We will most likely be moving next year to Zurich from the States while I am pregnant. I was wondering what baby items you were happy you brought with you or wish you had brought with you when moving to Switzerland?

I have only visited Switzerland once and I noticed how expensive baby clothes are...but what about all the other items? Is there anything you cannot get in Switzerland that you didn't realize until after you moved here? Or you had to pay a pretty swiss franc for that you could have brought from "home"?

Oh and what about maternity clothes? Easy to find? I would assume they are rather expensive like all other things in Switzerland!?

Thanks for all your insight, it's greatly appreciated!

Apart from the cost of stuff here (which is in some ways offset by the higher wages) you can pretty much get everything you need.

As a tip (if this is your first baby): you don't need anything like the amount of stuff you think you need for a newborn.

We are kicking ourselves for buying half the baby shop of things we never used...

I would go to GAP and buy up on things. there is no GAP here which is such a shame!

I would bring baby paracetamol/Ibuprofen, liquid format with a child friendly taste (I am not a fan of the paracetamol suppositories, even though they work at lot quicker...)

Oh yes, I forgot about that. A definite source of consternation among the expat community here...

Kids Medication

I would bring everything. In fact I did bring everything except for the baby crib. And a bumbo. You know how much I paid for a bumbo here? New? 89 CHF. Yep. The stuff in the US is so much cheaper, we've found its worth it to bring everything.
And if you have an allowance and a diaper genie, bring refills!
Cheers
L.

Crib, strollers, clothes, shoes, toys for the first few years, car seat, etc. Even if you ship it all, you will still save money.

All depends on who is paying your shipping... if it is a company move then I agree with everyone above. Bring much as you can of what you think you will need.

They do have everything you need here, but it comes at a cost and there is not much choice. I always take an extra case when we go home to the UK or visit the states. You will have a wider selections of strollers, cribs, activity toys, clothing you name it.

You may kick yourself if you see something you really like and think you can find it here... odds on you won't find the exact same at a comparable price.

First babies are a special time and yes you will not use half of what you buy but that never stops anyone. A big move, new baby and strange country will be enough to deal with, bring as many home comforts as possible to get you through the first few months

Be aware though that beds and bedding are different sizes here. The standard "cot" (not moses basket or newborn crib) size is 140cm x 70cm. Just an FYI in case you bring a cot but decide to get mattress here etc...

Good luck with both the move and baby

Things like an Exersaucer or battery operated swing chairs are expensive here and AFAIK you can not buy an Exersaucer here. I borrowed mine from a friend and I do not know what I would do without it. Also I had a swing chair which is great for the early months. For my first baby didn't buy any of these and found I was constantly holding and rocking the baby so second pregnancy first thing I bought was a swing chair. My daughter loves both.
You know you can also buy things second hand here from parents both on this site and families yahoo group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Families-in-Zurich/.

As for suppositories, I prefer them for small babies as the medicine is quick to administer and the results are faster. I do, however, prefer the teething gels from home and have quite a good stock.

This is really not necessary -- both exist in liquid form and can easily be bought in any pharmacy. In Switzerland most common brands are called Dafalgan (paracetamol) and Algifor (ibuprofen).

This is good advice not only for the baby, but for you too. Bring paracetamol/ibuprofen for yourself as well if you require them occasionally: OTC drugs are extremely expensive here compared to the states. A pack of 10 x 400 mg ibuprofen costs about 10 francs here, whereas I just got a bottle of 500 x 200 mg pills for less than 20 dollars from the US.

What on earth is a 'bumbo'? And is it really essential to have one?

If I now were to move to the USA, I would assume that there is an equivalent or a suitable replacement there of whatever I can find and normally use here. Even if things are cheaper, is it really worth a hassle shipping stuff across the Atlantic all the time?

But if bringing familiar, culture-specific objects makes you feel more confortable and less stressed about moving to a foreign country, then I understand.

