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Maybe a Baby?

Navigating the Infant Adoption Maze

By Kelly Burgess

"International adoption is always in flux," Pertman says. "If you go back 10 years or so, Russia and China weren't even on the map. This is something that will always be changing, depending upon whims and politics."

Even when the policies aren't in flux, adopting an infant internationally is extremely difficult simply because of the time frames involved in most international adoptions. In the countries from which children are most commonly adopted, the children aren't even matched with prospective parents until the child is 2 to 3 months old. Beyond that time, the adoption process can take anywhere from three months to a year.

Some notable exceptions to this rule are Mexico and Guatemala. Both of these countries have private relinquishment procedures for infants. However, it can sometimes be difficult to obtain a visa for a child from Mexico because of political issues.

The best advice, given by Hochman, Hutzel and Pertman, is to ask yourself what you want, what you can handle and to pick a good, licensed agency based on solid research. There are infants out there who need to be adopted; the decision is just what is right for your family.

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