Useful information for people living in the San Francisco Bay area

This page provides useful information for people living in the San Francisco Bay Area based on personal experience. Please let us know if you have any comment or suggestion.

Table of Contents

• Baby stuff that can be bought in the U.S.
• Baby stuff that can be bought in China
• Toys
• Air ticket between China and the U.S.
• Visitor medical insurance

Baby stuff that can be bought in the U.S.

When buying stuff for babies, it is worth the effort to do comparison shopping. In addition to tuning to the various deal sites on a daily basis, such as FatWallet, Slickdeals.net and etc, you can also do comparison shopping with sites such as NexTag and PriceGrabber.com.

With these comparison shopping sites, you can see the price history of the products you are interested in and also get an idea of what the lowest price it may go. In this way, whenever there is a deal coming in, you can decide quickly whether it is good or not.

Because your time also has value, please keep in mind not to sweat over the small stuff. :)

Before deciding to buy online from a web site that you do not know much about, unless it is recommended by your friends it is worth checking it with the http://www.resellerratings.com/ site for the store rating.

Once you decide to buy from one web site, you may also want to check http://www.evreward.com/ to see if you can get any cashback for this purchase if you visit the web site through a referral site.

Following are specific notes for certain products used for raising a baby.

• Breast Pump

  Breast pump is almost indispensable. Often the mother's dilemma is that sometimes baby doesn't want to eat when the mother feels her breasts engorged while she may have empty breasts when baby wants to eat. Breast pump helps to decouple the timing between production and consumption of breast milk. It is also needed when mother goes back to work.

  An electric one is much better than a manual one even though the former is more expensive.

  Because mostly you just need to buy breast pump once or just a few times (say for your daughter or daughter-in-law) in your lifetime, it is prudent to go with the one that your friends also use and recommend.

  We recommend Medela Pump in Style. You can choose it with Backpack, Shoulder Bag or Metro Bag. It is said that even the Metro Bag is not stylish, so you can go with the Backpack or Should Bag which is slightly cheaper.

  Based on Slickdeal discussions, we bought one from http://www.awaybabyessentials.com/. They don't list the price on their web site, so you have to fill your name and email address to request the price list. It gave the lowest price so we bought from it. We also checked with Medela and confirmed that it is indeed an authorized Medela breast pump reseller.

  Please note that breast pump cannot be returned after it is opened.

• Stroller and infant car seat

  It is usually a good idea to buy a travel system that includes a base, a basket (carseat) and a stroller. The base is installed in your car and almost never needs to be removed. The basket sits on the base and sometimes you can just carry the basket along with you when the baby's weight is still manageable. :) Most products allow you to put the basket onto the stroller so that can be very convenient.

  It is a good idea if you can get an used one from family and friends, otherwise you will have to choose from a myriad of products.

  We got an used Chicco Cortina Keyfit 30 Travel System from a nice American family. This is a bit pricy and we think products from Graco, Britax are also good choices. For example, you can buy the Graco Passage Travel System for under $200 or the Graco Quattro Tour Deluxe Travel System for around $300 if you can afford more.

• Convertible car seat

  When the baby grows older, you may to buy a convertible car seat on which your baby can sit facing backward and forward. Britax is a good one.

• Crib and cradle

  Perhaps choosing a crib is the most difficult one. First you have to choose whether you are willing to buy a drop-side crib which allows you to lower one side so you can put your baby in and get her out much more easily. However this is a risk that gap may form between that side and the crib mattress and baby may be entrapped and suffocate in that gap. You can read the article What Are The Safety Issues With Drop-Side Cribs and decide it by yourself.

  Please keep in mind that if you don't have a drop-side one and your baby really enjoys sleeping in her crib it may hurt your back if you have to put the baby in and get the baby out many times a day.

  We have a Graco drop-side crib at home, however we don't use that often because our son prefers sleeping with us and it is much more convenient for night-time feeding. So when buying a crib, don't spend too much money on it as your baby probably won't like sleeping alone in a crib.

