Going to Tripoli with Baby

Welcome on board xtravel

I extend my seasons greetings to you as well. I hope other members will try to respond to you soon.

Regards

xtravel wrote:

Hi All,

Seasons Greetings & Happy New Year 2011 in advance to all....

I have been offered a role to work in Libya for 6 month and I am planing to go there with my wife and baby (9 month).

I want to understand what type of baby foods are available at supermarkets, are there any good supermarkets in tripoli.

Can anyone tell me are these available in Tripoli?
-> S26 Gold formula milk (http://alturl.com/5bqg4)
-> Heinz Rusks (http://alturl.com/rbmiw)
-> Baby Diper (http://alturl.com/w7fc9)

Hope to get some answers soon...

Hello X travel ... a very happy merry christmas and new year to you too ...

my friend libya is no more a desert - you have all branded items and shopping avaialable in Tripoli (gargaresh) ...

and there wont be any prob for your or family in libya they can buy anything they like ...

you can always reach me for any help or guideness ... message me in my inbox if any thing required ...

thanks.

All branded items and shopping avaialable in Tripoli (gargaresh) ...

Really?

Telling that to someone coming without a child to Libya is one thing. But telling that to someone with 9-month old baby is something completely different.

Formula...

I think I've seen somewhere Wyeth formula. Not sure it was S-26 but it's quite possible. Unless your baby has protein allergy it should be quite easy to find some good substitute. I'll keep my eyes wide open and I'll let you know if I spot S-26.

Diapers

This is quite a long story... In Libya you have quite a wide range of choice. You've got cheap Libyan, Egyptian and Tunisian stuff. Then goes a little bit more expensive Turkish and Saudi Arabia stuff. Recently some American diapers showed up. A little bit pricey and not very good. You've got also Pampers and Huggies. They are well overpriced. Cost almost twice as much as in Europe (in Malta for example). Recently they lowered the price of Huggies. Probably no-one wanted them for that price.

You won't find the ones you posted. We used to buy Can Bebe. They were Turkish ones, good and quite cheap. They used to be almost everywhere, but it's impossible to find them. Probably they stopped bringing them or someone made a bad joke to someone else and 20 containers of Can Bebe are waiting patiently in Misurata or Tripoli harbor. 

Heinz something...

There's a lot of Heinz products in shops but I'm not sure if they sell anything for babies here. I'll take a look at babies shelves in few shops.

@aroosjm. I would be really happy if what you've said was true. Since some of the things I can't buy in shops I can do myself, just please tell me where in Tripoli I can get parsley root: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wurze … urzel.jpg.

thanks:)

wysoki wrote:

All branded items and shopping avaialable in Tripoli (gargaresh) ...

Really?

Telling that to someone coming without a child to Libya is one thing. But telling that to someone with 9-month old baby is something completely different.

Formula...

I think I've seen somewhere Wyeth formula. Not sure it was S-26 but it's quite possible. Unless your baby has protein allergy it should be quite easy to find some good substitute. I'll keep my eyes wide open and I'll let you know if I spot S-26.

Diapers

This is quite a long story... In Libya you have quite a wide range of choice. You've got cheap Libyan, Egyptian and Tunisian stuff. Then goes a little bit more expensive Turkish and Saudi Arabia stuff. Recently some American diapers showed up. A little bit pricey and not very good. You've got also Pampers and Huggies. They are well overpriced. Cost almost twice as much as in Europe (in Malta for example). Recently they lowered the price of Huggies. Probably no-one wanted them for that price.

You won't find the ones you posted. We used to buy Can Bebe. They were Turkish ones, good and quite cheap. They used to be almost everywhere, but it's impossible to find them. Probably they stopped bringing them or someone made a bad joke to someone else and 20 containers of Can Bebe are waiting patiently in Misurata or Tripoli harbor. 

Heinz something...

There's a lot of Heinz products in shops but I'm not sure if they sell anything for babies here. I'll take a look at babies shelves in few shops.

@aroosjm. I would be really happy if what you've said was true. Since some of the things I can't buy in shops I can do myself, just please tell me where in Tripoli I can get parsley root: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wurze … urzel.jpg.

thanks:)

@wysoki ... u took very personal my friend ... all i meant was in general as our fellow from Sinagpore was worried if we could fine certain GENERAL necessties for babies ... now there might be certain brands sold in Singapore or wat ever country for dippers - if those brands r not sold in libya doenst mean libya doesnt hve dippers for kids ... i hope i made my point clear ! thanks,

I didn't take it personally, but almost a year ago I was in the same situation and was also looking for some information about baby stuff. Also about formula. I've heard the same, wide choice, no problem and now (my son has some allergies) I have to bring it from home every time I have a chance to go. If someone asks for very precise stuff than I'm trying to answer as precise as I can and not that "Libya is not a desert".

It reminds me when I was in Libya for the first time few years ago, trying to find traditional underground houses somewhere in Jebel Nfusa. I had a map, some instruction, but map was quite old and the roads had changed, so I stopped to ask one guy for directions in my poor mixture of fusha and Libyan dialect. "Excuse me, I'm looking for underground houses", "What?", "Houses, places to live, that were dug in the ground long time ago...". "We Libyans don't live underground!!!" - he said and walked away proudly.

That time I also didn't take it personally:)

"It reminds me when I was in Libya for the first time few years ago, trying to find traditional underground houses somewhere in Jebel Nfusa. I had a map, some instruction, but map was quite old and the roads had changed, so I stopped to ask one guy for directions in my poor mixture of fusha and Libyan dialect. "Excuse me, I'm looking for underground houses", "What?", "Houses, places to live, that were dug in the ground long time ago...". "We Libyans don't live underground!!!" - he said and walked away proudly.

That time I also didn't take it personally:) "
Ohhh this made me laugh!

I also have a baby here, and have been in this situation for almost a year. As far as formula goes, I have no idea. I've never used it.
The baby food, there has been Heinz in the Palm City Market in the past. I haven't looked lately, as he is past that point. I also just brought a baby food mill and made much of his food myself. That seemed to work best.
The diapers are expensive, but I always buy the Huggies. They have improved a lot since we got here. Almost as good as the ones I buy in the states. I just look away when they ring them up : )
You can find a small array of most baby products, if you do a little searching. It's like a scavenger hunt! Happy hunting : )
One thing I do make sure to stock up on when I go home, is medicines. Like children's cough syrup, and Tylenol.

Hi Xtraveler,

Okay so unless you're staying 2 months in Libya it would be unpraticle and expensive to bring a supply to last the length of your stay here.
So, i would forget about bringing the baby rusks (unless they're for babies with allergies. they have Plasmon cookies which are a good)
Diapers there are some decent brands and I refuse to pay 21 LYD for something that will end up in the garbage after 3 hours ( I use peaudouce a Tunisian brand for my three children and no complaints here)
As for the milk unless it's for a specific allergy type then you should bring enough so that you can slowly introduce a new brand of baby formula. They have an okay selection here but I would go for what we Locals use because it's usually what is most widely available (i use bebelac).
hope this helps...