First - congrats on conception. Hopefully your child (male or female) will be happy and healthy without complications.

To the question:
1. Cost - choose your hospital wisely. Costs should run in the vicinity of CNY 5k for delivery & aftercare, not including drugs. Beware "certain" corrupt physicians requiring you to buy immunizations from outside the hospital. This happened to us - after we bought the immunizations, the hospital (including our physician) refused to use the meds and told us we'd have to pay for the hospital's own meds. The mother is Chinese, so there's no language or communication error - this was outright fraud - as the attending doc specified the pharmacy where we were supposed to purchase the meds (and we had to buy a double dose, so the cost was double and of course the pharmacy refused to refund the med costs - all VERY shady - worthy of execution in my opinion).

2. Make sure your wife has excellent aftercare - this is critical for new and first-time mothers. Proper diet, lots of rest, and significant social attention from the father.

3. Choose your diapers, formula, bottles, washing utensils and liquid, baby wipes (wet wipes), baby bath, blankets, clothes as soon as possible. Beware the fake formula - that's still going on - substituting other brand formula into major brand packages. Our supplier used to request we return our used formula cans...stinky fish to me, but it was worth some cheesy free gifts.

4. Citizenship. Your child can be dual nationality - but be forewarned, in China your child is Chinese and China has NO custodial relationship laws with the USA and probably other foreign countries either. Hopefully, you'll never ever need to see that ugly side of life (see item 2 above).

5. If this is your first child - start immunizing yourself to stinky smells - I suggest stinky tofu and cleaning the toilet/bathroom.

6. Get a COVERED trash can - you'll need a place to toss the poopy diapers. Only problem with this solution - the trash can stinks to high heaven when you open the thing. Wash it and air it out once a week.

7. Baby stroller - only effective if you live in or around a neighborhood with sidewalks and pathways not shared by vehicles - beware e-bikes. You'll have to be pro-actively situationally aware.

8. Stock up on fever meds - baby tylenol is still the best for killing fever so the child can rest and recover naturally. Get a baby dosage and delivery spoon.

9. Get a discount card from the local baby supplies supplier. It can save 20-30%.

10. Get LOTS of small face cloths - you'll need these for feeding (although facial tissue is an acceptable substitute). You'll also need a very soft, non-linty towel for burping the child (just in case they decide to throw up a little).

11. If possible - get a washer/dryer combo. Nothing's worse than running out of clothes because of incessant rain (and you can't hang stuff out to dry). Alternative - a hot air fan in the bathroom. Do NOT get heat lamps - babies tend to stare at bright lights and this may damage your baby's developing eyes when it's bath time.

12. If possible - keep people away from the baby for 30-90 days so baby can develop normally. Beware of early stage immunizations. I know what the WHO says - but immunizations can be toxic to a very low percentage of developing children. After the initial round of hospital immunizations, I waited until all my children were two years old before giving them their second batches of immunizations.

13. Where to sleep - hope you have a huge bed. Most Chinese mothers like to sleep with their babies. That can put a serious crimp on making siblings. A well padded stroller serves as an excellent and safe alternative to stand-alone baby beds.

The list is infinite - unfortunately, there're no degreed or certified programs for having babies - so you'll just have to depend on your elders for assistance and advice. Good luck and enjoy our current lifestyles. It ends in April and you'll enter into a brand new world, filled with frustration, amazement, anxiety, joy - utterly manic, but I wouldn't trade it for a big screen TV entertainment center. Real life is so much more fulfilling.

First - congrats on conception. Hopefully your child (male or female) will be happy and healthy without complications.

To the question:
1. Cost - choose your hospital wisely. Costs should run in the vicinity of CNY 5k for delivery & aftercare, not including drugs. Beware "certain" corrupt physicians requiring you to buy immunizations from outside the hospital. This happened to us - after we bought the immunizations, the hospital (including our physician) refused to use the meds and told us we'd have to pay for the hospital's own meds. The mother is Chinese, so there's no language or communication error - this was outright fraud - as the attending doc specified the pharmacy where we were supposed to purchase the meds (and we had to buy a double dose, so the cost was double and of course the pharmacy refused to refund the med costs - all VERY shady - worthy of execution in my opinion).

2. Make sure your wife has excellent aftercare - this is critical for new and first-time mothers. Proper diet, lots of rest, and significant social attention from the father.

3. Choose your diapers, formula, bottles, washing utensils and liquid, baby wipes (wet wipes), baby bath, blankets, clothes as soon as possible. Beware the fake formula - that's still going on - substituting other brand formula into major brand packages. Our supplier used to request we return our used formula cans...stinky fish to me, but it was worth some cheesy free gifts.

4. Citizenship. Your child can be dual nationality - but be forewarned, in China your child is Chinese and China has NO custodial relationship laws with the USA and probably other foreign countries either. Hopefully, you'll never ever need to see that ugly side of life (see item 2 above).