  You can also consider buying a convertible crib that can be converted to a toddler bed, or even a full-size bed. Usually it may require extra hardware to convert it to a full-size bed, so do read the product description carefully. We don't think the conversion to full-size bed is really necessary because you can put the baby to a regular bed when she outgrows a toddler bed.

  Though buying a cradle is not a cost-effective choice, it is really convenient for the first few months because you can move the cradle around your home.

• Gliders and Rockers

  You can just regard them as rocking chairs that you can sit on while surfing the Web or comforting the baby and yourself to sleep. :)

  We bought the Storkcraft Tuscany Glider and Ottoman from Walmart for under $200. You can choose the site-to-store option to get free shipping if it is unavailable from your local store.

• Diapers

  Probably the two leading brands for diapers are Pampers and Huggies. There are also some other store brands that may be cheaper. However we don't dare to experiment them with our baby. :)

  We think the Pampers Swaddlers diapers are soft and thicker (probably can absorb more) and used them up to size 2-3 because they don't have size from 3 and up. For size 3 and above we use Pampers Cruisers and Huggies Snug-Dry and we think both are fine though Pampers Cruisers still feel softer.

  For your first order of diapers, you can buy them from Diapers.com. You can buy two jumbo packs with a filler item or three jumbo packs to reach $49 to get free shipping. You can use our referral code "YUONLAMP" to get $10 off your order. You can also cancel the one-year free subscription to the Parenting Magazine that comes with the first order and get $10 rebate back. Because Diapers.com is one of the participating Bing cashback stores that offers 3-10% cashback and sometimes Bing even offers double cashback, you should start your shopping with Bing when buying from Diapers.com. That may give you about $5 cash back for a $49 order. That's equivalent to about $25 off $49 which is really a good deal. :)

  FYI, the following lists the various sizes of Pampers diapers:

  • N: up to 10 lbs
  • 1: 8-14 lbs
  • 1-2: up to 15 lbs
  • 2: 12-18 lbs
  • 2-3: 14-22 lbs
  • 3: 16-28 lbs
  • 4: 22-37 lbs

  Just another tip: Pampers provides the Gift to Grow program while Huggies provides the Enjoy the Ride Rewards program which you can join. There are stickers in their diapers' package which contain codes and you can type them into their web sites and earn rewards points.

  You can also use some promotional codes to earn free Pampers Gift to Grow points. On that page you can also share with other people promotional codes that you know.

• Wipes

  We buy the Kirkland Signature Baby Wipes from Costco. Most of the time we find water cleans baby's bottom much easier. The wipes are mostly used when the bottom feels very greasy. :) They are also useful when away from home because faucet water is not always ready available.

  The soft and thin cotton cloth bought from China is also very useful for drying baby's bottom very quickly.

• Baby nose cleaning tools

  When baby throws up, some milk may come out for her nose. In case she catches a cold, her nose will also produce a lot of mucus. Once her naval passage is blocked, she has to use her mouth to breathe as she cannot clean her nose by herself. This can cause problem for feeding. Therefore, it is crucial that you help her clean her nose regularly.

  We use Baby Nasal Aspirator Vacuum Suction and Baby Nose Cleaning Tweezers by Pigeon and they are really useful especially the first one. You can also buy them from the Mitsuwa MarketPlace in San Jose.

• Baby nail clipper and scissor

  Baby's nail grows very fast and you have to cut it very often otherwise babies can scratch themselves easily.

  We have both Baby Clear Cut Nail Clipper and Baby Nail Scissor by Pigeon. We find that the scissor is easier to use when baby is very young.

  You may also find them from the Mitsuwa MarketPlace in San Jose.

• Bottle warmers and sterilizers

  We have a bottle warmer and a bottle sterilizer, but we don't use them at all.

  First when we need to warm the milk, we just get some hot water from the faucet with a mug, microwave it for one or two minutes, and then warm the milk bottle in the mug. Bottle warmer doesn't provide much more convenience because you still need to clean and dry it after usage.

