General Baby/Kid Questions

[TheFiveJs]

I am brand new to your board and I want to thank you in advance for your help.

I have a 5 yr old, an 8 month old baby and another baby coming in July. We are in the process of looking at jobs in Dubai, but before we committ, there are a few things I need to understand. To reference, we are coming from the States, Texas in particular.

1. I homeschool our oldest daughter. Can I continue this in Dubai? I am unsure of the laws but wonder if we would be governed by those particular school laws considering we would not be permenant residents.

2. Baby stuff! I will be coming over with two super small children.

Diapers-Can I get the American stuff over there? If not, what is the equivilant to Huggies diapers? Are they super expensive? Should I just switch to cloth?

Formula- Both of my girls have had to be on special hypoallergenic formula from the beginning since the have severe milk protein allergies. I am fully expecting those same issues with baby #3 who is due in July. I need to provide her with either Similac's Alimentum or Enfamil's Nutramigen. Both are super expensive but not difficult to find here in the States. Will I be able to find those brands, or is there an equivilant I should be looking for? I realize this sounds silly but this is a legitimate concern with their medical issues.

Rx meds- Also, due to severe reflux, I have had to have both girls (and probably will with #3) on some reflux meds. I have enough to bring over with me, until she will outgrow it probably at 4-6 months. Is this legal to bring over Rx meds in your suitcase? Customs issues? What about OTC meds like Tylenol and Motrin? I don't need a big stock of those since I am sure I can pick them up at any drug store (right??) but can I carry them through customs?

Are the childhood immunizations all the same? I would like to get #3 her first round of vaccines before being in the airports and in a foreign country away from my familiar Pediatrician....I am nervous about this!

3. I am sorry to sound ignorant, but I have read that you need a minimum of $260K to move and live OK. I am unsure of the currency this is in and would like some info on that.

For ourselves, we are looking into the US State Dept and they will pay housing, food, vehicle and from what I can ascertain all the "normal" stuff that most people who get packages get. Does anyone know what type of housing we are talking about? I understand Dubai is very nice but like all cities I'm sure it has undesirable areas and I am not bringing 3 little girls into anything like that. Where would this housing likely be? Can you please explain this a little to me? Does anyone know the AVERAGE pay to be expecting (in USD) for someone in a situation like ours? We have not received an offer as of yet but when one comes along I would like to be well-informed.

I apologize in advance for my ignorance on what must seem like trivial matters but to me they are very important. Any info provided would be greatly appreciated and I will be very grateful. Thanks again and sorry for the novel.

[sgilli3]

Hi there,
As there hasnt been any replies, I will try and help you the best I can (Im Australian..the prices I give will be app..the Aussie dollar is almost on par with yours)

1. I also home school my children here.
You can do it, no problems.

2.There are heaps of nappies to choose from here (inc Huggies and Pampas). I find all the nappies to be quite reasonably priced, though the brand I use changes week to week (whatever is cheaper). Today, I bought a pack similar to a homebrand ..was 25 dhs or about 7.50

3. Not sure about the formula...next time Im at the shops Ill check for you.There are lots of formulas on the market here though.
Also try googling banned drugs UAE, and you should find a list of medications you are not able to bring into the country.
You will find there are lots of baby pain relievers on the market here too.(theres not much you cant get here)
Immunisations...when we had our LO at hospital recently for vaccinations we were given a sheet of whats due + when (our paed here follows the American schedule, so for us it was slightly different...but no issues with it)

3. the 260,000 dhs + would be approx 77,000 Aussie dollars (maybe a little less for you)
If you have a company that will be setting you up, it will be up to them what type of housing they allocate you...appartment/villa.

There is crime here, like every country, but there isnt a particular area I wouldnt recommend.
Personally, we prefer areas that arent "too western"...we wanted to experience the real culture.
The rest of it..we could see anywhere...thats just us.

Im not sure what line of work you are looking at...or did I miss that.
Hope this helps a little. Dont be afraid to ask questions...thats what we are here for

[Smiles:-)]

From my math 260,000 is about $71,000 US (roughly, 3.65 dirhams = 1 dollar)

I too have a baby 9 months old and was concerned about bring her to Dubai, we are moving in June. I am from the US also and was worried about daycare/nanny, medical, baby supplies. When I visited Dubai in February I checked out the babies items. Diapers and formula are cheaper then what we pay in the US. My baby was on the "special" formula but I didn't think to look at that. I didn't see the baby Tylenol or gas drops either but again I didn't think to look. The baby solids like Gerber’s is more expensive but not by too much.

Dubai requires more vaccinations then the US but I spoke to my Doctor about that this week and she has know others who have moved to Dubai with babies and said they were fine, and why would they be? There are babies there. I know they require TB vaccinations, I don’t think the US does that one anymore.

I was just as concerned as you are about my little one but everything will be fine!!! :-) This is my first baby and I can't believe the things I am thinking about with her in mind regarding us moving!

My concern is about having a baby in Dubai I head you have to plan ahead with the insurance before having a baby. I am going to create a post about that next.

[TheFiveJs]

Oh my goodness, thank you ladies so much for your help.

Smiles...We don't have to do the TB Vax here but we do have to do Hep A because we are so close to Mexico. I think we might do another additional one too. I am mainly just nervous about the whole baby thing because I have been through the wringer with my last two girls but I think this third time I might finally have the gastrointestinal issues figured out. Good Lord I hope! Where are you in the US?

I would be very interested to hear about the insurance approval (is this what I inferred??) before having children. We got pg with our first easily and had an extremely difficult time (over 3 1/2 yrs) getting pg with #2. We began trying right away again for #3 expecting it to take many years and lo and behold, it was nearly instantaneous. #4 is in the discussion phase but I think I need a few more years first However, I am so glad you told me that. I am assuming this is if you have the UAE "public" health insurance instead of private or is it for everyone?


Sg...I appreciate you so much offering to check on the formula for me. I am sure if there are not the specific brands there that I'd recognize, there would be an equivilant, but being fresh off the plane I'd be scrambling trying to find WHAT it is and how I get my hands on it.

I did check out United Parcel Service rates and although it's obviously quite expensive to ship items that way it IS an option if I can't find the necessary formula. The stuff we use it roughly $10 USD per DAY so although we pay through the nose and it would cost even more to ship, it would be worth it.

I sincerely appreciate your offer to look for me next time you're out.

Sorrry I didn't mention the line of work. DH has experience in construction, but in being a foreman, managing, and right now he is in sales. Mainly concrete construction products and related commodities. He could also be in purchasing or basically anything concrete related.

Do you find that there are large homeschool groups or not so much?


Thanks again for answering all my questions and for your helpful attitude. We are optomistic and hopeful but of course slightly nervous because it is such a big thing. We know we'll love it once we're there but just the logistics with 3 kids 5 and under is a nail-biter LOL

PS- I just googled, the main things it looks like are not allowed are cough/cold stuff, a lot of anti-depressants/anxiety drugs, many forms of estrogen and testosterone, and things like vicodin and coedine. Hope that helps someone else.

[Smiles:-)]

I'm in Georgia.

I am so happy that when we move my baby should be off formula.

I can't believe you are talking about #4 when you're still baking #3. I would love to have #2 soon and am thinking about it when we move to Dubai. I keep suggesting to my husband that we just get pregnant and I won't work until after #2 is born. He's not so sure about this yet! :-)

I'm excited and nervous about moving. I'm always up for a adventure and I sure got one this year!