Hi I will be travelling to India , mostly Bombay with my 2yr old son for the first time.

I am concerned about his health. We live in the US and would like to hear from other parents about their experiences. My main questions are

1. What shots should i give him. Has anyone given Malaria medicine to their kids?
2. Where can i find diapers in bombay ?
3. What basic toddler finger foods i can find for him there
4. I read some posts where they suggest that you boil the water even for bathing? is that true and practically possible ?

Any advice will be helpful. mandeep replied. the injection i wrote in the morning which can be given to kids is called typhus vaccine. n reg malaria, delhi is low risk so is bombay so our DR. here has not given any medicine for that. u can google the india malaria map n see there for more informaiton. madeep replied. just couple of days ago i have been told by my cousion that the pampers nappies which r made in dubai n is sold in india r better then the indian brand as they dont give LO' s sore bums,
reg. vaccine we went to see our dr. here in UK for my son vaccination as u know we r also traveling to india so with all the normal/regulary immunisations he will only be getting Hepatitis - A ,plus when he was born (12 days old) as he is a child of indian parents he was given BCG one also.There is another one which i can' t remmember but will ask my hubby when he is back from his work n will right that' s this is the one kids only get when they r 2 year old n over.hope this give u some idea.
we have been told by DR. to make sure that our son dont eat/drink anything from out side and reg. boiling water for bath yes dear we have to boil the buckets for water n let then cool till the required temp. be4 giving bath to our little naughty persons. Ritika replied. I agree with Mandeep..to all the moms who are ridiculing npalicha...please do not talk so when you have absolutely no idea.

When we were in India, we did not have kids. So we have no idea where and what to get for baby needs.

Instead of just replying and telling npalicha about the brands and various options that she can give to her son, you guys went in a totally different loop.

I moved to US 7 yrs back and every time I have gone, my immune system has taken a hit. I was the one who loved street food (and still do)..had a stomach as strong as an ox, could drink water from any place and eat from any road side stall...now if I do not drink boiled water, I get severe diarrohea and vomiting. Last 2 times, I have been sick half of my vacation.

It is also true about babies being born and brought up in US, UK having lesser immunity than those born in India. My SIL' s 3 month old went to India and fell sick with a week. He was in hospital for some bacterial infection for 3-4 days.

If you have never been to say Shillong and have to visit that city for 3 months with your baby...wouldn' t you want to know if you get what you need there or what substitute products you can give her there??

For milk, I always used to drink gaushala milk when in India. I have no idea about the branded milk that is now available there. If I ask questions on that, what is so wrong about it?

About malaria shots, most peds here advise that when they hear of us going to India...again, what is the big deal if some mom wants to clarify that??

Rhea: FYI - here you get hot (which is v.v. hot) water and cold water in the taps. So one does not have to separately boil water to bath babies. One can simply mix the two in the bath tub and give the baby a bath.

Thanks sss for clarifying this doubt in the original post.

The reason I read and reacted to this post is because I myself am planning to go to India soon with my lil one and I have the same questions that npalicha did.
rhea replied. your 4th question amazes me....\" u boil the water even for bathing\" is it true and practially possible??

