Moving to Basel with a newborn - what supplies to bring?

[ng1412]

Hi, have posted before about possibly moving to Basel and now it is actually happening in August.

Our dd is now 4 weeks old and will be around 11 weeks when we move to Basel. My DH will be working full time and I will be a SAHM.

I just wondered whether things like nappies, baby lotion etc are cheaper in the UK and therefore should I bring a supply of them with me or whether it's not worth it? We won't have a lot of space in our luggage but I would like to bring what I can if possible.

Any advice would be very welcome. Thanks.

[LIZS]

No they won't be cheaper but you can easily go to France (we used to drive up to Colmar and Mulhouse a few times a year) or Germany if the Euro seems more favourable than chf. Penaten is similar to Johnsons and Fixies nappies as well as Pampers. Migros also offer their own range - and are online for you to compare prices here , also Co-op supermarkets, even small ones, have a good selection. I liked the Nivea Baby range . Carrefour and Toys r us are both present in CH for bulk buys of Huggies, Pampers et al if you venture out of town. You'll probably want to make your own weaning foods as pure baby rice isn't that easy to come by so if that is likely to be your thing take some (lots of fortified, sugary and flavoured formulas and cereals available) and the seasonal veg seem much fresher than here.

[MmeLindor.]

No, I wouldn't bother. If you are being paid in CHF, then nip over to France and take advantage of the strong CHF - you will find that everything seems very cheap there.

I would stock up on stuff like Calpol though, and infacol as the Swiss like to make medicines taste disgusting and my DC would not touch it.

Ditto cough medicines (for yourselves too) and Lemsip - they go for natural yukky tasting stuff with honey and lemon which does bugger all to stop a cough.

[kreecherlivesupstairs]

My two rappens is take paracetamol for yourself and brufen. They are eye wateringly expensive and all the visitors we had were made to bring them. Marmite is something that I never saw on sale except in Globus or Manor and again, hideously expensive.
I didn't have a baby, mine was six when we moved there, but I would second the calpol. DD refused the Swiss stuff because it was butterscotch flavour.

[kreecherlivesupstairs]

Also, one thing I did notice with regard to nappies, COOP and Migros and occasionally Denner all seemed to have a BOGOF on pampers at different times. I don't know if that was coincidence or planned, but you could stock up in one shop, then when they run out, go to the next one for the special offer.

[LIZS]

I'd forgotten Denner , also Pick Pay was similar. Take a supply of any otc medicines you use regularly. They do equivalents of the likes of Bonjela and paediatricians will send you home with a bag of "goodies" when you take your baby. If you like any specific magazines take some with you and comfort foods such as Cadbury's chocolate and favourite teabags to keep going while you find your feet. Migros is good value (relatively speaking of course)for baby/kids clothes and do an eco cotton range. Amazon and several other uk based companies will now deliver to CH.

[Binfullofmaggotsonthe45]

Hi Basel resident here, i would say bring a month or two of your trusted brands just so you don't have to think to much about it should you need calpol etc.

Karvol or something similar may help as a lot of folks moving to the area suffer with allergies even if they hadn't previously, oh and a room humidifier wouldn't go amiss either.

Don't forget you are but 15 minutes from german and french supermarkets with a wide range of products at much cheaper prices. I recommend the Real hypermarket in Freibourg.

[kodokan]

Kids' clothes are insanely expensive here, especially for semi-disposable things like vests and sleepsuits - there are no Tesco/ Asda/ Primark equivalents with cheapie basics. Fill a suitcase with stuff that'll fit your DD for the next 6-12 months, then do a once a year shop in the UK!

[Binfullofmaggotsonthe45]

Yes you get very tired of dressing your kiddies top to toe in Hennes sometimes!

However as i said you are super close to Weil am Rhein shopping centre, just through the border pass and it has loads of UK priced stuff. I think we are lucky in Basel. Last Christmas i was looking for a special lego set for ds from toysrus, and looked in the Mulhouse (France) and Freibourg (Germany) and the Oftringen (Swiss) store. 3 countries between breakfast and lunch!

[bunnyfrance]

You certainly don't need to bring Cadbury's chocolate with you - you'll be in the land of the best chocolate in the world!!

Hope everything goes well with the move!

[Binfullofmaggotsonthe45]

Sad thing is bunny, i would kill for a bar of dairy milk today:)