  As we have many milk bottles and other feeding accessories, one bottle sterilizer is not enough to hold them all. When we really need to sterilize milk bottles and nipples, we just boil them in hot water for a few minutes.

Baby stuff that can be bought from China

If your parents can come over from China to help, then you can ask them to buy some baby stuff there. Price is not just the only factor. Another is convenience because it is much easier to buy them in China because you can get them from many superstores.

• Baby pillow

  In the U.S., it is advised against using any pillow for babies. However, in practice you may see that your baby can only sleep on one side because of her football-like head shape. Using a pillow helps her sleep on the back of her head. You may need to buy a pillow that has a hole in the middle so the back of your baby's head can fit in.

• Cotton cloth

  You can buy very thin and soft cotton cloth that absorbs water very easily. This is especially useful when you bathe the baby because it is very gentle to the skin and dries the body very fast.

• Nursing bra and pads

  These are needed for nursing mothers because of milk leakage. It can also be used to wipe the milk away from baby's mouth when feeding.

  Washable pads are more cost effective because you can reuse them many times. Just buy a few more which gives you the same convenience of disposable ones.

Toys

If you don't have many helping hands, then toys are indeed life savers. Besides, good toys also help babies develop their various skills. Because they are so important and have so many varieties, we create a separate section just for them. :)

You can buy toys from Babies "R" Us, Toys "R" Us, Target or Diapers.com or online and their local stores. In fact, you can also find discounted toys from ROSS, Marshalls and T. J. Maxx.

To save money, you can also buy used toys though you need to make sure they still work and clean them. Babies are born to destroy the old world. :)

Because babies grow so fast, you can actually let them play toys ahead of the manufacturer recommended age as long as they are safe.

• Infantino Activity Toy Set

  The activity toy set from Infantino can be used for babies 3 months and above. Babies can grasp them to develop their finer motol skills. Babies can also chew on them during their teeth eruption.

• Manhattan Toy Baby Whoozit

  This is a small and versatile toy that can be used even before baby is 3-month old. You can hang it over the crib for baby to see and you can also let the baby play it with her hands which can make different sounds.

  As the red heart of the toy might be a choking hazard, you can either tuck it in or be present when your baby plays with it.

• Fisher-Price Stride-To-Ride Lion

  This toy helps baby to walk and ride on it later. In fact, once your baby can sit straight up, you can put her on the Lion and play with her. You can push the Lion and your baby forward or pull them backward. The Lion's laugh is really cute. :)

Air ticket between China and the U.S.

For travel between U.S. and China, it is usually much cheaper to book through a local Chinese travel agent. Even if your final destination is not Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou or Hong Kong, you can still include in the ticket the domestic travel part. This is usually cheaper than buying them separately.

We have bought tickets from the first three travel agents listed below and the first one usually gave us the lowest price quote. The rest are used by friends so they are still reputable.

• EZ Travel Services
  44790 S. Grimmer Blvd.,Suite 201
  Fremont, CA 94538
  510-226-0808
• Perfect travel service
  4320 Stevens Creek Blvd # 175
  San Jose, CA
  408-248-1088
• World travel
  792 Barber Ln
  Milpitas, CA
  408-954-1668
• Wonder travel
  20432 Silverado Ave # 3
  Cupertino, CA
  408-996-8588
  

Visitor medical insurance

we bought visitor medical insurance from the first two web sites listed below for our parents visiting the U.S. before though we never actually used it so we don't have any claim experience with them. We hope that you don't need to use the medical insurance either.

• http://www.insubuy.com/
• http://www.path2usa.com/
• http://www.travelinsure.com/
• http://www.psiservice.com/

Please also note that most visitor medical insurance plans don't cover preexisting medical conditions. Even if some do, they are much more expensive and still place a lot of restrictions. so your best bet is to ask your parents to take enough medicine with them and take preventative measures for chronical illness if any.

Once you buy the insurance online, you can print out the insurance letter immediately so you can actually hold off buying until 2-3 days before your parents' arrival date when the travel schedule is unlikely to change.

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