5. If this is your first child - start immunizing yourself to stinky smells - I suggest stinky tofu and cleaning the toilet/bathroom.

6. Get a COVERED trash can - you'll need a place to toss the poopy diapers. Only problem with this solution - the trash can stinks to high heaven when you open the thing. Wash it and air it out once a week.

7. Baby stroller - only effective if you live in or around a neighborhood with sidewalks and pathways not shared by vehicles - beware e-bikes. You'll have to be pro-actively situationally aware.

8. Stock up on fever meds - baby tylenol is still the best for killing fever so the child can rest and recover naturally. Get a baby dosage and delivery spoon.

9. Get a discount card from the local baby supplies supplier. It can save 20-30%.

10. Get LOTS of small face cloths - you'll need these for feeding (although facial tissue is an acceptable substitute). You'll also need a very soft, non-linty towel for burping the child (just in case they decide to throw up a little).

11. If possible - get a washer/dryer combo. Nothing's worse than running out of clothes because of incessant rain (and you can't hang stuff out to dry). Alternative - a hot air fan in the bathroom. Do NOT get heat lamps - babies tend to stare at bright lights and this may damage your baby's developing eyes when it's bath time.

12. If possible - keep people away from the baby for 30-90 days so baby can develop normally. Beware of early stage immunizations. I know what the WHO says - but immunizations can be toxic to a very low percentage of developing children. After the initial round of hospital immunizations, I waited until all my children were two years old before giving them their second batches of immunizations.

13. Where to sleep - hope you have a huge bed. Most Chinese mothers like to sleep with their babies. That can put a serious crimp on making siblings. A well padded stroller serves as an excellent and safe alternative to stand-alone baby beds.

The list is infinite - unfortunately, there's no degreed or certified programs for having babies - so you'll just have to depend on your elders for assistance and advice. Good luck and enjoy our current lifestyles. It ends in April and you'll enter into a brand new world, filled with frustration, amazement, anxiety, joy - utterly manic, but I wouldn't trade it for a big screen TV entertainment center. Real life is so much more fulfilling.

Thanks for this thread. I'm also expecting a baby in April with my Chinese wife (I'm British) and the advice above is very welcome.

Some very good advice.
If I can add to it.

Go to the baby forums and see what equipment you actually NEED.

There is lots of stuff we think we will need, and lots of stuff that the manufacturers/shops will tell us we need, and lots of stuff we will pay a lot for and never use. E.G. The buggy may not be needed, as Laotou intimates. Most locals use a papoose type carrier blanket. I also saw one of those Swedish baby carrier gizmos for sale on here a week back, I think. However, most of the basics can be covered in the local shops. You do not need expensive imports.

Baby clothes are really expensive here, like up to 10x the price of back home. Get them posted as presents. Easy to stay under the amount to avoid duty. Send two or three parcels if needed. Get newborn clothes shipped now. 3 Month closes shipped at time of birth, etc.

there is a piece of 'must-have' 'tool' called the mother-in-law which could dictate how the new comer is looked after. in that case, 99% of laotou's good advises becomes academic. watch out for that, this 'tool' can start a family feud in china. :-))))) you have been warned. been there, done that. :-))))))

Yeah...MIL's can be a <expletive>. Even my wife hated her mom (hate doesn't adequately describe her feelings - but it was a level way beyond hate.

I am very lucky. My MIL never interferes. The fact that she tries to do too much around the house for a woman of 70 is our only concern with her. That and her keeping food for too long, and not putting it in the fridge, but TIC.

But then maybe it is because she is not raising only grandchild of only child. MIL married twice, and has four children of her own, and so far 4 grand children, and is a MIL 3 times over.

Wow, you guys really love China so much to marry into a Chinese family! :)

awsome info guys, thoughtful and thorough, thanks, but how exactly can you have dual citizenship? first we should go to the nearest embassy to register as an american citizen and then, try to add the child to my wife's hukou? will both countries recognize this, also is a baby bed necessary and what about sunbeam in the house, my wife is traditional and demands to stay indoors with the baby for the entire month with sunbeam which my house can supply none, so we may have to move at least for a month? good with diapers and clothes, since they can easily be handled in the local shops.

From the experience Yuantongsi noted above of his friends in similar situations, each country would seem to recognize citizenship of its own country, but not the other. But that would be ok, be Chinese in China and be American in America, best of both worlds!
I would say baby bed is not absolutely necessary. There is not even united opinion about that in the West, but probably overall it is preferred. Of course by Chinese it is not preferred. Not a big deal really, whichever you want - unless you think there is a risk of a parent rolling on top of the baby! But after a couple of months if the baby can go to a crib, then it means the parents can get a little bit more sleep - which helps everybody.
You say there is no sunlight in your house? Having sunlight would be an advantage I think, especially if you don't leave the house at all. Check with a doctor you trust. (There is a really good American paedatrician in town.) If you don't want to move house, then perhaps tradition could bend for the sake of the baby's health, to take him or her for a walk sometimes in a stroller with a shadecloth.