Ready, Packed, Go!

First things first, make sure all passports are valid and made (i.e. ours valid, Heidi's made). I remember that I had to tag along with my Mum at the customs counters when we went overseas as kids. The photos of my sis, bro and me were included in her passport as her children until we got old enough to get our own. So being the suaku that I am, me thought that we had to do the same for Heidi too. Fast forward to this century (ok I exaggerate), we realised that the tagging system is way arcane and now everyone has their own passports - even cherubs a few months old!

That sorted out, we had to decide on a passport photo and decided to go with one from my sis's boyfriend's collection of snaps.

This is my favourite photo of the collection, but for obvious reasons we couldn't use it as the passport photo.

So anyways, ZX went to get the passport made at ICA, and we got notified via post once her passport was ready. We made an e-appointment on their website and got to collect the passport once we got there! *beams* By the look of many charcoal black faces in the overcrowded waiting room, evidently they didn't make their pre-appointment booking.

Next thing was to pack for us. It's really easy to pack for me because I basically just throw the minimum number of clothes + 2 extra sets + toiletries and I'm good to go. Suppose that's the seasoned travel-for-shopping syndrome, or perhaps the Girl Guide in me - the latter sounds more pro, thankyouverymuch.

BUT with a baby? (Just look at my diaper bag when we go out for a couple of hours and you'll know what I mean.) For Heidi, I packed:

- Thermometer

- Pram (read here) - this was generously loaned to us by my colleague and was a lifesaver. It was a travel-friendly make, i.e. umbrella flat fold, and the handles lent themselves to our day packs and shopping bags!

- Sling - we aren't for the baby carriers because of the strain it puts on the baby's pelvic area so we bought the sling when Heidi was born. Unfortunately, 10kg means the sling might not be able to take the weight so this was a just-in-case item.

- Heidi's chouchou

- Sack Seat (read here)

- Feeds: Hot water flask, Nalgene bottle, Milk bottles, Milk container, Milk powder, Bottle brush, Cleaning Liquid - for sterilisation of the bottles, we just did the old school method of pouring the boiling hot water over and into the bottles. We tried the 'throw all the bottles into the sink and pour water over them' method but frankly, that's utterly gross because you don't know what the previous hotel guest did in the sink, or the chambermaid for that matter. For hot water, remember to take note of how to say it in the native language of the country you are visiting! (read here)

- Nappy Changing: Pull-up pants, Normal Diapers, Changing Mat, Wet wipes, Tissue, Desitin - we decided to get a pack of pull-up pants to make for easy changing in the plane. As for the choice of Desitin, we like that it relieves and keeps diaper rash at bay!

- Food & Snacks - we brought enough bottles of Heinz pureed food but was KS and checked out the range of options in Japan just in case too (see below). As for snacks, ZX checked up on easing your baby's pain due to air pressure in the plane and recommended that we bring along some snacks for Heidi to chew during landing and take-off (as chewing would help with the popping ears). As luck would have it, our plane took 1 hour to clear the runway for take-off so by the time the plane actually took off, Heidi had already had her fill of snacks and refused anymore. We were quite concerned that she would feel the ill effects of the air pressure but she dozed off soon enough (and this was similar on our later flights as well). Sleeping is another recommended 'cure' for air pressure, by the way.

- Toys & Books - ZX also read that you should get your baby a new toy to keep her entertained on the plane (the path of discovery!) as she might be bored with her old toys to be distracted. We got her this really cool Twist & Match Rattle from Infantino (Kiddy Palace). You can twist the top or bottom of the cone and match the gaily coloured halves of the various animals. The top of the toy (not pictured), as the name suggests, is a rattle and makes a nicely beady sound when shaken - you know, some rattles have really annoyingly high pitched shakes. Turn-off. And the bottom of the toy features 3 different colours and 3 different shapes that the baby can twist and turn to his fancy, and each turn makes a creaky sound too. Anyway, all planes are equipped with enough literature, plastic bags and other carriers in the seat pocket for added entertainment! Heidi sure had her own fun with them!

Other stuff on my list:

1. Meds to bring for Heidi (e.g. cold, tummyache, cough)
2. Whether the 3 of us needed flu vaccination - unfortunately, if you do want to err on the side of caution and take the vaccination, you need to get it at least 1 month before travel, evidently we didn't.
3. Check what Jap brands of food suitable for Heidi - this I did at the Toa Payoh NTUC near my office, took note of the ingredients in the snacks and pureed food available since I reckoned there wouldn't be English translations in Japan.

So, like I was saying - packing for Heidi made my bag so damn heavy. And we hauled back a third of them back. Kiasuism - it's contagious.