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Adopting a Child from Russia
We have had a number of adoptive parents stay with us over recent months and our apartments are equipped to make your stay relaxed an easy and we have all the necessary equipment and facilities you will need to care for your new child. Most people coming to Russia for the adoption of their child have not previously been to Russia and may be in for a culture shock, especially if you are adopting from an orphanage that is outside of Moscow and you are required to spend several days in the Russian city where you are adopting your child from.
While Moscow itself will be a culture shock, it is a true ‘capital city’ and there is nothing that you cannot find or buy in Moscow - even though it may not seem like that to a new arrival. The smaller cities are very different to Moscow and your time in those cities can be frustrating, very limited in activity and often rather ‘limited’ in terms of what you may be accustomed to by the way of basics of living. Apartments and hotels are likely to be very poorly equipped and fitted out and offer you very limited facilities. That is one of the reasons why we do everything we can to make our Moscow apartments as comfortable as possible and to have them fitted out with as many of the same facilities and conveniences that you would enjoy at home.
In this page we have outlined some basic information about the services that we offer, to assist you in making your decision to stay with Best Moscow Apartment Rentals when you are in Moscow. We are able to offer a service unmatched by anyone else in Moscow, as we provide you with direct access to the native English speaking owner of the business, so that you can receive real advice and real help with any issues that you may have. Being able to talk to someone who actually speaks the same language and has the same cultural background, is different to simply speaking to someone who understands the English language.
While this page offers limited information about some of the adoption specific issues relating to young children and babies, we would strongly encourage you to read our FAQ section for more information about many of the other issues that may arise in Moscow/Russia and that may answer many of the questions that you have. If you do not find the answer to a question that you have, please contact us and we will tell you what we know or see what we can find out for you. The information in our FAQ section is updated on a regular basis, so feel free to check back again if you don’t see the answer the first time.
Cot/Crib
For those children that require a cot (crib) they are available for your use and come equipped with bedding and linen. The cot (crib) provided is a Chicco Lullaby model, which is a modern style, Italian fold-out cot, made of hard durable moulded plastic, with canvas style sides and bottom. The cot is fully washable for hygiene purposes. The cot also has two lockable wheels so that it can be firmly locked in one place, but also easily moved if required.
Child Bedding and linen
The cot is provided with a mattress (10 cm thickness) designed to fit firmly into the base of the cot so there are no gaps between the edge of the cot and the mattress. We also supply a doona to fit the cot, a doona cover, a bottom sheet (not fitted), a pillow and pillow case. You are provided with extra supplies of linen for the child. All linen is cotton and the mattress and pillow are low allergenic and designed for children.
Washing machines and washing powder/softener
Each apartment also contains a washing machine for easy washing of any soiled or dirty clothes and we provide washing powder and fabric softener that is appropriate for infants and young children. There are clothes hangers in the apartments for drying clothes.
Highchair
We can also supply you with a highchair if required. The highchairs provided are either a French made Bebe Omega or an Italian design Chicco highchair. Both are adjustable and are made of modern durable plastic and steel construction that is very sturdy, but can be easily cleaned. The highchairs both have a detachable food tray that can be easily cleaned (the Bebe also has a removable plastic cover on the food tray). The necessary straps to secure children using the highchair are also attached.
Baby bottles/bottle steriliser
For those with younger children, we have a supply of good quality baby bottles (you may need to purchase the appropriate teat, although we have several) and we also have a French made Tefal 10 minute thermoplastic microwave steam steriliser that can be used for sterilising the bottles and teats.
Babies and Baths
All of our apartments are suitable for guests with children, but we recommend that adopting parents book either Olga or Anastasia, as we feel that they are the most convenient for parents with young children. That recommendation is primarily made on the basis that both Olga and Anastasia have lifts (elevators) in the building and they both have a combination bath/shower, which we feel is more suitable for bathing young children than a shower cabinet (such as in Vladimir). Parents have stayed in Vladimir with babies and there have been no problems, as we can supply a baby bath to use in the shower cabinet, but we feel that Olga and Anastasia suit a family better.
Baby shops, baby food and baby supplies
Across from our apartments and located on Novy Arbat street are 3 important shops for new parents. The first is the Novyarbatsky Supermarket which is open 24 hours and in addition to carrying all the usual supermarket produce lines, also has very good supplies for babies. They stock a very good range of baby food, formula and drinks and they also stock all the necessary baby health care products - nappies, baby soaps (eg. Johnson & Johnson), creams, lotions, wipes and all things that you need.
The second shop is called Detsky Mir (which literally means Children’s World) and that is one of Russia’s oldest and largest retail chains catering for children. Detsky Mir also carries carries a full range of baby formula and foods and virtually everything else that a baby will need for hygiene, health, safety and eating. In addition to that, they also stock a large range of clothes, toys, linen, the same as you will find in any large children’s store. The following is a link to the Detsky Mir website and although it is in Russian (every product has photos), you will be able to have a look at the range of products that they sell online, to have an indication of what they have available: Detsky Mir website link.
The third shop is called Mothercare and is part of the global Mothercare empire. That shop stocks a very similar range of products to Detsky Mir and it is largely a question of price differential and different brands. The website for Mothercare is again in Russian, but there are plenty of pictures, so you can again see the range of items that they are able to supply: Mothercare website link.
If anybody is looking to buy products from Detsky Mir we do have a discount card for their chain of stores that provides a minimum 5% discount. The more it is used the higher the discount will go, so we encourage people to ask for the card and use it.
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