A minimal amount of clothing for the baby should be bought. You never knew you knew so many people until all those baby presents arrive.

Preparation of the baby's room is a bit more challenging. If your finances are limited, take a look into the Avis paper under Baby und Kinder to get an idea of what is available and what you are willing to buy second hand. Time saver tip: call several numbers to find a seller located near you.

There are also many second hand stores for baby gear; a good list can be found in "Baby in Hamburg." (See Reading Recommendations.)

The first visit to a Babyausstattung store can be overwhelming. The stores are huge, full of numerous varieties of carriages, car seats, etc., or so I thought. Now when visiting such a store, I realize there are not so many car seats on offer after all because only half a dozen are appropriate to my child's weight and size.

Here is short list of the larger baby stores. There are many smaller boutiques out there but they have hefty price mark ups. For addresses near you look in the Yellow Pages under Babyausstattung. FYI: When buying your needs for the baby's room, German stores will hold your selections until the baby has arrived.

For excellent salespersons and Beratung (advice), visit:

1. Baby - Dorf

  Gärtnerstr. 150
  25469 Halstenbek
  Tel. (04101) 479 90
Freeway exit Halstenbek-Krupunder; turn left from the overpass than right at the light. Although the same owners have opened a second store in Sasel, the personnel leaves much to be desired.


2. Baby - Dorf

  Saseler Chaussee 128
  22393 Hamburg (Poppenbüttel)
  Tel. (040) 600 19 80



Baby Markt has three stores in Hamburg. Their presentation is not as attractive as Baby Dorf's and the stores seem understaffed but their prices are better for the same goods.



3. Baby Markt - Alsterkrug

  Alsterkrugchausee 533
  Tel. (040) 50 43 31


4. Baby Markt - Elbe Einkaufzentrum

  (it is across the street from the Elbe mall)
  Osdorfer Landstraße 108
  Tel. (040) 80 78 37 77


5. Baby Markt - Wandsbek

  Brauhausstrasse 3
  Tel. (040) 68 26 85 36

Hamburg has an amazing offer of things to do with small children. You can literally have something going on every day with a small baby. For example, "Mother & Child" aerobics, "Baby Swimming" and play groups - even two play groups: one of your German neighbors and friends and another English speaking one. [Ed. Note: The mothers of the American Women's Club have various around town. We also organize Santa Claus Parties, Easter Egg Hunts, Halloween...]

1. The Isemarkt in Eppendorf, Isestrasse, Tuesdays and Fridays until early afternoon, is congested with baby carriages. It is a wonderful street market and a visual feast for babies.



2. Fifteen public pools in Hamburg are run by Bäderland. They own the beautiful Holstenbad pools at the Kellinghüsen subway stop. Tuesday morning the thermal pool, heated to 32ºC, is reserved for Baby Swimming I for 3 to 12 months and Baby Swimming II 12 to 24 months. Bäderland has wonderful toddler pools at Bismarckbad in Altona, in Niendorf, Süderelbe and Volksdorf.



3. The Kaifu Lodge, Bundesstrasse 107, Tel. (040) 40 12 81 in Eimsbüttel, and the Meridian in both Wandsbek and Eimsbüttel are sport centers that provide "Mother & Child" aerobics. This is where the mother has her work-out and the child lies on a towel beside her; children are between 6 weeks and 12 months. Kaifu "Mother & Child" 10er card (valid for ten visits) costs DM 89.00. For baby-sitting, Kinderbetreuung, available for children after their first birthday, the Kaifu 10er card is called "Kindersport" and costs DM 149.00; the mother can participate in any aerobics class she desires, plus sauna....



4. Starting at 18 months of age, toddlers can attend music school at the Yamaha "Academy of Music". The class lasts about an hour, where parent and child work through a book of songs over the school year. There is an accompanying CD and you will be amazed at the accelerated speech skills of these toddlers.
   

  Yamaha "Academy of Music"
  Nedderfeld 85 (above the Suzuki and Saab dealership)
  22529 Hamburg
  Tel. 040/47 99 09
  Fax. 46 09 25 95
  One time fee of DM 30; then DM 20 per month.


5. Hamburg has many playgrounds. I was unaware of one 4 minutes away from my apartment hidden in an inner courtyard. This playground is one of 38 in Hamburg where you can leave your child, Betreuter- Kinderspielplatz. This is not a kindergarten but an opportunity to play outside, in all weather, under supervision. This organization is called:


  Aktion Kinderparadies
  Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Kinderspielplätze Hamburg e.V.
  Bilserstrasse 35a
  22297 Hamburg

Each playground has a telephone number. You will need to investigate your neighborhood to find one near you. The child may be as young as 18 months, and as old as 6 years, upon which age a child enters school. The reality is that most are between 18 months and 3 years - afterwards the children attend kindergarten. The playground is enclosed, and will have a small heated building (built by the City Parks) where the children can eat their snacks. Toilets are there for the children who are trocken (potty-trained), and there are lots of toys: "bobby-cars" or push cars, tricycles, doll strollers, and a vast amount of buckets and shovels plus the standard swing, slide.... It is open from 9 a.m. to noon and costs DM 1.50 per hour. This fact sheet would not have been possible without it. My child's playground is run by two sisters in their early fifties. They recently celebrated their 20th year running it.

After a child's third birthday he/she may attend preschool. Stadtteile (city sections) around Hamburg produce a local magazine; on the last pages is a list of post offices, schools and all the kindergartens in the area. Look on the counter of your pharmacy for this magazine.

Price ideas: a kindergarten receiving a state subsidy, which includes church-run kindergartens, will base the fee on net joint income. For four hours a day, the maximum rate is DM 300 per month for a family of three with a net joint income above DM 4800.

For an English speaking environment:

  International School of Hamburg / Internationale Schule e.V.
  Holmbrook 20
  22605 Hamburg (across the street from Altona Hospital)
  Tel. (040) 88 30 01-0
  Fax. (040) 881 14 05

For a pre-school child age 3 to 5, the annual fee is for half days (till noon) is DM 5,300 or full days (till 2:30 p.m.) DM 10,100. There is a school bus servicing the Alster area for an additional DM 1,700.

According to "Baby in Hamburg" (see Reading Recommendations), every fourth marriage in Hamburg is bi-national, qualified as one partner a German citizen and the other not. Should you find yourself in need of legal advice pertaining to legal separation or divorce, contact the following address. Their open house is the first Sunday of each month starting at 3:00 p.m.

  Verband binationaler Familien und Partnerschafter e.V.
  Durchschnitt 13
  20146 Hamburg
  Tel. (040) 44 69 38
  Fax. (040) 44 80 98 73