Taking Kids to China - ok idea?
May 18th, 2007, 07:24 PM
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Taking Kids to China - ok idea?
My husband has a chance to go to China for business for 2.5 weeks this fall. I plan to go with him bringing our (then) 5 and 1.5 year olds. I've been able to find zero information about taking kids to China. Is this a bad idea? Frankly, some of these boards have left me a bit uneasy. We are an adventurous family and the kids roll with the punches as well as any toddlers do. But will safety or health be more of a concern with kids in tow? Some of each day he will be in meetings so I will be on my own with them seeing sights. Most of our friends and family think we're crazy. I'm interested in the opinion of people who have been to China.
Plus, I have so many questions. China doesn't have a kid-friendly reputation. Will they be well recieved in tourist areas? Will a stroller be easy or make things harder? Are there high chairs in restuarants? Kid menus? Do they use car seats? So many details to consider when babies are involved! Thanks!
Plus, I have so many questions. China doesn't have a kid-friendly reputation. Will they be well recieved in tourist areas? Will a stroller be easy or make things harder? Are there high chairs in restuarants? Kid menus? Do they use car seats? So many details to consider when babies are involved! Thanks!
May 18th, 2007, 08:24 PM
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I haven't been to China, but it's on our list. I have been traveling with our daughter since she was 10 weeks old and made her first trip from Japan to Boston.
I would discuss the health issues with both your pediatrician and a travel medicine specialist who is familiar with health issues in China. Hygiene is always an issue with kids, as especially when they are young, everything seems to end up in their mouth. Young children are also much more easily dehydrated, so any sort of stomach upset would need careful monitoring at the very least, and prompt medical attention should diarrhea or vomiting not stop on their own within 12 hours. If you were still breastfeeding the younger one, that would be a certain advantage in both immunity and in warding off dehydration.
Carseats are not the norm, nor are seatbelts actually, in much of Asia. Japan is the most safety advanced I think, but seatbelts in taxis are not the norm here, so I doubt you'd find them in China. Often, a car only has seatbelts in the front seats. A stroller would be a problem if Chinese sidewalks are anything like Japanese ones (and I'll bet they are not as good). When our daughter was younger, a backpack carrier (a good one, not a cheapie.....the support and comfort are worlds apart) was the best thing we had.
Food...plenty of food for all tastes. Rice is universally enjoyed by kids, and there are plenty of fruits and vegetables and simple dishes on most every menu that only picky eaters would starve. That said, if your kids eat only chicken nuggets and pizza like one of my nephews, you'd likely have a problem. The positive side is that because our daughter has pretty much continuously been exposed to a variety of food cultures, she'll eat anything once, and can find acceptable choices to her anywhere we go.
Kids can sightsee, but in small doses. Asking young kids to go on sightseeing marathons is sure to convince them that travel isn't fun and sure to make them grumpy, so plan your days to include plenty of down time so you all can relax.
I think your main worry should be health issues, which you should certainly discuss with your doctors. Other than that, I think you could have fun.
I would discuss the health issues with both your pediatrician and a travel medicine specialist who is familiar with health issues in China. Hygiene is always an issue with kids, as especially when they are young, everything seems to end up in their mouth. Young children are also much more easily dehydrated, so any sort of stomach upset would need careful monitoring at the very least, and prompt medical attention should diarrhea or vomiting not stop on their own within 12 hours. If you were still breastfeeding the younger one, that would be a certain advantage in both immunity and in warding off dehydration.
Carseats are not the norm, nor are seatbelts actually, in much of Asia. Japan is the most safety advanced I think, but seatbelts in taxis are not the norm here, so I doubt you'd find them in China. Often, a car only has seatbelts in the front seats. A stroller would be a problem if Chinese sidewalks are anything like Japanese ones (and I'll bet they are not as good). When our daughter was younger, a backpack carrier (a good one, not a cheapie.....the support and comfort are worlds apart) was the best thing we had.
Food...plenty of food for all tastes. Rice is universally enjoyed by kids, and there are plenty of fruits and vegetables and simple dishes on most every menu that only picky eaters would starve. That said, if your kids eat only chicken nuggets and pizza like one of my nephews, you'd likely have a problem. The positive side is that because our daughter has pretty much continuously been exposed to a variety of food cultures, she'll eat anything once, and can find acceptable choices to her anywhere we go.
Kids can sightsee, but in small doses. Asking young kids to go on sightseeing marathons is sure to convince them that travel isn't fun and sure to make them grumpy, so plan your days to include plenty of down time so you all can relax.
