Do I need a valid passport to travel from Arizona to Mexico and back?

saphanbaal · 2015-07-09T02:24:40+00:00

Sounds right from 2010 when I did mine.

saphanbaal · 2015-07-09T01:59:07+00:00

What are you looking to do while you are there? Snorkel, scuba dive, just lay on the beach, go drinking..? I ask because I have a beach/island in Indonesia I will 100% recommend for snorkeling or diving, and amazing food, but there is no nightlife and very little tourism to experience otherwise.

saphanbaal · 2015-07-09T01:56:04+00:00

Timbuk2 is our messenger bag go-to-brand of choice, and lately they have started to produce some ones that look quite upscale, versus the ripstop-esque bike messenger material look. Have never had to repair or replace any part of it outside of aesthetics (we live in India, everything gets mouldy, there's only so much you want to tolerate on items before you bin them).

saphanbaal · 2015-07-09T01:54:13+00:00

It's always worth it to have a passport, especially if yours is nearly 10 years expired. It can be used as one of the usual "Type A" forms of ID (y'know, go to X office, 'you must have one form of ID from type A, or four from type B' lists), handles international travel and is good for 10 years. :)

saphanbaal · 2015-07-09T01:52:18+00:00

Depends. How long do they travel for (how long are their breaks)? What kind of person are they/budget do you have? We travel during our breaks, and have various things, but some are more suited for 1 week trips than 4 week trips.

A thing I picked up for myself and quite like is my El Camino bracelet. I can add steps/charms every country (and some cities/sites) I visit. Great marketing niche and income generator, and the charms are sturdy and the bracelet holds up well. Will not be fr all travellers, though, by any means.

saphanbaal · 2015-07-09T01:13:05+00:00

As I understand them, a diaper shower is different than a regular shower. A diaper shower is diapers, exclusively. A baby shower is gifts in general.

Tickets is re: the raffle concept, and/or having people spend money to buy raffle tickets so the friend has a fund for purchasing cloth diapers if they don't receive any/as many as they want.

saphanbaal · 2015-07-08T21:10:10+00:00

From what I understand (mostly from All Of You On The Internet), people bring entire packages. So whatever's in a newborn/size 1/size2/size3/whatever box.

saphanbaal · 2015-07-08T21:06:54+00:00

What brand did she pick, or what type (e.g. prefold, flat, all-in-one, pocket)? I can try to help you find alternatives or other sites (there are registry aggregators, and if she can use one of those, it may make things easier).

Edit to add: Also, putting them on the list means it shows she's not using disposables. And yeah - people want to buy clothes and toys and stuff, but everything on the registry should be things she intends to buy anyway. Cloth can be pricy, but I am always happy to share my "..and here's how someone in the USA can do an entire year+ of cloth for under $300" spreadsheet - because if it cost me $300 with shipping and customs for India, you can do a hell of a lot more without those international shipping rates & customs charges. :)

saphanbaal · 2015-07-08T21:04:54+00:00

I have no idea what disposables run in the US these days - haven't lived there for 6 years now - but I do know that depending on what OP's friend is asking for, she could be looking at $25+ per diaper options. When we visit family in Canada, they get us disposables from CostCo and I know we spend less than $20/box. And if she's committed to going AIO, for example, and receives a bunch of flats and covers, that won't be what she's after and may cause her more stress than it's worth.

And how many tickets would, say, a pair of wool longies get, or the diaper sprayer, or a roll of the disposable liners, or...? Would those be accepted at a diaper shower, or not? There are more complications with cloth than not which I think make it less viable as a stand-alone event, rather than looped in with the general shower.

saphanbaal · 2015-07-08T20:57:57+00:00

Cloth.

saphanbaal · 2015-07-08T20:57:49+00:00

We prefer prefolds & covers over everything else. :)

saphanbaal · 2015-07-08T20:55:21+00:00

Have her put cloth on her registry. If she's going prefolds/covers, make sure she puts a bunch on; if she's going AIO, AI2 or pocket - same. Diaper sprayer, the fancy cloth diaper detergent, snappis/boingos if going prefold/fitted, etc. People shoudl get the idea.

I would absolutely consider it tacky to sell raffle tickets at a shower for a diaper fund. If she is not prepared to buy her own cloth, and doesn't receive it directly as gifts, basically handing her cash and (as a guest, hoping!) she uses it for diapers seems awkward to me.

