I just downloaded this packing list from a BTDT (been there done that) adoption mom...I better get busy...this could likely take the whole 5ish weeks that are left before travel!!!
Adoption Packing List
Luggage
Checked luggage: 2x Samsonite 29” Wheeled Duffel (ordered online from Samsonite)
Carry-Ons: Hiking Backpacks
Personal Items: Large Camera Bag and a shopping bag we got while in province
Luggage must be under 44lbs/20 kg for in-China flights and 100ml liquids were allowed.
The sizes of our bags were fine also.
Most items were split evenly between our 2 checked duffel bags - it was redundant but
gave us insurance we
ʼd have what weʼd need. I picked up lots of travel-sized bottles at
Target, they were cheap and worked perfectly. I packed everything in plastic bags for 3
reasons: (1) it made sure that if any liquids spilled/exploded, they would not get on
anything else, (2) it was easy to pack, unpack, repack, etc., and (3) it was a great way
to squeeze air out of the contents to fit as much as possible. I packed alike things
together and labeled the bags - liquids went in baggies INSIDE baggies. We threw a lot
of the bags away before we left the White Swan because we combined things together,
but this was a great way to pack and I
ʼd definitely do it again!
Toiletries
Q-tips
Cotton balls -
never used, but you never know
Travel rain ponchos (2) -
never used, just dealt with the rain when it happened
Individual wet ones -
good for public bathrooms, especially squatty potties!
Disposable Razor (2)
Shaving cream (1)
Travel shampoo (2) -
all hotels had soaps, but I like my creature comforts
Travel conditioner (2)
Face wash (2 - one for each of us)
Travel size dove soap (2) -
we threw one away in province and the other in Guangzhou
Travel soap container (2) -
we threw one away in province and the other in Guangzhou
Baby shampoo/body wash (2)
Hair gel (1)
Oatmeal bath (2) -
would take more for baby if I had to do it again!
Travel size tissue packs (4) -
great to have on hand, there were never enough napkins
Floss (1)
Disposable baby wash clothes with sensitive soap (6) -
didnʼt use
Aquaphor (3 oz container plus one small 0.35 oz tube)
Eucerin calming cream (8 oz) -
used on baby every night after bath
Baby Powder - travel size (2) -
too much, one is fine
Hair ties (2)
Hand sanitizer (2)
Sonicare
Toothpaste
Hairbrush
Contacts
Medical
(medicines were in well-labeled plastic baggies with dosing instructions written on bag,
split equally between 2 checked bags)
Immodium -
definitely used a few times because of spicy food!
Cipro
Tums
Ibuprofen
Mucus Relief
Benadryl
Tylenol PM
Azo standard
Azo cranberry
Hydrocortisone cream (2)
Saline drops (baby)
Baby chest rub (for sinus relief)
Glycerin suppositories
Infant tylenol (include dosing chart)
Infant Ibuprofen (include dosing chart)
Infant gas drops
Teething gel
Children
ʼs benadryl (1/2 tsp dose)
Amoxicillin pills (to crush & mix in baby food if needed)
Sunscreen SPF50
Ear thermometer plus probe covers -
GREAT, we did have to use this one night and it is
so much faster/easier than a regular thermometer
Pedialyte powder - individual (16) -
this was a MUST as our baby drank very little - one
of the best things we packed and used almost all of them
Travel first aid kit (Target) for bandaids, gauze, etc. (I took some bandages & medicines
out because it was too much, and filled it back up with smaller stuff to conserve space)
Nail clipper
Bacitracin -
we didnʼt use, but another adoptive family did, glad we had it!
Safety Pins -
didnʼt use, but you never know
Tweezers -
didnʼt use, but you never know
Epi-pen for Nicole (1)
Bug spray -
a MUST given the hot, humid weather!
Swiss army knife
Singular
Rhinocort
We did not use MOST of the medications but I would take them again - it was nice to
have the insurance, just in case. Plastic baggies were all labeled with dosing
instructions and the exact drug ingredients.
Office
White out -
didnʼt use
Post-its -
didnʼt use
Pen
Paperclips -
didnʼt use
Scissors
Duct tape -
didnʼt use but glad we had it just in case
Rubber bands -
didnʼt use
Personal business cards -
did use a few times but probably not needed
Calculator -
didnʼt use, we had my iphone
Power strip -
an absolute MUST because there were very few outlets at the White Swan
Household supplies
Small hand soap (2) -
totally not needed but nice to have
Small dish soap (2) -
definitely used for cleaning bottles
Tide sink travel packs (6 uses) -
GREAT as long as we had a few days to let clothes dry
Tide to-go stick (1) -
didnʼt use
Paper towels (14) -
definitely used them when eating in the hotel rooms
Downey wrinkle releaser (1) -
never used, didnʼt care what our clothes looked like
Sponge (1) -
never used but we had planned on using it for cleaning bottles
Extra plastic bags, lunch size (14) -
didnʼt use all the extras, could take less
Extra plastic bags, snack size (10)
Extra plastic bags, large size (4)
Extra plastic bags, jumbo 2.5 gall size (2)
Small diaper trash bags (10) -
nice for stinky diapers
Kitchen-sized trash bags (4) -
didnʼt use, nice to have and didnʼt take up room to pack
Washcloth (1) -
never used, there were plenty of linens available from hotel
Several dryer sheets to make clothes smell nice
Reusable shopping bags for carrying stuff (2) -
these were GREAT to have on hand
Clothes pins (16) -
we definitely used these!
