Hello all !!! I am sure this question has been asked and answered before but of course things change fast in developing countries and we just wanted the latest views and perspective .......... my wife and I are considering moving to Erbil ......... our questions much like everyone else are around housing, healthcare, security and community etc ......
Basically we will have a very young baby when we move ( 3 months old at the end of this year) , can anyone recommend nice housing compounds etc, please dont limit based on budget as we have no idea yet what we can ask for and will want the best available I guess ......
Then can anyone advise on healthcare for babies and infants, we expect to have to use private hospitals and have adequate medical insurance for this.
Also, of course there are all sorts of views on safety and security, in general and importantly for a foreign family, women alone with children etc, general shopping and living type situations ..........
We have done the middle east before so this is not about the restrictions on women in a Muslim or predominantly Muslim culture, its about the basic principles of personal safety.
Lastly community, is it easy to find other expats with young families etc, are there compounds better suited to this lifestyle than others ? what about clubs or associations ..... as is often the case, my work will keep me busy so we need to be sure we are able to have a balanced level of happiness in this experience and being a new mum in a foreign country is already challenging enough, with no sense of community or network it is obviously far more difficult.
So please share your views and opinions on the above , these forums are a critical part of the decision process for people so we hope you can help us discover more before we make our final decision 
Moving to Erbil with a baby
Hi
I am also moving to erbil with my family soon. I am currently visiting erbil and can share my findings so far.
Housing is expensive and not in the good quality as compared to other middleastern countries. Apartments rental price start from 2000$ per month inside erbil. You can find cheaper apartments on the bouderies of erbil. The predominant option is houses or vilas (2 floors with small garden). Vilas inside compounds are expensive (3500$ and above) while those in residential areas (where locals live) start range from 700$ to 1800$ with decent option from 1500$. All above are unfurnished.
Health care is terrible. From what I heard, most doctors are not trustworthy or competent, hospitals are not that good and I have been hearing stories that even emergency section closes in the weekend
Hello dear, thats true that the health care is not good out here in Erbil, but there is no such things call Emergency hospital closes in Erbil. there are 2 Em-hospital the 2nd is big and quite big plus there are good Docs performing their Jobs as well.
Let me know if you have any other question, or help that I can help you out once you are in Erbil with your family, I won't be around too much since I work in the field most the time at location.
CHEERS
Hello,
Erbil can be a difficult place to live because of social isolation.
If you have school aged children it is a little easier because you may see a few other expat families at your school.
I would suggest joining Internations. You can join online. It is free and they get together about once per month to socialize. Interesting group of people.
Sandflies can also make your time difficult unless you take precautions. For the baby, buy something here with sandfly netting such as a crib, bassinet, etc. This will have smaller holes than mosquito netting. Also run the aircon all the time and do not open windows unless it is December-February. I use the little poison machines inside the house to prevent sandflies also. Sandflies can bite many, many times and they itch for about 1 month which can lead to a very fussy baby. Prevention is best!
Most supplies for babies are available here. Don't worry about clothing because you can go to the second hand market Langa and buy a ton of baby clothing cheaply that comes used from Europe and the USA. High quality and about $2USD each. Plentiful up to about a size 5 year old.
Healthcare here is a concern. Plan to be in Turkey or the USA for all of your immunizations as I do not trust the quality here. Istanbul is a 2 1/2 hour $700 plane ride away. There have been polio and measles outbreaks here so do not come unimmunized!!!! Many typical health complaints can be handled here for children but anything beyond needing some antibiotics should be handled in Turkey or a country with high standards of health care.
I know quite a lot of Turkish families here with babies and just a few expat families. It can be done. Not sure how you meet other mums though. Walking around in Family Mall could be a good way to do that as the expat families stick out easily especially in the Carrefour. You can walk up and introduce yourself that way. Perhaps try going there on a Friday evening or sometime that it is busy. You could also check with the local international schools (they are full of local nationals and very few expat families but you never know). Maybe explain your situation that you are looking to meet other mums but don't have a school aged child. Maybe they have a bulletin board you can post on?
The locals love children and even young men know how to bounce a baby on their shoulder!!!! Locals pass babies around to even strangers. Your child will be the center of attention everywhere you go. Strangers may offer candy, pats, kind words, etc. It is cultural.
The expat community is just getting started here because for so many years it was too dangerous for families to live here. There is not a well developed infrastructure like you find in other overseas locations so you may have to be a little bit more assertive and crafty to find the expats. :-)
