[KaohsiungLiving] Kaohsiung Living Forum
Whats out there for little people?
  • lrb53lrb53
    Posts: 5Member
    Hi All,

    Having had a look through the 'looking for friends' category I am delighted to see that there is a small community of expats with children living in Kaohsiung. My husband and I recently decided to try and secure work in Taiwan and were considering Kaohsiung as it looks a lovely place to raise our little 8 month old boy. I saw a few other mummies on here and thought I should sign up and try and find out some more info....

    Does anybody know if there are any playgroups / activities / swimming or anything else similar for babies and toddlers available in Kaohsiung?

    My husband and I have lived in South Korea and China before but have never been to Taiwan and I was wondering what its like to get equipment / necessities for little people..... 

    Would it need to be a department store to purchase items such as a buggie, cot, nappies etc...?
    Are there any forums or websites for second hand buying and selling of these things?

    Other concerns of mine include:

    Healthcare - Are there good services out there?  Any English speakers within the doctors / hospitals?

    We would basically love to hear from anyone who has experience of visiting / living in Kaohsiung, especially anyone in a similar situation who has or is raising a child in Taiwan.

    It would also be great to chat with and meet some potential friends, although we are in the early stages of applying it would be great to find some pals for Noah to play with once we arrive in our new home.

    So anyone who has the time to drop us a line please do so it would be greatly appreciated.

    Many thanks,    

    Leanne, Andrew and Noah!
  • AdminAdmin
    Posts: 226Administrator
    Welcome to the forum. Just a quick message before I go off to bed...as regards to the second hand stuff you mentioned, they dont have ebay here but use something similar called yahoo auctions http://tw.auctions.yahoo.com/

    Hopefully, someone else will come along to answer your other questions :)
    Connecting expats a better way
  • lartsailartsai
    Posts: 58Member
    Hi, I also have a 8M old boy...  
    We have live here for years.  We can discuss more... 

    There's a free handle by government to bring your kids to play.  

    What kind of stuff are you looking for?
    Where are you from?
    What kind of doctors are you looking for?
    Do you drive?

  • lrb53lrb53
    Posts: 5Member
    Thanks guys,

    If we manage to get over we would need most things to set the little man up as we will be limited to what baggage we can bring on the plane from Scotland. 

    So definitely a cot, high chair, some toys, bath things etc...

    If my husband is able to get a job I think it will probably include some sort of medical cover but I would still be looking to get some for Noah and I. Don't have any idea about the healthcare out there. What's really important is some degree of English spoken so if Noah is unwell we are able to explain the problems. Clean, I fell pregnant with Noah whilst we were still teaching in China and had to attend several hospitals there some of which weren't too desirable. 

    I do drive but don't think we will own a car. 

    We had hoped our previous experience of teaching would help secure a job in Taiwan but several of the agencies we have been talking with have said there aren't many jobs going there so the hunt continues.

    Thanks for the replies, fingers crossed we can find something!
  • StudentStudent
    Posts: 11Member
    Hi - I have two young children aged 5 and 6 - and have been living here for a year now.  Lifestyle here is fantastic for children. There are certainly services - such as playgroups for young children here, and a lot of expat families here with children. 

    We just purchased a car - and managed to find booster seats for the kids. Carrefour sells baby seats, prams, cots, nappies etc. We also lived in Viet Nam - and Taiwan is a lot more western - you can virtually find most things here. This website is also great for second hand things. 

    I'm still looking for an english speaking doctor and dentist - in particular for my children - but we did have a small 'emergency' where my son was biten by a friends dog - and the emergency department at the local hospital was unbelievable. Much quicker and professional I have to say than back home in Australia. 

    Are you both teachers?    Education here is expensive if you have to pay for it. 

    We don't have a babysitter or house cleaner - but I have heard that you can find them for approx 200 - 500TWD per hour.  From our experience, they are a little difficult to find.

    good luck,
  • StudentStudent
    Posts: 11Member
    http://www.tealit.com/   - is a good website for jobs and buying things

  • lrb53lrb53
    Posts: 5Member
    Thank you for your email, all these things sound so positive they make us want pack our cases now!

    Our son Noah is only young so although we are both teachers only my husband would work, at least for the first year anyway. Hence why I was looking for mother and baby groups so I have something fun to do with Noah during the day. 

    I will check out that website, thanks a lot!
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