[pangmei]

Hi all,

We are planning on taking our 6 month old to Cambodia for a 1 week holiday. I have checked with our paediatrician re: vaccinations and he has advised that Finn is up to date and doesn't require any additional vaccinations. I also asked about malaria and he said that babies cannot take anti-malaria medication and just to be careful and use insect repellent (with deet less than 10%).

Just wondering if anyone has had experience with travelling with their babies to Cambodia and what precautions you took for malaria? Any other tips to ensure a safe holiday for Cambodia?

Thanks,

Grace

[Sunflower]

I have never been to Cambodia so this message might not help but I will write from my experience going to Africa. I took my at that time 2 year old daughter to Africa and she could not also take anti-malaria medication. I sprayed insect repellent on her,
put the insect repellent stickers on her clothes and made her
wear long trousers and shirt. And have also read that darker colors attracts insect(mosquitos) so I made her wear lighter colors. I don't know if this all worked but luckily she did not get any mosquito bites. I hope you have a safe and fun trip.

[tstmum]

I haven't taken our children to Cambodia but have visited myself. Definitely dress your baby in long-sleeved light coloured clothing and get a baby friendly insect repellant.

If you are going to the temples of Angkor then be aware that it is HOT there, I've not seen any rest rooms (but that doesn't mean they are not there) and you WILL be hassled by children trying to sell you stuff for "$1". You will need a baby carrier or sling, as in many cases a stroller would be impractical. Many of the hotels are quite close to the temples, so if you can then go back there for a break at lunchtime. When we did a tour there, they scheduled a lunch time break which I thought initially was a stupid idea - but after a long, hot morning at the temples I was thankful.

Having said all this, I think the temples are absolutely amazing and I'm sure you will find it fascinating.

[pangmei]

Thanks for the tips. Will certainly be packing the insect repellent and sling.

[Koan]

My husband is Cambodian and we took our son there for three weeks when he was 5 months old. We didn't use any mosquito repellant but took a mosquito net, made sure we were inside in the early afternoon (when dengue and malaria mosquitoes are out) and used a hand fan to keep bugs away.

Definitely take a sling or carrier since strollers are a bit of a hassle.

We took lots of clothes but most of the time just dressed our son in a nappy. He was really, REALLY hot there. Take a folding change mat so you can change baby wherever. Nobody minds, that's what Cambodians do.

If you're breastfeeding, Cambodia is the easiest and most supportive country ever in my opinion. You can breastfeed anywhere. Even in markets I asked sellers if I could sit down and feed the baby in their stall, they'd get me a chair, a glass of water and fan the baby and me.

If you have any more questions, feel free to PM me.

[pangmei]

thanks koan. we've just come back from our cambodian holiday and had a fantastic time. the sling certainly came in handy and we managed to keep the mozzies away from finn by using lots of rid!

[cyberfish88]

This thread is very interesting because I am heading to Cambodia and Singapore with my 7 month old at the end of November! Pangmei, any advice for me since you just did it? I am planning to use a baby carrier plus insect netting. How about transportation? Did you feel safe in cars with your baby?

[pangmei]

Hi there,

We stayed 5 nights in Siem Reap and 2 nights in Phnom Penh. If you haven't booked your accommodation yet, I can highly recommend the Shinta Mani (http://www.shintamani.com) in Siem Reap. It's baby friendly and the staff are very helpful.

In terms of visiting the temples, I would recommend going early (before 8am) as it gets very hot by about 10am. You also get to avoid the tour groups which tend to arrive en mass around 9am.

Siem Reap is considered high risk in terms of dengue fever and malaria, so we dressed Finn in long sleeved lightweight cotton clothing and were pretty vigilant with applying 'rid' on the parts of him that were exposed. A hat is also a must. He didn't get bitten at all so we must have done something right :-)

We hired a car with driver and a tour guide through our hotel and although not ideal, we just held Finn on our lap. The distances are quite short though and the driver drove pretty slowly. I would not recommend getting in a tuk-tuk with the baby as it is quite a bumpy ride.

We used the sling most of the time, but still brought along our Maclaren stroller. It was useful at night when we went out to dinner as Finn could sleep in the stroller and we put a mosquito net over the stroller.

Feel free to ask if you have any more questions.