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[quote=Anonymous]I am Indian and spent a month there with my then 10-mo son over the winter break. He was TOTALLY FINE. I was the one that got mildly sick just from being run-down (sleepless nights helping him deal with jet lag, etc) but he didn't. In fact he had a blast there because he really enjoyed interacting with the constant stream of people that come by!

Here are some specifics:
Sleep: We took a Baby Bjorn travel crib and had him sleep in it under a mosquito net. Jet lag - it is what it is. 9.5 hour time difference now. My son was back to sleeping through the night on the 5th night, both on the way over and when we came back. Try taping trash bags up to the windows to keep the room dark as Indian curtains are often very lightweight and flimsy (unless you're in a hotel). While he was still jetlagged there were frequent night wakings but I would have to wake him up from naps. Once he settled in to the time zone he didn't nap as well during the day, I think it was too exciting/ noisy despite the white noise and everything. But he made up for it by sleeping 12.5-13 hours at night.

Medical stuff: No malaria prophylaxis, our ped didn't recommend it cos of side effects. Do not take baby out at dusk when it's buggy, and use a bug net if you must. Spray with DEET bug spray if needed because the natural ones don't work. 
They gave him MMR at the 9-mo visit (repeated at 12-mo) and also tested him for TB at the 12-mo visit. 
We bought travel medical insurance as we do for all foreign trips, though medical care in the cities is fine.

Car Seat - we had mixed luck with it. He wasn't able to sleep in it on the way over, maybe because of the daytime flight. On the way back we just gate checked it and put him on the seat between us. He did great but it was also a flight that departed at night. We did use the car seat for city driving and one long road trip, and he was able to sleep in it for that one.

Food: I took some pouches of purees for the first few days while we were getting settled in. After that, my mother cooked him amazing baby food that he loved - khichri (rice & lentils, traditional baby food in India), idli (rice & lentil steamed cakes), dal & roti, soft-cooked vegetables - sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, peas etc. He also went to town on the delicious varieties of bananas (only available in South India, though) and tried other tropical fruit like papaya, jackfruit and sitaphal (don't know the English name). Just make sure you wash everything well, and yes, boiled water is best. Everything should be either fully cooked or peeled as appropriate. I was breastfeeding exclusively for milk but if you are giving formula boiled water is best. I also gave him fresh coconut water to drink instead of water and he loved that. It may seem obvious but you both need to be very careful about food and water too, not just the baby. I'd eat vegetarian if I were you. (I am one anyway)

Washing: You can wash dishes in tap water, just make sure they are completely dry when you use them. I did brush his teeth in bottled water though.

Gear - Aside from the travel crib and car seat, I took the baby monitor, a travel booster, and the front carrier. No stroller as Indian cities are not really walkable anyway. I also took lots of diapers and wipes because I needed to wipe everything down before he touched it.

Good luck! And enjoy the time with family, that's what's most important about the visit.

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