Moving to Berlin with a baby

Hi

I am living in NZ and am looking to move to Berlin with my partner and 7 month year old baby

Has anyone got any feedback on how it has been to move to Germany with a young child when we will not be able to speak much German until we get some lessons

And how children are accepted, I have heard it is child friendly

Also any Kiwi's in Berlin???

Now I don't really wish to be rude (but obviously now gonna be) but what kind of questions are these anyway??

Well this whole forum is dedicated to living in Germany and Munich so how much feedback do you need exactly?

Well you will find it difficult to talk to people that only speak German. If they also speak English then you will find it easier.

Certainly not. All children are rounded up weekly and sent to work in the fields.


Certainly not. All Antipodeans are banned from European capitals.

Sorry - I am clearly in a sarcastic mood today.

I want to hear more about this '7 month year old' baby. Sounds special.

Hi kiwistef!

It must be the weather. Twisting everyone's knickers n'stuff. You've thrown everyone off a bit with the your q's being a bit broad... I think we do all know what you're getting at tho.

Probably all excited and nervous at the same time about your move to this new country ya? Fair enough, it's a long way to go!

Well, nothing to worry about. Fellow kiwi here, and altho I used this forum heaps for detailed information about Munich, I'm sure you'll find lots to prepare you in general, and will be able to find something similar for details about life in Berlin.

So far, a month into our stay - we're trying hard to learn the German language, but most people we speak to switch to english as soon as we attempt any Germish.
Obviously we sound pretty terrible!... but in Munich at least there seems to be a lot of people who can speak at least basic english - especially the younger crowd. Probably always be someone who can speak english around to help you out anyway so don't fret.

Not sure what you mean with the child-friendly thing. Personally I would suggest send the child to Berlin and come to Munich yourselves! You could get a puppy! Just kidding. Never heard of a city or country being anti-children though. In my experience children just turn everyone to butter. uggh. I mean.. er.. bless their cotton socks.

I'm sure you'll find a few kiwi's in Berlin... but don't restrict yourself - plenty of other interesting english speakers to meet too. Just look at all the characters on here!

i speak no german myself so it is good. You can get by on not alot of german. once you get into a routine its fine

Hey MarshBot

Thanks for the good advice

Am sure we will be fine and am finding loads of stuff out on this site about living in Germany

Thanks again

There's loads of info on this forum for relocating to Germany in general.
If one of you has a job lined up, the company could probably be useful in at least the basic relocation. Some of the specific pain in the ass issues my firm talked to me about were:
-Obtaining Permits (residence & living permits)
-Obtaining Proper Housing (lots of places in Munich don't come with kitchens so be sure to ask what the deal is in Berlin)
-Private vs. Public Health Insurance
-Setting up a Bank Account
-International Shipping of Household Goods...btw: some thread or another ago there was talk about possibly having to register new kids BORN in Germany but I don't know what needs to be done with "imports".

If you don't have company assistance, no worries, this site has loads of info. Just do a keyword search and you'll get heaps of stuff.

Alternatively I found loads of helpful books and sites. Expatica has a dedicated Relocation Site (to Germany) that you might find useful.

Now, not that I have any children but since I am one on most days some other things that you might want to look into are baby and health needs.
-Specific formulas, medicines (infants or adults) etc aren't always available here so you might want to pack extras of those to get you through the first few months. You'll be able to get everything you need there - just might be under different labels. If all else fails, there's probably a Walmart or two around there.
-Getting Your Kiddie Dr. The english speaking consulates here have a list of dr's on their websites. I assume you'd be able to find loads of similar help in Berlin. However, I understand some of the lists posted in Munich are crap, so I'd also say that as soon as you hit the ground start calling around for a pediatrician...it might take you a while to find a good one you like. Nothing worse than having some sort of medical issue pop up and not having anyone to call.

Last but not least, you'd be doing yourself a big favour if you can squeeze time in your day to take a german course or at least an DIY dvd programme. Might not be able to have a chat but at least you'll have the basics

Hi Kiwisstef,

Hope you enjoy your stay in Germany and that you get everything set up. It's a great country you just have to know how to enjoy it. However if you are as chilled as the kiwis I know you shouldn't have any huge problems.

One word of warning though. In my personal experience the majority of people here are not child friendly which may be a little offputting. In fact you will get more positive comments or conversation startups if you are out walking a dog than if you are out playing with your kids.

I'd tend to agree with Yeti on this one and even my German girlfriend thinks the same thing, that generally Germans aren't very child friendly. They tend to be a fairly grumpy bunch when it comes to kids.

I moved here when my son was 2 months old. I'm not going to lie and tell you it was easy cause it was probably the hardest thing I've ever done. When I moved here 2 years ago I didn't speak any German either. I'm glad that I picked it up fairly quickly. The best advice I can give you is to get yourself out at least once a day. There are a few playgroups that I know of. There is also a day care in Marienplatz, but that is for children 18months +. If you need other advice you can always send me a PM.