How hard is it to adopt a newborn? (Very?)

In this article, we will answer the following question: How hard is it to adopt a newborn? We will talk about the process of adoption in the United States, but also how to talk to your child about adoption when the time comes. 

How hard is it to adopt a newborn?

It is harder to adopt a newborn because a larger number of people want to adopt babies than the actual number of infants available for the adoption. Numerous people who are looking for newborns adopt through a middle person, for example, a legal counsellor, child adoption services, doctor or other facilitators. This is known as autonomous adoption which is lawful and valid in many states.

Filing an adoption application with the United States foster care system is a similar process to applying as a foster parent. Some states, but not all, require that families be approved for both foster care and adoption,

While some families are sure they do not want to adopt when they volunteer as foster parents, many end up adopting the children in their care when the children are released for adoption.

Although the requirements to adopt vary by state, the process usually begins with pre-service training and applying. At first, the paperwork can be overwhelming, but don’t be put off by it. Think of it as the first task you must do towards parenting that or those children who will be part of your life.

In this step of the adoption process, you will need to be prepared to submit:

• Letters of recommendation from your employer and people who know you

• Criminal background check by relevant local, state and federal authorities

• Proof of having met the minimum age requirement issued by your state

• Verification that your income is sufficient to cover your expenses (it should be noted that you do not have to be wealthy to adopt and that most foster care adoptions are free and that the minimum expenses associated with the adoption are usually reimbursable).

If you want to know your state’s adoption requirements, you can contact us or view information from the states on foster care and adoption.

How to adopt in the United States without an agency?

If you are ready to take the next step in foster care adoption, learn how to complete an adoption home study and obtain authorization to adopt.

In the child welfare system, there are generally two types of social workers: those who take care of families, like yours, and those who take care of the children in care. It is important to establish and maintain a good relationship with the social worker; So take some time during the application process to get to know her, because she will be your guide through the adoption process.

To make the adoption application process go smoothly, you will need to:

• Be open and honest both when completing the application and in personal interviews with the social worker

• Provide the requested information completely, accurately and within the agreed deadlines

• Ask for help when you don’t understand something

• Commit to maintaining the confidentiality of the child and her biological family

• Cooperate with the home inspection and mandatory protective service and criminal background checks (for more information on these checks, see the Summary of State Laws on Background Checks for Prospective Adoptive and Foster Parents from the Child Welfare Information Gateway)

• When you have completed the application and required training, you and the social worker will complete a home study, which is often referred to as a mutual evaluation. 

So, if you don’t want to pay a private agency to place a baby that will easily find a home, here’s how it goes.

First, you become a foster parent so you can legally have the child pre-adoption. There is pre-service training, which isn’t the difficult part. The difficult part is getting your house up to their standards.

Off the top of my head,

• Child safety locks on the cabinets? Not good enough. You must have EXPENSIVE SPECIAL locks on your cabinets.

• Every legal bedroom in the house (including the office and storage room) had to have a proper bedroom fire exit

• There were a lot of other EXPENSIVE SPECIAL child safety items required

• A proper CPR safety kit was required; understandable. The only problem was that they couldn’t tell her where to buy one. The pharmacy couldn’t tell her where to buy one, and the fire station couldn’t tell her where to buy one.

Then, you get someone to come inspect your house. If you have to fix something, it’s weeks before they will come again.  Then, you wait for a child to be placed.  You become the child’s foster parent Then there is bonding, dealing with any issues the child has, and so on.

From foster parent to adoptive parent

Adoption in the US is a fluid process that is different from case to case, so it can be difficult to say how easy the process will be for each individual. All prospective parents will have to take a ‘MAPP’ Course (Model Approach to Partnerships in Parents), which will take roughly 10 weeks to complete.

You can also expect to have background checks and medicals done as well as home suitability visits. The adoption process can take as little as 4 months, but I wouldn’t expect it to be much longer than a year. The time it takes for a family to match with an adoptee differs from case to case.

