Your choice of brands!

Welcome to NZ!

I use Homebrand nappies during the day and Huggies at night, however you can get Pampers here Pampers Nappies they aren't cheap though!

If only I could have brought a Boots, a Tesco and a Marks & Spencer with me when we moved to NZ, I spend far too much at Bramptins to get my chocolate fixes

Thanks MrsEmma!

Blimey...they are expensive aren't they! Perhaps I'll stick with Huggies...

I didn't take a kiwi friend seriously enough back home when she told me to pack EVERYTHING plus enough to last a year following our arrival. I wish I'd bought my own facecream too...I went to Farmers (I can't find it anywhere else) this weekend and found out that it costs $114 here...I'm obviously not buying it anymore! The thing that I miss most is sugar free squash... I miss the supermarkets back home too....but I WILL ADJUST and I have to keep telling myself that!

Thanks again for the response.

Hi UK2NZMummy - yes bring everything!!! That was what we did, right down to the dustbin - silly I know.
My sister arrives next week with a Boots-style care package of shampoo, deodorant etc & also M&S underwear - hurrah!

I've seen some Simple stuff in the Warehouse, and the facecream you saw in Farmers, you might be able to get in the Warehouse too.

Sugar free squash - you can get sugar free cordial stuff (I buy Pams lemon flavour), and in our New World you can get sugar-free Robinsons - but only in the smaller bottles.

Welcome to NZ!!

Just putting it ou there (sit down before you click on the link, you may just faint at the prices!! Bramptins Cordial there's no lemon but they may get it in later!

I had the exact same experience as you when we moved here when DS was six months old. I am a NZer but having been in the UK for the previous few years had absolutely no idea about baby products/brands and it was a period of trial and error for sure!

I used Pampers in the UK and find Huggies to be the best here. Huggies also do fragrance/alcohol free wipes (in the green packets) which I use. Dentinox cradle cap shampoo - haven't needed it since we got back but DS2 is due next week and I will be gutted if I need dentinox and can't get it!! Let me know if you find anything comparable?

DS1 was EBF while we were int he UK but every now and then we used SMA Gold formula for top ups or if someone else had to feed him. When we switched to formula here I tried all the brands and ended up using Karicare Gold.

We use Johnson and Johnsons baby shampoo as a combination shampoo and bodywash. It's really gentle.

The thing I still haven't quite gotten used to (to my satisfaction at least) is laundry powder. We don't have the bio/non-bio distinction here (it's hot water vs cold) and I find that nothing gets poo stains out quite like a hot wash with bio did! Also for non-poo washes in the UK I used a really lovely gentle washing powder designed for babies (I think it was called Filetti) but haven't found anything like that here.

I too really regret not shipping more stuff home - even when you can get the same products here they are sooo much more expensive. Especially baby clothes! Fortunately (or unfortunately from the spending point of view) Marks & Spencer, Mothercare and Next all deliver to NZ. Next in particular has a NZ website which has free delivery. There was a thread about it recently with info re import duty and GST which you need to be aware of - I'll see if I can find it for you.

For disposables I used whatever is cheapest, have a look in nappies for less, they do cheaper bulk nappies and alot are just generic brand american ones.

Wipes I've used all of them, but since we use them mainly for hands and face when out I buy whatever is cheapest.

For cradle cap use the good old oil wait and then comb/wash out in the bath. Another thing that I have done is a very small amount of t-gel neutrogena shampoo and it got rid of it only used it a very few times.

Body wash I have used mustella which is available at the baby factory, its what we used in birthcare after DD was born and is dermatologically tested. Aveeno is what my bros ex uses for their son who gets bad ezcema.

I didn't read posts in detail enough to read what face cream you use...but strawberrynet.com website is awesome for getting the good brands and saving a couple of dollars. Free shipping most of the time too. I'd never buy my clinique at the shop now, it's always cheaper online and turns up in my letterbox within a few days of ordering :-)

Simple products can be bought in New World. We use Simple Shampoo & conditioner on the kids, plus simple soap so I'm sure they've got the body wash?

There is also a Mothercare in Auckland and I'm sure they would do delivery cheaper

KatieD wrote: UK2NZMummy wrote: Just wanted to thank everyone for their replies.....especially for the knowledge of knowing that Next, Mothercare and M&S deliver to NZ!!! Hi UK Mum - where in wellie are you? I am in Porirua. You can get Bold from the UK shop in Petone ($14 a pop I think), and sometimes the NW in Porirua has Persil GEL TABS :-) Did you bring your front loader with you? We did, and are the envy of our street hahaha!!

We're in Wadestown. I'm still trying to work out where places are so will look up Porirua up on the map in a sec!!! We've been getting Surf, which strangely enough we used back home too, but I'm sure we're not saving ourselves any pennies by getting it.

We're still waiting for our things to be delivered (we're currently glamping in our house!) - the container was meant to arrive 3 weeks ago - my guess is at least another 2 weeks. Frustrating but we're surviving. The house we're renting has a top loader, oven and fridge/freezer included but we've sent our own things. One of the first things I'll do is get the washing machine and tumbledryer plugged in! I hate ironing and for some reason this washing machine gives everything creases that even an iron won't get out!