I think your main worry should be health issues, which you should certainly discuss with your doctors. Other than that, I think you could have fun.
May 18th, 2007, 09:16 PM
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Chinese people love children and if they look like foreigners they may even be mobbed like celebrities. So, yes, they will be well received. Aside from the health issues, I would be concerned about jet lag. Depending on where you're traveling from there can be up to a twelve hour time difference -- that literally means day becomes night and vice versa. If your kids are suffering from jet lag in the middle of the night, chances are you'll be awake too.
May 19th, 2007, 03:08 AM
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sarahf,
Your post didn't mention where in China your husband will be going. The destination may make a difference. If he'll be in either Beijing or Shanghai, there are lots of activities to do with children: zoos, aquariums, indoor playgrounds, parks.
For example, Ritan Park in Beijing has an indoor playground that both your kids could enjoy, a variety of rides that your five year old would likely enjoy, lots of open space for strolling, interesting plants and rocks around which to play hide and seek, people to watch fishing or sailing toy boats in a pond.
We used as stroller extensively in Beijing on our last visit (with a 6 and 4 year old) and didn't have any significant problems. OTOH, somewhere like the Forbidden City has enough steps that you'd be better with a backpack carrier.
Jet lag is a real issue but 2.5 weeks is plenty of time for all family members to get over the jet lag and enjoy the trip.
CanadaKate
Your post didn't mention where in China your husband will be going. The destination may make a difference. If he'll be in either Beijing or Shanghai, there are lots of activities to do with children: zoos, aquariums, indoor playgrounds, parks.
For example, Ritan Park in Beijing has an indoor playground that both your kids could enjoy, a variety of rides that your five year old would likely enjoy, lots of open space for strolling, interesting plants and rocks around which to play hide and seek, people to watch fishing or sailing toy boats in a pond.
We used as stroller extensively in Beijing on our last visit (with a 6 and 4 year old) and didn't have any significant problems. OTOH, somewhere like the Forbidden City has enough steps that you'd be better with a backpack carrier.
Jet lag is a real issue but 2.5 weeks is plenty of time for all family members to get over the jet lag and enjoy the trip.
CanadaKate
May 19th, 2007, 06:49 AM
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Great responses! Keep them coming! I am still nursing the baby and don't intend to wean her before the trip. I know that will be helpful in keeping her immunity up. Our family doctor has no idea about Chinese health concerns. Anyone have a resource for this?
May 19th, 2007, 08:29 AM
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If you are going to major cities, staying in upscale hotels, you will have no problems. Kim's advice is the best!! But, your amount of sightseeing will certainly be limited. However, just the normal day to day shopping, parks, markets will be very interesting and well worth the trip.
May 19th, 2007, 07:57 PM
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Check with a travel medicine clinic.
You aren't supposed to drink the water in China, only bottled water. So we avoided fruits and uncooked vegetables there last summer with our 11 and 13 year olds. In retrospect, I think I may have been overly cautious, but we really didn't want to get involved with the Chinese healthcare system.
You aren't supposed to drink the water in China, only bottled water. So we avoided fruits and uncooked vegetables there last summer with our 11 and 13 year olds. In retrospect, I think I may have been overly cautious, but we really didn't want to get involved with the Chinese healthcare system.
May 19th, 2007, 07:58 PM
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Carry plenty of tissues with you, to use as toilet paper at the public facilities. Also, sometimes the toilets were just holes in the ground, so prepare the kids for that.
The taxis we took had no seatbelts.
The taxis we took had no seatbelts.
May 19th, 2007, 10:01 PM
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Sarah, we've never had to deal with this (could't afford to travel when the kids were small), but a few points to ease your mind:
* Take out a family travel insurance policy that includes medical evacuation (I don't know anything about American health insurance plans, you might want to check whether they yours provides some coverage).
* You don't say where you're going, but remember that in Beijing, Shanghai and I'm sure other leading cities there are Western-style hospitals and clinics (which charge accordingly, but the aforesaid insurance should cover that if need be).
* I'm a big fan of Chinese cuisine, but if your 5-year-old is picky, there are McDonalds (ugh), Starbucks, Haagen-Dasz and other fast food outlets in the major cities. They also provide clean toilets.
* We bought cheese, crackers, yoghurt, fruit etc. at convenience stores for occasional snack purposes. You can wash the fruit with bottled water. Fruit stands are very common. We also patronised streets stalls (dumplings etc.) with no problems, but you can pass on that if you like.