I agree, bring as much as you can.
Not only are things two to three times the price here, but having more than one type of any item on the shelves is seen as inefficient and economically wasteful. Case in point for me was the bouncy chair I bought my Bub. We looked everywhere, and the only ones available were either Baby Bjorn or one other very expensive marque. Cost around CHF 85, built like brick sh*t houses and ugly as sin. The manufacturers probably had to convince the inspecting authorities that they would survive a nuclear strike.
Got one from Amazon UK, cost equivalent CHF 30, Bub delighted with it, and has christened it with a variety of different fluids.

Cheers

Jim

I got a 'script' from my paediatrician for baby Tylenol yesterday, so they must have it!

Also, I *cannot* get decent nursing pads here - the same *crap* brand is stocked by all the supermarkets/department stores, but inside it's just the same product.

Oh, and nappies, we use the cheapest brand we can get - again, same product, different packaging (in fact, it's the same product we buy in the 'home brand' packaging in Australia!)...

Essential baby items:
A bigger bed for mum and dad so baby fits (breastfeeding in bed makes life a lot easier).
Good baby sling (ask around your friends, I have an Australian one made by the breastfeeding association which I love, there are lots of *crap* ones out there)...
Good baby books (again, ask around from experienced mums whose parenting philosophy you agree with, plenty of *crap* books out there too!)...
Stroller/Pram - there is a whole thread on the forum here on how to choose a good one - but in some ways better to save your money and buy one *after* you have the baby, so you know what is practical (I'm in no hurry to take my bubs out in the snow in a stroller, prefer to carry them in a sling because they are against my body and warm/protected and I can constantly check their hands and feet to make sure they aren't cold).

I gotta say too the idea of the 'diaper genie' is lost on me - purely on an environmental level, plastic-wrapping every nappy with added perfumes simply to throw it in the bin...seems overkill. Although I do use plastic nappies (I don't like to call them 'disposables')...so I guess my kids already have made an enormous contribution to the waste pile..

Thanks I searched far and wide for an exersaucer here and didn't find one; I thought I just didn't try hard enough.

A bumbo is a very very cool thing. Lighter and less complicated than a baby bouncer. It's essential for me because it allows me to ah, shower. I haven't found a better way. Bumbos cost like 30 bucks in the US. What is essential and what is really essential is relative.

Yes. We did most of it on 2 adults' economy ticket luggage allowance. Grandparents fill in the blanks.

Hi Swiss pea
The one I have doesn't individually wrap each diaper nor does it have perfume, it's just a bag that is sealed in what is essentially a closed pail. So smells don't come out. Even though they sometimes do. Bad smells cause bad moods which I had the link on hand. In case anyone does have one, the angel care refills sold locally fit the diaper genie.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diaper_Genie

This is the one I know about - it wraps each plastic nappy separately and the plastic is impregnated with perfume.... I think it should get an 'unenvironmental award'...

However, I never formula-fed, and I understand that formula-fed poos are a million times worse than breastfed poos...

I had 1 of them fantastic no smell what so ever

As for the nursing pads i used Anita`s really good, i still have half a pack left (all sealed) if you want them (or anyone else)

Bring it. I cannot stress this enough. We brought it all... crib, stroller, changing table, clothes, etc... We also came over when my wife was pregnant (7 months at the time of move), and it was the best idea by far for the following reasons:

-Price: Those $3 onesies at Target? Try 30-40 CHF here. Everything else is wildly more expensive here.
-Time constraints... shops close very early, and you will simply not have the time to handle the move along with shopping for all the baby stuff. The move while being pregnant is stressful enough, so best not to add more to it.
-The company paid for the move, so why not? ;-) The container was a fixed price with or without baby stuff.

I argued with my wife at the time that it was not necessary to buy everything in the US, but she won that argument, and of course she was right.

We now have the apartment ready and nothing to do but wait for baby... due Dec. 31.

Oh, and bring maternity clothes too. My wife found lots of cute boutique maternity stores, but a pair of maternity jeans averages around 300+ CHF.

Good luck!

-Alan-