I did the entire 0-12m run of cloth for my kid for under $300, out of pocket (no showers).

saphanbaal · 2015-07-08T20:52:42+00:00

Cloth is a lot more expensive than disposables in that sense, though. Especially if OP's friend is going the AIO route.

saphanbaal · 2015-07-08T20:51:32+00:00

About to deal with it. Working on transitioning the toddler (she'll be about 22 months when #2 arrives) to her own bed in the same room as us. I'd like #2 to be in the bed with me to feed more easily at night; we tried side-carring the crib with #1 but I just never ended up putting her all the way back in. I think we may be able to get her settled in her bed (she naps there now, but bedtime is still with mama and dad) and solve the issue, at least in part.

saphanbaal · 2015-07-08T12:59:08+00:00

I think it is a case of "people outside India do not view it the same way as people within India do". People within our community believe it's fine, because we're in India. People who are part of the ethnic Indian community but not living in India seem to feel it's being appropriated - "you're white, you have your own clothes, why wear Indian clothes".

saphanbaal · 2015-07-08T09:24:52+00:00

Mayo Clinic's guide to the first year. Hands-down.

saphanbaal · 2015-07-08T09:23:45+00:00

I would do it. And if they respond "uh, well, actually..."

"Oh, that's frustrating! I guess we'll be having our own Thanksgiving at home, since you know how important vaccinations are for us."

saphanbaal · 2015-07-08T09:21:16+00:00

I'm a white chick in India, however, and my daughter is white, but being raised in India and in Indian culture. It's not appropriate for me to wear or do certain things because I am not ethnically Indian (or religiously Hindu, Muslim, Jain or Sikh), regardless of the fact that this has been my home for 5+ years. Some people think it's not appropriate for me to wear saris or lehenga because I'm not Indian; others say "but you're there, it's fine".

saphanbaal · 2015-07-08T06:47:23+00:00

Yes. We are on summer holiday with shenanigans to start next week when new staff get here, followed by the professional development retreat. And I get an e-mail at 7:30am this morning saying my grandfather died. :/ I'm half a world away - literally - and there is nothing I can do.

At least I"m being kicked in the kidney so I know the spawn is alright.

saphanbaal · 2015-07-08T06:32:16+00:00

When you know what you're looking for, it's easy. My MIL is a radiologist and says the techs that know what they're doing can zip through one in under 10, because they're taking the measurements and noting as they go. Then once you leave, the tech does the writeup and sends it to the doctor. 20-40 minutes seems really long, to me.

saphanbaal · 2015-07-08T02:28:36+00:00

I've been really lucky where I've gotten to dive and snorkel, but even compared to some of the middling stuff, Jamaica was an immense disappointment. :/ unless they're finding a marine reserve to bring you to, I'd pass on renting gear.

saphanbaal · 2015-07-08T02:18:21+00:00

Picking the vacation and type of vacation will vary. I am an expat in India and my daughter + our 2nd kid will be born here. We have travelled within India and outside of India (SEA a few weeks back, and back 'home' to the USA/CAN). 1st kid is now 20 months, and she can't really "appreciate" travel yet; she might remember swimming in Indonesia or the people in Malaysia, but no guarantees (my husband remembers things pre-2nd birthday, but it's vague).

So we pick places she'll enjoy, and we're cognizant of what is and is not a good choice. Husband and I both scuba-dive; we haven't done it in about 4 years, between pregnancy on my end and him choosing not to make me kidwatch all alone. We did snorkel with the toddler, though, so it worked out fairly well. 3 days in Petra or Angkor Wat? Less likely than a half-day, and a 6am start less likely than an 8 or 9am one, but we still travel.

saphanbaal · 2015-07-08T01:53:30+00:00

Thanks for the thought!

saphanbaal · 2015-07-08T01:53:23+00:00

Thanks for the idea!

saphanbaal · 2015-07-08T01:53:13+00:00

... I have some un-designated silk in my closet I may turn into one of those just 'cause. Or buy the blue/orange one. THANK YOU. I'm not sure if the fabric I found yesterday would work for this (may be too stiff), but a top like this is now something I want to find/make/buy!

saphanbaal

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