Our then one-year-old son was able to adjust quickly here in the Philippines, even quicker than I and my husband. It's most probably due to his being very young. I think the older the child, the harder it would be for him / her to adjust to the new environment. (Think tearjerker "Inside Out" movie.)
The most horrible part of our move was the 12-hour flight to the Philippines. Our son was still mostly crawling and barely walking. He wanted to crawl on the plane's floor but we didn't allow him. So he kept crying. (We're not the type who would give baby Benadry to calm a baby.) And then there was turbulence while we were in the middle of changing his dirty diaper and the light indicating we should fasten our seat belts lit up. The experience of turbulence, stinky poopy diaper, a crying baby in a small cramped toilet is something I cannot forget.
Before we left, we ordered 4 original copies of his birth certificate, as well as our marriage license from SF City Hall and my husband's birth certificate. I also applied for a dual citizenship back in the US for my son right after I got mine.听
I got copies of my son's medical records, including his vaccination records. I asked for a referral from his pediatrician in the US for a pediatrician in the Philippines , but the Philippine-based doctor's office was too far from our place. So, we went to a different one.听 One of the deadliest diseases in the Philippines, where children and the elderly are most vulnerable is dengue. Unfortunately, there's no vaccination yet for this virus.听 All parents with children moving here should be aware of the signs and symptoms of dengue.
My son still cannot speak Tagalog, and understands very little. So, he's having a hard time with Filipino subjects in school. We enrolled him in a Montessori school very near our place. I've seen expats' children also going there. It's more than twice expensive than other private schools in our area. I'm happy with the school. The teachers are very attentive and they were able to notice, when my son was in preschool, that he might have a certain condition. We went to a specialist, and now he's under a special guidance program with the school in addition to going to therapy.
Both of our kids have a love for learning. I read to them when they were able to hold and keep their heads up. Now, on his own, my son can google for pictures he needs for his homework. (He still needs help in printing though.) We try to turn some of our adventures / road trips and other experiences into teachable moments. So my kids got a lesson about tide movements and gravity when we went to a beach resort in Calatagan Batangas, and they asked what the receptionist meant about high and low tides.
We have a large bookshelf of children's and young readers' books, from board books for babies to Dr. Seuss to humorous Mo Willems books to older children books such as the Borrowers and the Princess and the Goblin.
Brand toys, such as Fisher Price and Hot Wheels tracks, are expensive here, often triple to 5 times the price in the US. So, bring their toys with you. (It's not just toys but other imported brand items. Corelle plates where a 16-piece set is sold here at almost the same price as a 76-piece set bought in the US) So we usually order new toys from amazon, have them delivered to my aunt's place in California (delivery is almost always free for US$35 and up purchases), and have them shipped here through flat-rate balikbayan boxes, along with other stuff we have sent from the states. It's still a lot cheaper despite the extra cost of shipping.
Our children are happy here. We do not practice push parenting. Our kids are well loved. They know it, feel it and pass it to others.听 And I think that's what's most important in raising kids wherever in the world you are.