Viet Nam Adoptive Family Interviews : An Introduction

Can you offer some advice to parents about the plane ride home with their new child?

The Engelbrecht Family - Make sure you get a bassinet but be prepared for your child not to like it. Take a lot of extra clothes (Sienna rarely spit up and had never had diarrhea, but she did on the plane-she came home in a twice used pair of pants and a cardigan with no shirt).

Christina – If your child is older like our son was, it helps to have someone tell him what to expect in Vietnamese. Zeeb freaked out about putting on a seatbelt and sitting still on the plane, but then a Vietnamese woman sitting behind him talked to him and after that he was much better. (no idea what she said, but it helped!) In general, keeping them fed and having an extra set of clothes will help a lot. We did most of our flying at night so we didn’t have to do a lot of entertaining.

The Mynes Family - A diaper bag that is a back pack was great for us. Just throw it on your back and you still have 2 hands free. Bring lots of toys like books and rattles for your child to play with on your lap. Leland did very well on the plane, he slept over half the trip which made it nice for us because then we slept too. Put an extra outfit in your carry on for you and your child. In case they get sick all over themselves and you.


What must have items do you recommend families pack for their stay in Viet Nam?

The Engelbrecht Family - Travel guide book. Teething stuff. Hand sanitizer.

Christina - Bathing suits! I packed suits for the kids and hubby but totally forgot my own. So then I had to look all over HCMC (Ho Chi Minh City) for a decent suit that would fit me. I’m a size 6 at home, but in Vietnam I’m a “large” or “extra large” – not what I wanted to hear while trying on a swim suit! You can get almost anything in the big cities in Vietnam, so if you forget things it’s not a huge deal. But we were glad we packed Cheerios because we didn’t see those anywhere and Zeeb really liked them.

The Mynes Family - Comfortable clothing and shoes, we just took flip flops from Old Navy they were comfortable and fit nice in your luggage. Make sure you bring at least a good dress outfit for appointments and the Giving and Receiving ceremony. Purell hand sanitizer and wipes. A travel size of toilet paper. (I could have used this a few times when we were in Ha Tinh, wish I would have brought some) Adapter. Camera/ video camera. Medicines of all kinds with cough drops. A first aid kit. Some of your favorite snacks if you can fit them in your luggage or carry on. We were able to pack some snacks and they came in handy for when you needed a snack during the day or at night. Some kind of blow up pool or baby tub to put inside your big huge tub in the hotel room. We didn’t bring anything like that and I gave Leland lots of sponge baths because ours was so dangerous for a little person. A diaper bag that is like a backpack so you can just put it on and you have hands free for other things like packages.

Next..."Attachment and Baby Wearing"

Related Reading:
Viet Nam Packing Tips
How to Stay Healthy in Viet Nam
Recommended Medications for Viet Nam Travel


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