Overseas move after birth

sevenofnine86 · January 2014

This is my first pregnancy (I am due April 26, 2014) and just found out my better half has gotten re-assigned to Naples, Italy. They were able to work things out so that he will not have to leave for schooling until June. I believe school will be about 3-4 months long, but directly after that, we will be heading overseas.

1. This is my first pregnancy and I am weary of a move (if even just to another state for a few months) such a short time after birth.

2. I have never lived overseas and our baby girl will not even be a year old by the time we have to head over there.

Does anyone have any advice on dealing with moving during/after pregnancy or travelling overseas with an infant? Both pregnancy and living abroad are completely new to me. Any advice would be helpful. Just need some reassurance through all of these big changes this year!

happylady07 · January 2014

How exciting! I have several friends that had their kids while living in a foreign country, they said it was difficult being so far from family but an amazing experience they wouldn't trade for the world. That's nice that you will get to have her here and then move when she is a few months old, leaves all the guesswork of traveling overseas out of it if you had family that wanted to be there for the birth. I don't have any personal advice as we were merely across the country, not in another country from our families when my son was born. Enjoy the experience though, take it as the awesome opportunity it is, and even better that you get to experience it with your little girl. Good luck!

Avion22 · January 2014

We'll be moving from the UK back to the US when the baby is 3-4 months old. I've actually heard that that age is good for travel because he'll mostly sleep and nurse, and not be a squirmy loud toddler :-)

A few things we are planning on/considering:

1. Passport/visa. You'll need to start this immediately after the baby is born to make sure you have both a US passport and Italian visa (if you need one for him) before your move. This can take a few months, so start looking into paperwork as soon as baby is born and you have orders.

2. Nursery. If you think baby will be a year old, then go ahead and set up a nursery at home. We will NOT be doing a full nursery because everything will have to be packed up and on a boat by the time baby is like 8 weeks old, so we're just doing a pack and play and changing table, and that's about it.

3. Other baby stuff -- we're only buying what we need for the first few months, then we'll buy the rest when we move back to the US. Stuff in europe is way more expensive, and while you can get a lot of stuff at the BX, you can't count on getting everything. A lot of US websites will ship to an APO (military overseas PO box), including Amazon, so you will have a lot of options for US-based shopping while overseas, so it's just a matter of what you think you will need right away. You can also send some of your own stuff to yourself ahead of time. Most things take about 7-10 days to get there if you send them priority mail.

sevenofnine86 · January 2014

Thank you! The info about the passport/visa is very good to know! And since you are moving back from Europe to the US, waiting to buy most things is probably a good idea. Hopefully your little one will be a good traveler for you! I wish you the best of luck with everything to come!

Avion22 · January 2014

Oooh, @Hawkward had a really good point about the carseats. I'm not sure about Italy, but here in the UK if you have a US-spec car then you MUST use a US car seat. If you have a UK-spec car then you must use a UK carseat. A lot of companies make seats for both the US and European markets, but they are subtly different (strap configuration mostly). The US and EU also have different rules about when a child must be rear-facing, and when and for how long they have to be in certain kinds of seats. It's worth checking all of this out before you go :-)

sevenofnine86 · January 2014

I was curious about getting another seat or not. I have seen things online for baby travel that attach to the tray in front of you and I wasn't sure if that would be the way to go or if another seat was the best idea. We are PCSing there by the end of the year and I am anxious! Nervous and excited all in one! My first baby and moving abroad all in one year! A lot of big changes!!!

sevenofnine86 · January 2014

meltoine · January 2014

In addition to getting a passport, your husband will have to have her added to his orders as soon as you receive her social security number. Once she is added to his orders, he'll have to apply for command sponsorship for her and you'll fill out some paperwork and so will her doctor (to make sure that she doesn't need any medical care that isn't available where you're going). Once that is done the travel office should take care of getting her a visa.

Another tip: When you are ready to get her passport photos taken, don't take her to Walgreens/CVS or the like. They are generally terrible at getting a photo of a tiny baby that meets the requirements. Find an actual photographer who does passport photos. The owner/manager of a local camera shop is usually a good place to start looking. Do yourself a favor and track this person down now- lots of phone calls looking for the right person is the last thing you'll want to do with a newborn.

The military will pay for a seat for her. Take it. Bring her carseat on the plane. Even if you do end up holding her most of the time, you'll be able to put her down safely while you eat and use the bathroom. Also, flight attendants are (generally) happy to help with babies. I've had several offer to sit with my kids while I use the bathroom when flying alone with them.

Overseas move after birth

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