Packing List for Ethiopia

This is for all you adopting parents out there. I thought it would be really helpful to many of you to share some insights in our packing. Here are some things to keep in mind:

• We were adopting a six month old son.
• We went for our court date and stayed through our visa appointment. We did not make two trips.
• We stayed at the HOH2 for the first 4 days with our travel group. We then stayed for the remainder of our time with an Ethiopian family in their home.
• We packed 4 suitcases and got them all right around 50lbs. We brought one entire suitcase-worth of donations. On the way home, the donation space became space for the souvenirs we got.
• Our son got REALLY sick while we were there. He got an amoeba (pretty much could not keep anything “in” for six days including water) followed by an upper respiratory infection right after that. He had ten days of injection antibiotics in twelve days and lost 17% of his body weight. No joke. It was scary.

Things I am really glad I brought:
For him

• Moby wrap - This is the NUMBER ONE thing that I am glad I brought. I would have have  made it without it. I could cover him completely so he would even sleep on me in it with no distractions. It also felt safer in the car since there are no carseats - it was like a big seatbelt to me. These things hold up to 35 lbs and can be found at Target or Babies R Us. Get one!!!
• Lots of bottles (In fact, I could have brought more.)
• Playtex Drop Ins - way easier to deal with
• Lots of bottle nipple options - he likes the faster ones
• Plenty of Bibs
• A Thermos to bring hot water on the go for bottles. You can get bottled water anywhere, but it is not always hot or warm enough.
• Baby bowls and spoons
• A variety of medicines from the States.
• Cheerios
• Blankets

For us

• Swiss Army knife or utility knife, specifically with scissors. We also used the bottle opener a lot for cokes - they are glass bottles there.
• A variety of medicines from the States.
• Tampons (They have pads there, but no tampons)
• Sweatshirts
• Flashlight (bring 2!!!)
• Nalgene bottles for both of you
• Watch (I don't wear one, but needed it all the time because of feeding and nap schedules)
• Floss
• Instant Oatmeal packets
• Granola bars and/or powerbars
• Snacks with substance
• Flipflops for shower
• Shoes good for walking
• Slip on shoes (You have to take your shoes off to go in the kids’ rooms at the HOH)
• extra ziplocks - GAL size - used them all the time. kept clean things in them so they stayed clean!

Things we packed and worked out great:

For him

• Infant Fever Reducer
• bottles
• nipples
• bibs
• spoons
• bowls
• diapers
• changing pad
• wipes
• burp cloths
• teethers - he never used them even though he was teething, but kids are different.
• teething meds - all natural stuff.
• comb and brush - didn’t really use it, but other kids could have needed it.
• baby soap and shampoo
• his hair goop - they used baby oil on his head. we brought a couple other options, too.
• outfits
• onesies
• socks
• sleepwear
• coat or sweater
• receiving blankets
• cozy blanket
• nail clipper
• toys
• pacifier
• thermometer
• baby powder
• washcloths
• lotion
• diaper rash cream
• cheerios

For us

• Language Notebooks (we had a little notebook with us to write down words we wanted to remember later like “cooked vegetables” and “cooked all the way through”)
• Malaria Pills (we didn’t use them, but we would have if we had gone to his orphanage)
• Pepto
• Anti-diarrhea
• Motion Sickness Pills
• Bugspray
• qtips
• hand sanitizersunscreen
• band-aids
• first aid kit
• pro-biotics
• dayquil and nyquil
• neosporin
• antiseptic wipes
• prescriptions
• tums
• ringworm/antifungal
• anti-itch cream
• chapstick - (almost ran out! bring lots!)
• 1 roll TP - soft for when you are sick of rough stuff
• travel size tissues
• moisturizer
• bathing suits
• flipflops
• sunglasses
• hairbrush
• nail clippers
• tweezers
• safety pins
• sweatshirts
• socks
• underwear
• nice outfits and jewelry
• shirts
• pants
• workout clothes
• toiletries
• hats
• bible
• money belts/holders
• Notepads or journals
• Pens
• sharpie pen
• small sewing kit
• plastic forks and spoons
• computer and charger
• guidebooks (lonely planet, language books)
• Camera and Charger
• camera memory card
• Batteries
• Blank CDs for photos
• phone that can have a SIM card put in and work (some guesthouses provide these)
• ipod
• Gum
• Snacks
• instant oatmeal for breakfast - just add water! easy!
• diaper bag
• laundry soap
• bags for dirty clothes for laundry (we ended up using reusable bags and they were two of our carryons on the way home.)
• cash -crisp bills with no marks or tears
• proof of yellow fever vaccination and other immunizations
• CHI forms
• Homestudies

Things I wish I had more of:
For him

• Pedialyte and Gatorade powder packets
• Burp Cloths - I brought six, but still wish I had more when he was vomiting so much
• Wash cloths - adult and baby sizes
• Jammies for him. He wets through almost every night unless we wake him up. I brought five sets, but still wish I had a few more
• Warm Tops for him. It can get chilly at night and I only have one sweatshirt for him.
• Baby hats - sun hat and warm hat

For us

• Paper towels. Not too practical for packing, but boy do I wish I had them for spills!
• Dish soap with disinfecting antibacterial. I am not sure the dish soap here has it and they use a bar of soap on a sponge, so germies abound...
• Lantern for when power goes out
• Shaving Cream. Erik ran out and if you hadn't given him some, we might not be kissing for few weeks... :)
• There were a couple times that I would have liked to have had duct tape but it is not necessary.
• T-shirts or tops for mom and dad. We got thrown up on a lot. Solid food time also adds tons of texture to your shirts. I have plenty of shirts for when I was not a mom, but I think I need twice as many now. Even snot spots are hard to avoid at least a couple times a day.

Things that are easy to get here if you run out:

• Formula - the kinds he is used to from the HOH.
• Wipes
• Pampers and/or other kinds of diapers, but they are THIN.
• Ibprofen
• Bread
• Local Snacks (not full of protein, but something to eat)
• Tissues and TP (not super soft, but that only stinks when you get sick like we did)
• Laundry Soap
• Hand Soap
• Shampoo and general toiletries