Can I bring my 1 year old while studying in CHina?

[Lorine Burrows]

I have been searching endlessly in regards to this question! Am going to study in China on a scholarship for the Language course. I am also a first time mother and wife and the thought of leaving Both my husband and kid just wont do. Can I at LEAST bring my daughter? If so, are there daycares that can accommodate her without costing an arm and leg??

[edelweis]

Hi Lorine,

regarding bringing you child your might find these interesting:

http://www.chinese-f...ear-old-in-tow/

http://www.chinese-f...ion-of-my-baby/

It looks like your child can probably get a tourist visa. If you can't get her a visa that matches your duration of stay, you'll have to get it extended while in China. You should do your own search for "child" and "visa" on this forum, this question has certainly been discussed in other threads.

As to daycare, you should probably tell us which university you'll be enrolled in, and whether you want a Western or Chinese one. You should also search for "daycare" in the search box on this forum.

You might also consider getting a nanny or a babysitter, but I have no information about price other than it should be considerably lower than in Western Europe or North America.

[edit] regarding accommodation: I am not at all certain you'll be able to live with your child in university dorms. You should ask the university, but I am afraid the answer might be no. So you will have to take that into account i.e. you may have to spend money to find your own accommodation.

[Meng Lelan]

Be very serious thinking this question. There may be daycares but there are safety issues for your child - will your child be given food and milk safe for consumption (and not tainted formula/milk products), will your child have access to a car seat while in travel, will caregivers be seriously trained in child safety? What about health care and medical insurance for your child?

[jasoninchina]

I think your best bet would be to find a nanny. Down here in Haikou, a live-in nanny costs between 1000-1500/month. The difficulty is finding a good one. And after you find one you like, you should have him/her get a medical checkup, blood work, the whole shebang. The benefits to this arrangement are that there will be no other kids, you choose what they're fed, etc., and they come to you.

You should probably provide some other details. Where will you live? What is your budget? etc.

[roddy]

Then where does the nanny live? That forces you into renting an apartment, which cancels out a lot of the benefits of the scholarship. Live-out nanny - I suspect most Chinese women looking for this kind of work want something full time, not just cover for your classes. And assuming the OP doesn't yet speak Chinese, finding a decent nanny is going to be a nightmare. One year old is presumably too young for an on-campus kindergarten (which you'd probably have to pay fees for anyway). Can't see how this works without considerable hassle and expense.

[Meng Lelan]

And does the scholarship allow bringing a dependent?