Hi
the mrs and wee one are due out here in 3 weeks time and I am busy trying to get things together for when they arrive.
All good so far
However
I am trying to find sterilising tablets for cold water sterilisers such as Milton. Started with Bahrains equivalent of Spinneys, then Carrefour and Geant. Then tried Boots the chemist and the local pharmacies but at all of them I have drawn a huge blank.

Has anyone in either Abu Dhabi, Qatar or Bahrain used these or is everyone using microwave sterilisers ?

Am travelling to all three countries before the mrs arrives so could get from any of them if they exist

Thanks
On behalf of the wee man

I'm in Dubai and I've seen Milton ones...or I'm pretty sure I have. However, I'd suggest a microwave steriliser is better. Tommee Tippee do a one-bottle sized one which is great... as long as you don't need to do batches!

Other things that you may find useful to bring over are:
- sugar-free Calpol (simply can't get it. Their Calpol is the full-on gloopy stuff we had as kids)
- sugar-free teething gel
- Ashtons & Parsons powders (what I refer to as Baby Cocaine - isss great!)
- organic baby rice/ porridge/ snacks/ jars are all at a premium and less choice than in the UK, so bring out as much as you can (if you're going down that route)
- sugar-free anything (packet jelly, etc...)

Hope this helps!

Thanks HK
if you remember where you saw the Milton please PM me. One of my drinking buddies now lives in Dubai but works in AD so I could send him out shopping for me and collect them in AD.

Really don't like microwave sterilisers. Am a bit old fashioned like that and he will have grown out of them altogether soon

Will take your tips on the sugar free stuff
But
What are Ashtons powders ?? I have grown up kids, a 14 year old and now a wee one but have never heard of Ashton powders ..... Are they a down South thing ?

nooo, they've been going for ages!

Baby Coke ftw!

They're a herbal remedy to "soothe fretfulness in infants" - mainly teething-related. They look as dodgy as hell: a loose white powder wrapped in a bit of paper, but I swear, as soon as it's in the child's mouth, they stop crying and perk up.

As for the Miltons... I though I saw it in bottle form. Not in Boots, cos they're crud here for baby stuff... it must have been in a supermarket, so either Waitrose, Geant or Carrefour. Couldn't your partner bring some of the tablets over with her? All you need is a large tupperware with a lid.

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oooo, 999 posts! Whoop whoop!

[QUOTE=Hello.Kitty;8320591]. Couldn't your partner bring some of the tablets over with her?

Yes thats the last option but I think she is up to 3 suitcases already, probably all full of "just in case we can't get it there" stuff

[QUOTE=Tockalosh;8321632] hehe, yes... I have no idea how those diddy baby clothes end up taking more room than my own stuff!

I found that half of my suitcase was taken up with toys - "oo, but it's her favourite!" (haha) - but a toy is a toy, so it's almost worth just bringing out the most favourite toy - and any books (I've only found one cloth book out here and that was for £10 in Mothercare! ouch!)... and buy some new ones out here. There's more important stuff to bring.

Oh yes... one last thing - just in case you've never travelled with bubs before on a plane - take the car-seat in with you to the cabin and stow it there. It's too precious to stick in the hold. Kick up a stink it they say no. We checked ours in on our first ever flight and on the return, it got staved in... I was livid, cos it's not like the handlers can't see it's a safety seat. Anyhow, same for the buggy, either take a cheapy one or secure it really well, especially protecting the foam handlebar grip, which has a tendency to rip in-flight.

if you don't like the microwave sort why not steam or boil the bottles?

we bought a vegetable steamer, much larger than a tommie tippee type and does exactly the same thing for 1/4 of the price

beats using chemicals any day in my mind and is quicker

or just give them a good wash with oldfashioned hot water and washing up liquid...
I like those mums that are anal about sterilizing everything but see no problem in popping their fingers in precious little babys mouth

I agree! I steamed in a fashion for about 8 month then got pissed off with it and just gave them a good old clean! at this point Rachel was actually trying to eat cat food anyway!

well, I can honestly say that with all 4 I have never sterilized anything...but then I am a bad bad mother...

yeah well there is that isn't there I won Mother of the Year award last week for sending my child to school with no lunch, the previous time I won it was for not sending her at all

..and bad, bad mothers need to be punished......muaahhhaahhhahhhaaa

[QUOTE=Tockalosh;8321632] Tock,

We are in Bahrain and had to get the steriliser tabs brought over with friend from the UK.

BTW - Agree with KC the babby cocaine is a marvel of modern medicine...

Cheers

I'm so with you! When they start to crawl you might as well give up. It all goes in the mouth anyway

Never had to sterilise anything, cos it'd be too painful. Plus, Miss Kitty's favourite toy was known as "rancid Rabbit" which kind of made any kind of hygiene a joke... she found and ate some rat poo when we first moved to JBR too. Day 3 of weaning Mr Kitty Jnr (oo, got to do it properly - purees et al), found his sister feeding him pasta with chilli sauce.