Making sure your child is thriving is going to preoccupy all of your braincells for at least the first few months of you child’s life (if not forever) and while you’ll have no shortage of books and websites to help you along – things are done a little different here (well, I’ve never raised a child anywhere else, but I know at least the vaccine schedule is different than in the US), so here’s a preview of how things go: (more…)
I once blogged about what purchases really helped me while pregnant and have been meaning to tell you the same about the baby stuff for some time now, but I guess having a little over a year under my belt with said baby and stuff, I’m better prepared now anyway.
There are oodles of lists out there for you to google and find, but here is what worked for us. Mostly, it is based on what we lucked into as hand-me-downs or gifts, but some if it was really great stuff!
TIP: Get anything and everything you can used (except for breast milk related stuff and the carseat) – it was only used for a few months and sometimes not even that long and you will save SO MUCH MONEY. Put the word out to all you know, with apartment sizes as they are here you are sure to come across a friend of a friend who is dying to get rid of all the baby stuff they’re no longer using. Use things like Tell & Sell Japan and Free Stuff Japan and if your Japanese is up to it Yahoo Auction for deals. There are also used baby goods shops in Japan (like Bă»KIDS / BOOK OFF) along with local used clothing stores – check around your neighborhood!
Also – many things you can get at home you can get here also, you just have to know what they’re called. I tried to link to sites in Japan when possible to show you the Japanese terms and prices for things, but if there’s something you’re looking for and can’t find, let me know and I’ll give it a whirl.
Hope this helps and happy shopping!! (more…)