Piece of string to hang clothes in room -
never used this, most hotels had a drying line
Baby (12 months old, un-repaired CL/CP)
Diapers (30), purchase more in China -
our baby didnʼt drink much - we could have
gotten away without even buying more diapers
Swim diapers (4)
Wipes (1 refill pack) -
planned to take 2 packs, but we needed to drop weight at the end,
1 pack ended up being fine because we didn
ʼt change that many diapers
Travel changing pads (6) -
only used a few times, probably donʼt need this many
Nasal Aspirator -
didnʼt use
Sweet Pea Sling -
one of the best things we brought
Ergo -
one of the best things we brought
Travel diaper changer (1) -
didnʼt use this, didnʼt change diapers outside of hotel room
Take & toss bowls (3) -
GREAT for baby snacks
Spoons (2) -
definitely used - small spoons were not easily accessible
Bottle brush
Toothbrush
Bottles (2 plus cleft nipples) -
never used the cleft nipples, just cut larger holes in regular
bottles - she did fine
Small insulated lunchbox for keeping bottles warm -
did use this once but baby didnʼt
drink enough formula for it to matter
Burp cloths (8) -
would take less of these, was a pain to constantly be wiping drool
Bibs (4 cloth, 1 plastic) -
would take lots more cloth bibs, did not use plastic one
Soft, comfy blanket (1) -
used in the crib, but too hot to use for anything else
Toys (5) -
definitely used these - small, lightweight toys worked best
Small inflatable beach ball -
wonderful!
Book - Goodnight Moon -
didnʼt pack because of weight, but wouldʼve loved to have to
help start nighttime routine
Stacking cups -
awesome in the tub, baby loved them!
Sun hats (3 - different sizes) -
used only 1 day, gave up after that
Socks (8 pairs) -
didnʼt wear them because it was so hot and she kept pulling them off
Sweaters (2) -
didnʼt need
Light summer coat (1) -
didnʼt need
Swimsuit (1)
Summer rompers/dresses - one is a nice church dress (10) -
PERFECT!
Long pants warmer outfits (5) -
used 1 pair of pants for civil affairs appointment
Leg warmers to add onto outfits if needed (3 pairs) -
used 1 day only, way too hot
PJ
ʼs (2)
Short-sleeve onsies (8) -
these were great for sleeping, but took too many
Long-sleeve onsies (2) -
also good for sleeping
1 nice going home outfit (with hat and booties to match)
1 nice outfit for consulate appointment -
didnʼt use because it was too big - didnʼt matter
Several headbands and 1 cute hat (not necessary but fun!) -
so adorable, didnʼt use hat
Nicole
Swimsuit (1)
Swim cap (1)
Socks (14)
Underwear (14)
Lightweight pants (2) (wear one during travel)
Lightweight capris (2)
Sundress (2) -
would have taken more in hindsight - most comfortable given the heat
T-shirts (7) (wear one during travel)
Bra (3) (wear one during travel)
Flip flops
Tennis shoes (wore them)
Used all of this stuff - it was so stinkin
ʼ hot (June), I would probably take only 1 pair of
pants for travel days with the rest capris or shorts.
Zach
Swimsuit (1)
Swim cap (1)
Socks (14)
Boxers (14)
Flip flops
Tennis shoes (wore them)
Jeans (1 pair) (wear during travel)
T-shirts (7) (wear one during travel)
Undershirts (3)
Shorts (4)
He went home with some clean clothes that he didn
ʼt wear - could have done less!
Snacks
Small plastic bin for snacks, sized 14x11x6.5 (2) -
this was WONDERFUL and I would
absolutely do it again - we made room by eating snacks along the way and then put our
not-expensive breakable treasures in it for the trip home - we sat them in the middle of
our duffels and it helped anchor everything else in the bags too. We also put all of our
officials gifts in the boxes so they didn
ʼt get damaged during travel
Pre-wrapped plastic-wear sets (14) -
didnʼt use often but nice to have, could do with less
Plastic disposable bowls (4) -
never used
Gerber puffs (3 containers, apple, banana, sweet potato) -
used ALL of them!
Baby Mum-Mums (12) -
definitely too many - we only used several
Gerber Yogurt Melts (1 - strawberry) -
she loved them!
Similac individual 4oz servings (16) -
didnʼt use many of these but good to have, we
bought her brand of formula in China and then left it there because she didn
ʼt like it
Individual serving peanut butter (14) -
loved having these but only ate about half
Power bars (8) -
ate all of them!
Clif bars (12) -
brought back about half
Via (17) -
used almost all of them - I HAD to have coffee that was familiar to me :-)
Splenda & individual powdered creamers (enough for 17 coffees)
Individual crystal lite (37) -
again, my creature comfort - had to have it!
