Travelling to Malawi

[MissPitstop]

We are taking my 8 month old to Malawi in May(along with DS1&2)to meet his grndparents for the first time and need some hints and advice from any MN who have travelled there before.

My main worries include

What to do about a carseat so that we have safe car journeys whilst there?

Worried about safe water as DS not allowed vaccinations like the rest of the family until 2 years old.

Nappies - DS in cloth nappies, how best to manage for 3 weeks with baby in cloth

Do we take the buggy or rely solely on baby backpack?

Feeding - DS mainly only eats finger foods and bottle milk, easy in the UK but unsure of how will cope over there

Any advice would be welcome as DH is away until 5 days before we fly and in laws live in Zimbabwe and phone contact to the UK is banned!

www.fco.gov.uk/en/travelling-and-living-overseas/travel-advice-by-country/sub-saharan-africa/malawi

The above is current FO advice for Malawi. Would suggest you also read this before you travel.

Thanks for that Attila I have read your link. Have really good travel insurance, travelling on recognised airlines etc so hopefully have made things as safe as we can.

I know Malawi a bit, and am about to move to Nigeria with DS and DD (4 months). Cloth nappies definitely better than disposable that would probably end up in someone elses backyard. YOu can reuse the liners (unless pooey) so no need to take too many of them. I suppose other than that it's just a question of trying to wash every day or every other day. The weather's on your side though! I would rely on baby backpack if at all possible. Nobody really uses a buggy out there and much more hassle for travelling, plus pavements are pretty rubbish and unpaved tracks (by the lake etc.) not exactly buggy friendly.
you can buy bottled water everywhere so just use that. I wouldn't do water purification tablets or anything like that for a baby.
Take very good mosquito nets - unless you konw that where you are staying has good ones. And plenty of mozzie repellent. Malaria a real risk, so might also be worth taking a good thermometer to check for temperatures and get kids checked out at the first sign. Unless you want to take the prophylaxis (don't think we will be) - malarone is the best but very expensive.

And take water shoes for the lake - risk of that water borne disease that I can't remember the name of.
Will you be hiring a car? if so you should be able to check with the company if they have car seats, otherwise you would have to take one. Isuppose if they are new enough cars they will have seatbelts in the back to attach it with.
You can get UHT milk in cartons but wouldn't trust anything else. Finger food, bread etc shoudl be ok, just be really careful with washing everything.
Again all depends where you are staying, most of the big hotels and posh places on the lake have pretty good standards so should be safe.
Hope that helps! HAve a fabulous time, it's gorgeous.

I wouldn't worry too much, use bottled or filtered water. Hopefully you will have access to a washing machine so you will be able to wash the nappies easily and they should dry quickly in the sun. If possible they just need to be ironed to reduce the possibility of mango fly. I'm sure if you are in Lilongwe you will be able to buy disposables should you need them.

I would take the buggy as well, we have used ours often, not so much for getting around more for temporary feeding/sleeping etc when out and about..

I would take formula with you, as it is terribly expensive out here and the brands are different and I found when changing ds2's brand it upset his tummy.

Finger foods should be fine, maybe take some of his favourite 'snacks' if he has them, like crackers, breadsticks etc otherwise you can buy what he likes to eat when there.

The biggest worry is malaria, take a good travel net, make sure he is in bed by 7pm (if possible!) if not then cover him in long sleeves and trousers even if its hot and spray him with repellent - try Mosiguard, you can get it from www.travelpharm.com as its fine for babies. Spray his room before he sleeps in it too...

You can get bilharzia from the lake, it is transmitted by water snails that live in the reeds along the edges, however the locals will tell you if it is a bilharzia area or not. It can be easily treated.

Car hire companies out here even if they have relatively new cars don't have car seats so I would take yours with you.

Africans love babies and he will be spoilt rotten! Malawians are such fun people I'm sure you will have a great time. Enjoy.

Thankyou for your comments. Have looked on travelpharm and will be buying nets and mosiguard tonight from them.

We are staying with family in Blantyre but are flying into Lilongwe and have to make our own way to Blantyre. We are considering hiring a 7 seater for getting around but as we are going for 3 weeks the quotes via the internet with international companies come out at a huge ammount. I dont suppose you can reccomend a more local car hire company.

We are all so excited about going and I know his grandma will be catching up on all her missed cuddles so DSs will be spoilt rotten and I will have plenty of help.

Glad to be of help, though I think I may have given the impression I am in Malawi I am not, I am in Nairobi, so many apologies However after 10 years in different parts of Africa I can safely assume there are a great deal of similarities between African cities

So I'm afraid I can't help with the car hire companies. Maybe bebobaggins can help?

Alternatively you could contact some safari companies via the web, rather than the international names and see if they can do you a better deal, they will have mini buses/ 4x4s to hire I'm sure. Or try to find a 'Lilongwe what's on' website, try via africaonline.com and there should be car hire company/tourism links.

this might be a good starting point?

Thanks for all your help we have now sorted most things ready for our holiday, I just need hubby to come home safely (6 days and counting) and DS3s passport to arrive!