i was just wandering r u not boiling the water while bathing ur kid.....if thts the case...its very harmful to bath him with cool water/lukewarm water..making them bath in slight hot water reduces their body pains, after bath they get good sleep...practically its possible...i guess indian moms agree with me.... mandeep replied. ALL THOSE MUM' S WHO WROTE IN THIS POST N LIVE IN INDIA IS RIGHT BUT CAN I MENTION I WAS BORN IN INDIA N LIVED THERE FOR 24 YEARS THEN I GOT MARRIED N MOVED TO UK. THE VERY FIRST YEAR I WENT TO SEE MY FAMILY I WAS FINE , THEN NEXT YEAR IN 2000 WHEN I WENT I HAD A VERY VRY BAD SUN BURN WHICH HAD NEVER HAPPEND WHEN I USE TO LIVE IN INDIA. THEN I WENT TO INDIA IN 2005 I HAD BECTERAIL DISTERNTRY AS U MUST HAVE GUESS I HAD EATEN OUTSIDE N WAS ON ANTIBOITICS. IF A ADULT WHO HAD SPENT 24 YEARS OF LIFE IN INDIA THEN MOVED ABROAD N CAN' T COPE WITH FOOD OR WATER AVAILABLE THERE SO HOW CAN U THINK THE BABIES WHO R GOING TO INDIA FOR FIRST TIME CAN COPE. THAT' S THE ONLY REASON. WE NRI MUM' S R WORRIED.I KNOW INDIA IS VEY VERY ADVANCE COUNTRY NOW N HONELTY I AM PROUD OF IT. WE WILL BE FLYING TO INDIA IN MARCH WITH MY 13 1/2 MONTH OLD SON N I HAVE TO BE CAREFULL. BE.COZ KIDS THOSE WHO ARE BORN OUTSIDE INDIA R NOT PRONE TO POLLUTION THERE PLUS WEATHER AS U ALL KNOW. BABIES THOSE WHO R BORN IN INDIA HAVE IMMUNE SYSTEM TO COPE WITH THINGS THERE. PLUS THE FOOD/MILK MY SON EAT/DRINK IS NOT AVAIBLLE THERE ( HE EATS HIPPS ORGANIC BABY FOOD RANGE N DRINK APTIMIL 6 MONTHS PLUS FOUMULA MILK). I KNOW GERBER BABY FOOD IS AVAIBLE IN INDIA BUT I HAVE NEVER SEEN THAT IN UK SO I AM NOT SURE HOW GOOD IS THAT. ITS NOT THAT WE R VISITING INDIA WE R CONCERN BUT IF I HAVE TO GO TO ANY WHERE IN THE WORLD I HAVE TO SEE WHAT IS THE BEST FOOD OR DRINKS AVAILABLE FOR MY SON. HOW SAFE IS WATER ETC. WE WANT TO ENJOY OUR VISITS TO INDIA N WANT TO MEET OUR FRIENDS N RELETIVES THEN SITTING IN HOSPITAL. hi replied. I do understnad that all u US based moms who travel to india have concerns and qns...which can be asked on a board like this...since its meant for this..bt at times i really wonder whether u still belive india to be the land of snake charmers only! I mean okay u are travelling with ur kid for the first time...so u need travel tips whereabts of toddler finger foods etc...bt do u really feel that u will not get disposable diapers in india?? arent most of us born n brought up here? didnt we cope up...i know u want to be extra extra careful with ur kid...every mom wd want to...even i am...bt some of the qns amaze me.
hope all ur kids have safe trips and remain healthy forever.
with due regards, sss replied. parents are concerned about everything relating to their children.and that is perfectly normal.
but you dont need to worry a lot about your child' s safety.he will be okay here.
1.you can protect your son with a good mosquito repellant like allout or goodnight when you are indoors.still,if you are very particular about the shots you can give them to him after discussing it with your doctor.
2.you can find diapers in all medical stores,malls,lifestyle shops,shoppers stop,or even in some stationery shops.
3.do you give homemade fingerfoods or not?i give my 19 months old son cheese,boiled eggs,idli,dosa(rice pancake),boiled carrots,potatoes,biscuits etc as finger foods.
4.i dont boil water before bathing my son.but i do use filtered water only and not tapwater(i have aquaguard with RO system).

5.i give my son buffalo milk from mother diary.either full cream or toned one.buffalo milk is more nutritious than cow' s and safe to give after 1st year.
6.ofcourse you can give yoghurts available here(why not?????)or you can make them at home.
all the best for your trip.hope you will enjoy it here.
p.s i live in delhi.
namrata replied. Also one more question that i forgot earlier..

My son drinks regular milk.. What brand of milk is safe to give him there. can he have the yogurt that is available there ?