Depending on the state you are in the process can be easier or harder. For example, Florida is extremely pro-adoption and has created an efficient and successful process for both the families and adoptees.

If you decide to go the route of private adoption, you’ll likely have a shorter lead time and the opportunity to adopt a child of a younger age, however, this will be a much more expensive option.

Adopting a child from 0 to 3 years

From 1 to 3 years old children are very busy gaining control of themselves and the world. Physically, the real control begins during this stage, toilet training, walking, self-feeding, parents through no, etc. Around the age of 3, the child begins to learn about the family and to focus her interests on how and when she was born.

Before your children can understand the adoption process and the different ways a family can be formed, they need to understand how you can have a child. It is around this age that they begin to wonder if they grew in their mother’s tummy; therefore, here is an opportune moment to explain the adoption process and the different ways that a child can enter a family.

Conversations between parents and children should be appropriate to the child’s stage of development, temperament and external influences, whether he is adopted or not. 

When it comes to adoption, it is necessary to consider that adopted children experience the pain of separation from their biological parents when they are born. All adopted children must adjust to new sights, new sounds, new smells, and new experiences.

During the preverbal and early verbal stages, parents have a perfect opportunity to begin to share the topic of adoption with the child calmly and comfortably, thus building the foundation for future dialogue, trust and truth. Here are some tips on how to discuss adoption with children:

When the adopted child is small

• Use the word adoption frequently. This will give them a chance to get used to saying the word without feeling uncomfortable or upset.

•  Use the word adoption at a time when you feel close to your child.

• Use the word adoption spontaneously. Don’t say it too often, only when it seems natural to do so.

Your child, of course, will not understand these conversations, but he will begin to become familiar with the term adoption and the tones you use to refer to the subject. Be honest with yourself so that you can be honest with your children. You are an adoptive family and you cannot change that fact.

Your children have the right to know, when possible, about their background and their adoption. If you try to hide the facts from them, they will feel cheated and betrayed when they eventually discover the secrets (and they will). As your little ones show more curiosity regarding life and birth, they will be more interested in what role they play in the scheme of existence.

The child’s questions about adoption

• Prepare to be questioned. Consider every question your child asks about her birth as an opportunity to talk about adoption.

• Answer only what the child asks without going into details. These questions are characteristics that all children ask, and your children will be no exception: How did the baby come out? Was I born that way? Was I in your belly, mom? Why didn’t I grow in your belly? 

Explain to your child that babies come out through a special opening that all women have, and that we are all born that way. That he did not grow in your belly, but he grew in that of another lady and when he was born, you adopted him. Let him know how happy you are for his birth and that he is part of the whole family.

When your son asks why he did not grow in your belly, you can answer him that not all children grow in his mother’s belly. And he had to come from another belly. If you wish, add that you wanted to have a child so that he grew up in the belly of another woman, and when he was born, you went looking for him and adopted him.

•  Don’t try to tell your child more than he can understand. As they grow, the information will also grow and be more suitable for them, depending on their age. It is important to tell him not only about his history after joining the family, but also about his origins and his parents. 

This concept of a global life story is critical to the development of his identity, and it should include everything you know about the day he was born. The child needs to know that his birth was the same as all other children, that he is part of a family, and that families are made up of people who live together and love each other.

Final thoughts

In this article, we answered the following question: How hard is it to adopt a newborn? We talked about the process of adoption in the United States, but also how to talk to your child about adoption when the time comes. 

Newborns are the most valued when it comes to making an adoption. The reason? It is because babies do not have institutionalization damage, unlike a child who has lived for approximately 6 years in a centre.

The other “advantage” is that they have no memories or developed feelings of attachment to the biological family. People seek to raise them from a young age and give them a new environment where they can easily adapt.

If you have any questions or comments on the content, please let us know.

FAQ How hard is it to adopt a newborn?

References

adoption.org

Travel.state.gov

ifservices.org