* Especially if your kids are fair-haired, be tolerant of old ladies who will want to run their hands over their heads (this often happened to my daughter, aged 28, actually).
* For what it's worth, traffic in congestion in major cities prevents taxis from travelling very fast, except on airport-city tollways and similar.
The first two points should not be taken as alarmist in any way, they're just offered so you can head off with no nagging worries about what to do if the worst happens. The odds of that are very, very small. I would think that most of the problems you might meet with are those that would attend any overseas destination. For example, we both contracted a bug that slowed us down a little for a few days, but I'm sure we caught it on the plane. That can happen anywhere. China is certainly different, but it's not another planet. We saw several foreign couples travelling with small children, so you can tell your friends (who I imagine haven't visited China) that you're definitely not crazy.
* Take out a family travel insurance policy that includes medical evacuation (I don't know anything about American health insurance plans, you might want to check whether they yours provides some coverage).
* You don't say where you're going, but remember that in Beijing, Shanghai and I'm sure other leading cities there are Western-style hospitals and clinics (which charge accordingly, but the aforesaid insurance should cover that if need be).
* I'm a big fan of Chinese cuisine, but if your 5-year-old is picky, there are McDonalds (ugh), Starbucks, Haagen-Dasz and other fast food outlets in the major cities. They also provide clean toilets.
* We bought cheese, crackers, yoghurt, fruit etc. at convenience stores for occasional snack purposes. You can wash the fruit with bottled water. Fruit stands are very common. We also patronised streets stalls (dumplings etc.) with no problems, but you can pass on that if you like.
* Especially if your kids are fair-haired, be tolerant of old ladies who will want to run their hands over their heads (this often happened to my daughter, aged 28, actually).
* For what it's worth, traffic in congestion in major cities prevents taxis from travelling very fast, except on airport-city tollways and similar.
The first two points should not be taken as alarmist in any way, they're just offered so you can head off with no nagging worries about what to do if the worst happens. The odds of that are very, very small. I would think that most of the problems you might meet with are those that would attend any overseas destination. For example, we both contracted a bug that slowed us down a little for a few days, but I'm sure we caught it on the plane. That can happen anywhere. China is certainly different, but it's not another planet. We saw several foreign couples travelling with small children, so you can tell your friends (who I imagine haven't visited China) that you're definitely not crazy.
May 20th, 2007, 05:30 AM
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Health: We're American and were confident enough in the healthcare system to give birth to our baby in Shanghai. Shanghai has western clinics and many chinese hospitals have "foreigner floors". Some will accept certain US insurance. As ours isn't accepted we pay cash/credit card and are reimbursed later. Ask your insurance co how to handle and to recommend providers just in case.
As we're also nursing, the baby has all the immunities of the mother. We don't plan on getting the TB vaccination that the Chinese still need to have, but we did get the one for Rotovirus. We don't trust Chinese meds as there are fakes so we import our own.
Transport: I'd contact a Chinese travel agency to contract a car and driver (as well as tour guide and maybe car seat if you want). Then you could leave the car seat strapped in and can easily transport stroller and other gear. At our company we let visitors borrow a company van. We use our stroller in Shanghai.
Eating: I'm sure people can give you suggestions for kid-friendly restaurants if you say which cities you will be traveling to.
Touring: Our blond niece with big blue eyes attracted attention everywhere she went. People would usually ask before touching her. Yes, sometimes it was a mob scene with people getting photos taken with her. Sometimes the kids get a little scared because there are so many people focused on them.
As we're also nursing, the baby has all the immunities of the mother. We don't plan on getting the TB vaccination that the Chinese still need to have, but we did get the one for Rotovirus. We don't trust Chinese meds as there are fakes so we import our own.
Transport: I'd contact a Chinese travel agency to contract a car and driver (as well as tour guide and maybe car seat if you want). Then you could leave the car seat strapped in and can easily transport stroller and other gear. At our company we let visitors borrow a company van. We use our stroller in Shanghai.
Eating: I'm sure people can give you suggestions for kid-friendly restaurants if you say which cities you will be traveling to.
Touring: Our blond niece with big blue eyes attracted attention everywhere she went. People would usually ask before touching her. Yes, sometimes it was a mob scene with people getting photos taken with her. Sometimes the kids get a little scared because there are so many people focused on them.
May 21st, 2007, 09:59 AM
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nagiffag: Congratulations on your Shanghai born baby, the new addition to your family!! It's great to hear about your confidence in the chinese healthcare system and your decision to avoid the hassle of traveling back to the U.S. to give birth.
