| What we Took, Didn't Take, and Should Have Taken |
| For Mom and Dad: We were very surprised at how "dressed up" people were, in general, even just in the subways and around Seoul. I felt uncomfortable in jeans at times, and would not have wanted to wear sweats, leggings, or a sweatshirt, for fear of being too underdressed. Most men were in slacks and button-down shirts, if not in jackets or suits, even in the evenings and weekends. Most women were in slacks (not skirts), dress shoes, and nice blouses or sweaters. I ended up wearing the same black slacks almost every day, with various sweaters and tops. Just a word of experience - you may want to plan for "business casual" rather than "vacation casual." |
| What was already in the "blue bag" from Holt: 1. 8-10 diapers (enough, barely, to get you home if you go straight home from the initial pick-up 2. 1 packet of wipes (7-8 wipes, woefully inadequate for most new parents) 3. two bottles, one for milk and one with barley tea 4. one change of outerwear (sweats, in Gabe's case) and one pair of pajamas (like a onesie, but in two pieces) 5. a book about Korea from Holt 6. a pair of dress shoes to go with the hanbok (not practical for use as real shoes) 7. a head piece to go with the hanbok 8. pictures from the foster mom 9. enough formula to get you home plus about 3 more days worth (I would think carefully about taking extras of some of these things - just because they were in the bag doesn't mean that there was enough of each. |
| What Was NOT in the Blue Bag that we NEEDED: 1. Wipes, wipes, wipes: the little packet was almost laughable in comparison to our son's ability to get "messy," and we were glad to have brought extras. 2. Extra diapers, if you're not going straight to the airport and home from the Holt Korea office (New parents, I would plan on a diaper for every two hours, and three wipes per dirty diaper). 3. Another change of clothes for Gabe 4. Bibs - there were no bibs in the bag at all 5. Onesies or underclothes, for when the diaper leaks because mom and dad are still learning how to put it on. 6. Another change of clothes for mom and dad (for when the diaper leaks, baby pukes, slobbers, or sneezes 7. Blankets (2): there were no blankets in the bag, and we wanted a few for the seat and for Gabe on the plane, not to mention in the hotel room if you're staying an extra night or two. 8. Toys, books, or entertainment for baby 9. Snacks, cheerios, or any gummy food for baby 10. Socks and shoes, especially if your child is old enough to crawl or walk, because there were no extras provided, other than the ones Gabe had on at pick-up. 11. Warm clothes for outside, if its winter or spring. (Coat or snowsuit). 12. Comb, brush and washcloth for faces (by the end of the flight, we needed all three, and wipes don't work for washing faces (too harsh, and too cold). 13. Bottle-cleaning utensil, or at least, soap (the lavatory on the plane only has hand soap, and the water isn't hot enough to sterilize anything, so you'll either want to bring something, or rely on the flight attendants to get the bottles clean for re-use. 14. Any general medicines that you might need, like infant Tylenol/Motrin, a decongestant, etc... 15. A pacifier, just in case. While Holt provided one, Gabe didn't like it, but has since shown us that he really likes another kind. Or a chewy toy for teething purposes, at a minimum. 16. Mild lotion or a medicated cream - Gabe had several dry patches on his face that drove him crazy the whole way home, and there was nothing in his bag to treat it. |