutianyu as well, it keeps coming up on searches as the easiest with a baby. I'm looking at proper backpack baby carriers now actually as it seems a stroller will be useless.

Hope the car seat laws work, I'm finding that to be the most difficult part of the planning. There's no way we'll be able to bring ours so I'm just crossing my fingers that the apartment owner will be able to help us with that.

[Deleted]

Mutianyu is great! If it is an option, it is best to get there early in the morning - around 7 am. The wall is much less crowded then. The cable car ride up and down is an extra bonus. And if you want to buy anything at the hawkers at the bottom, bargain hard, and know that the tshirts they sell shrink, a lot.

You might try looking to see if there is any sort of expat online community in Beijing - there is a huge one in Shanghai - they might be able to assist with finding a driver. Unfortunately, most drivers probably will not have a car seat at their disposal. You might be able to borrow the driver of an expat who has a carseat already installed. Good luck!

[GilliC]

Not sure how active it is anymore, but this was the online expat community when I was in Beijing:
www.thebeijinger.com/forum

And here is my collected visitor info on Beijing in general:
www.tripadvisor.com/GoListDetail-i17565-An_Unofficial_Travel_Guide_to_Beijing.html


@juliash We used to have trouble finding taxis that had working/available seatbelts (since they used to cover them up with their seat covers). Has that changed?

[Deleted]

Jan 27, 2014 9:13:38 GMT -5 GilliC said:

@juliash We used to have trouble finding taxis that had working/available seatbelts (since they used to cover them up with their seat covers). Has that changed?

I forgot about this. It is much more rare now than even a few years ago, at least in Shanghai. Most of the taxis don't have the seat covers anymore or they have ones with slits for the seatbelts, but you'll still get some that they don't work or are covered up. They keep passing regulations and such in Shanghai to enforce seatbelt usage, but without any actual method of enforcement change is slow. I've taken quite a few taxis with my friend who has a baby in a car seat and we've yet to encounter one where we couldn't strap it in, but a few times it has taken a couple minutes to get the seat belts figured out. 

[pittpurple]

ErinExpat

So we're staying here in HK - www.marriott.co.uk/hotels/travel/hkghv-renaissance-hong-kong-harbour-view-hotel/

Are you familiar at all with the area?

Thanks!!

[ErinExpat]

Hi!

Yes, I am familiar with the area. It's in Wan Chai, which is on Hong Kong Island.

Wan Chai is a very "downtown" area that's close to lots of things, with lots of restaurants and shops. Very busy, good night life. It's also home to the red light district, lol (easily avoided).

Your hotel is not super close to the MTR, about a 13-15 minute walk. It's not far, just an awkward walk. Taking a taxi will be the easiest way to go to and from the train, which I assume you'll use a lot. It should be a very economical ride.

I suggest that you download the Hong Kong Taxi Translator App. It lets you plug in the landmark or street address of where you'd like to go, and then it generates a "card" for you to show the driver. Most speak decent English and know most places, but it's nice to be able to show them exactly where so there's no confusion.

itunes.apple.com/hk/app/hong-kong-taxi-translator/id438401655?mt=8

[pittpurple]

Feb 3, 2014 7:57:52 GMT -5 ErinExpat said:

Hi!

Yes, I am familiar with the area. It's in Wan Chai, which is on Hong Kong Island.

Wan Chai is a very "downtown" area that's close to lots of things, with lots of restaurants and shops. Very busy, good night life. It's also home to the red light district, lol (easily avoided).

Your hotel is not super close to the MTR, about a 13-15 minute walk. It's not far, just an awkward walk. Taking a taxi will be the easiest way to go to and from the train, which I assume you'll use a lot. It should be a very economical ride.

I suggest that you download the Hong Kong Taxi Translator App. It lets you plug in the landmark or street address of where you'd like to go, and then it generates a "card" for you to show the driver. Most speak decent English and know most places, but it's nice to be able to show them exactly where so there's no confusion.

itunes.apple.com/hk/app/hong-kong-taxi-translator/id438401655?mt=8

Thanks so much! Will definitely do that, should help a lot. We're assuming the hotel will be able to help, but do you have any idea of any close-by grocery stores / baby stores where they will sell baby food if we need it? Am sure we'll mostly be out and about but it will be good to have some options in the room in case of meltdowns!

[ErinExpat]

Off the top of my head, grEAT Food Hall (pardon the dumb name) is on the ground floor of Pacific Place Mall at Admiralty MTR station. I believe your hotel is in the area between Wan Chai/Admiralty. For sure that store sells pouches and kid stuff. That is one of the top "western" grocery stores in HK.

Otherwise, any local grocery store will sell bread, cheese, yogurt, fruits and vegetables, milk, etc.

Another helpful app that I use a lot is Foursquare. For restaurants, the best app is OpenRice. The MTR also has an app that lets you put in your destination and tells you which lines/how many stops. You can also choose the correct street exit by landmark or building.

[pittpurple]

ErinExpat, rupertpenny, @juliash
Just wanted to say a huge thank you for all your help! We had a lovely trip, though a bit exhausting to be honest. Erin - particular thanks for the grocery store tip, that was a lifesaver, we went twice! And as an aside, the hotel we stayed at was fantastic for kids - had a huge pool and outside playground and were really accommodating (just in case you have friends visiting at any point). Haven't gone through our HK pics yet, but here's a few from Beijing!