Goldfish (2 packs) -
we ate all of these!
Individual tuna salads (2) -
ate 1, but it kind of smelled up the hotel room
Individual chicken soup packets (3) -
didnʼt eat, ramen-type noodles were readily
available everywhere
I know not everyone takes snacks, but I liked having a few comfort foods and they came
in handy when we were trying to do meals in the hotel room. We usually took back
several pieces of bread from the breakfast buffet and I
ʼd make a peanut butter sandwich
for lunch or dinner (husband would get ramen). We also took back yogurt and some
kind of carbs (pancakes, french toast, etc.) for the baby. We usually just paid for one
meal each day and ate in the hotel room for one meal - worked great for us.
Carry-Ons
Adoption Paperwork -
obviously, the most important thing!
Translucent folder for paperwork (2) -
used one for most important documents, the other
for everything else - carried with us at ALL times
Thumb drive with scanned documents -
a little overboard, but made me feel better
PASSPORTS
Passport organizer (LL Bean) -
husband wore daily for cash, passports, etc.
Travel neck wallet (LL Bean) -
I only wore for travel days to carry passport
Extra passport photos (6 each total) -
too many, but I had extra copies everywhere
Extra copies of ALL documents (passports, visa page, driver
ʼs license, credit cards) - I
also left extra copies of ALL paperwork at home where our parents could easily access
if needed - I was convinced that if I had copies everywhere, nothing would go wrong!
Small notebook for taking notes -
didnʼt use
Information sheet of all hotels -
DID use this, you need hotel address for immigration
Information sheet of Western doctors/insurance info AND consulate contacts -
didnʼt use
but made me feel comfortable to have - travel insurance through www.medexassist.com
Contact sheet for US doctors and important ppl, including adoption agency -
important!
Sunglasses
Playing cards/card games
Cash (with cardboard placeholders) -
I ironed the bills ahead of time, worked perfectly -
the bills had no marks but were NOT new - we had no problems exchanging
Credit cards/debit cards -
used ATM at least once with no issue and bought a few
treasures with credit card
Converter (no adapter needed for us - check the voltage on your electronics)
Travel pillow (Lewis N. Clark adjustable travel neck pillow from Amazon) -
LOVED
Travel tissue packs (2)
Travel lysol disinfectant spray (1) -
didnʼt use
Toothbrush (2) -
just in case our sonicare got lost with luggage, didnʼt need
Travel toothpaste (2) -
just in case our toothpaste got lost with luggage, didnʼt need
Individual wet naps (6)
Deodorant -
we shared one, didnʼt want to chance it getting lost with luggage!
Ibuprofen
Tylenol PM (enough for flight)
Epi-pen (Nicole)
Benadryl
Hand Sanitizer (2)
Gum
Individual serving peanut butter (2) -
used on flight with pretzels
Power bar (1) -
very nice to have, food wasnʼt that great
Clif bar (1) -
very nice to have, food wasnʼt that great
Via (3) - l
oved having this
Splenda & powdered creamer (enough for 3 coffees)
Individual crystal lite (3) -
couldnʼt use because they didnʼt pass out bottled water
Netbook/charger
Ipod/charger
Opti-free replenish for contacts
Contact case/lenses
Glasses
Travel face wash -
I didnʼt want to live without my face care items if luggage got lost
Travel moisturizer
Travel toner
Travel-size warm vanilla sugar lotion -
one scent only, for attachment purposes
Lipgloss -
a must, I am addicted
Clothes & diapers to last baby a few days
Simple language Chinese for adoptive families book -
this was great!
Teach your tot to sign book -
also great!
Reading material for plane ride
Makeup
Ipad/charger
Iphone/charger
We also packed some of our clothes in the carry-ons to last for a few days, in case of
lost luggage. I am a firm believer that if you plan for everything, nothing will go wrong
and nothing did!
Photography Equipment
Of course not all families will take this much equipment, but you definitely need the best
stuff you can bring. I am so glad we had 2 cameras for Gotcha Day - we each had one!
Camera bag/purse (I used a crumpler - “the 6 million dollar bag”)
5D MkII body with 24-105L lens AND card
5D backup battery and charger
5D USB cable
Backup 5D card with large memory
Rebel body with 50mm lens
Rebel backup battery and charger AND card
Rebel USB cable
Flash with new batteries
Extra AA batteries (8) in checked bags
Receipts for equipment -
never needed, but better safe than sorry!
Remote control -
didnʼt use
Gifts
Red envelopes for tips -
not needed, but nice
Nice chocolate set for orphanage director - wrapped (1)*
Men
ʼs toiletries from Mary Kay (1)
Women
ʼs makeup from Mary Kay plus vitamins (2)
Gift set jelly bellies - wrapped (2)
Very small chocolate sets (4)
Red gift bags/tissue paper (3)
We didn
ʼt need all of the gifts we brought, but I wanted to be over-prepared instead of
not having enough. We ended up giving the extras to our guides in addition to their tips.
*Director Zhou really likes American coins - I think any coins are fine, but the rarer, the
better.
