Relocating to Doha with little kids
Hi there forum people,
We (my husband, me and our two kids (currently aged nearly 3 and 4 months)) are moving to Doha in August. I am looking into all the zillion things we need to do including shipping and wondering if it's worth shipping everything child related - car seats/ cot/ high chairs/ tricycles... or whether we can get cheap or free stuff out there.
As we have such a young family there are all the baby clothes, toys and books, then the household stuff too which is already quite a lot. If I can get the car seats, cot, high chair and some of the bigger kind of toys out there 2nd hand/ cheap or free then that would save us hassle and money.
If not I'd rather ship it all than be without.
Can anyone advise?
Thanks,
Josie
I disagree about the car seat - yes they are available here but like nearly everything else, prices are high for quality products and selection is limited. And you need one right away without knowing where to go to find one.
Child seat is a good to have but not a major requirement here. Suggest you to buy here if it is too bulky. Toys... you can be selective and not to bring all of them over. I left most of the toys back home when I move here. Clothings.. plenty here ... just bring enough. To me besides your logistics, the biggest challenge here is to get your kid into a school. Can be very difficult to get into good schools and waiting list is very long.
Dont forget to bring the baby.
Typing one handed as baby in the other...
So this'll be brief. Thanks for great advice.
I'll bring car seats, a few toys and clothes and leave the rest.
Looking forward to it!
I agree that you should bring safety equipment, for instance we could not buy stair gates hear, not even in Mothercare. You might find second hand, I just checked the classified section of this website and it has lots of stuff.
www.qatarliving.com/classifieds/forsale?filter0=All&tid_1=531&price%5Bmin%5D=&price%5Bmax%5D=
From the UK your electrical equipment will work.
bring safety equipment (f.e. car seats) with you as you will be sure that they meet safety requirements. Quality toys are difficult to find.
Hi if your company are paying for the shipment I would suggest to bring the baby accessories with you, it can be expensive here, asd the same for toys and clothes. I normally fill a suitcase up with new clothes when I go back to the U.K. On the other hand the clothes shops are great here and I do treat my kids when the sales are on.
leave all ur electronics behind they wont work on Qatar's power supply of 220v, unless u get a converter. Baby stuff is plenty available here. Mary's advice basically covers it i'm just posting for points coz i have no life :)
Sana is a clothing store. It has outlets all over in Oman UAE etc. It has clothing for babies up to and including men and women, but it's hit or miss depending on what their intake is on any given day. Kids clothing is probably the most dependable (at very reasonable prices), us older folk tend to be pickier about what we'll wear even if the price is cheap.
The only outlet in Doha now is at Sana Round about (Near Rick's country kitchenn restaurant)
It's a place you have to visit every 2 or 3 weeks (as shipments coming in arrive) to really take advantage of for yourself and your kids.
SANA ? Is it a mall ? Thank you.
Welcome to Doha, just get the basics and you get almost everything here, nothing much is free, the prices can be compared to the US almost, just donot worry
hardly see anyone flying back from this Golden cage
Bring the safety items (car seats etc) for sure. It can be hit and miss on "real" safety equipment here as children are not usually strapped in as they are in many countries and worse, not strictly regulated and examined by authorities (it will make your skin crawl to see how many children are bouncing around inside a vehicle, or hanging out of it let alone the infants on mama's lap in the front seat).
As for toys, how many does a child really need? I remember playing for hours with pots and pans and cheese slicer and flour in a cookie sheet pan - but maybe I was easily amused (and my mother didn't have an issue about cleaning up the flour).
Bring a size larger of the clothes to keep them going until you find suitable clothing here - SANA is a great place to buy kids clothes, mostly factory seconds or last years (or the year before) models but hey, does a 3 year old care? If you care, then you'll have bigger issues.
If they have favourite toys bring those - they'll be a comfort in a time of transition. Otherwise, unless your company is paying for the transfer, leave the rest behind.
Well I don't know if you can get free stuff..but yes, you can get all kinds of used stuff here.. and cheap too
So don't worry.. ship only stuff that you really NEED.. and rest you can buy here..its not THAT bad here .. :D
Welcome to Qatar :)