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Packing for International Adoption Trips

What to Bring When You Pick up Your Child

By Sue Poremba

Linda Donovan, the International Program Director at Adoption Alliance, advises the parents she works with to pack light. "People forget that they can buy things in other countries," she says. Also, in towns where adoptions are common, local businesses cater to visiting parents-to-be and provide a variety of Western necessities.

For themselves, parents should pack a bare minimum of clothes, but be sure to include at least one outfit to be worn in formal settings, particularly for the day at the U.S. embassy. Other clothes should be conservative in style, such as capris pants and cotton T-shirts rather than shorts and sleeveless tops.

You will want to pack a variety of supplies for your new baby. Start with a package of disposable diapers. An unopened 80-count package fits easily into the suitcase (and what doesn't get used on the trip or stashed in the diaper bag for the flight home can be donated to the orphanage or foster home).

Powdered formula is a necessity. Some new parents prefer to switch the baby to American formula immediately. Others will slowly wean the baby from the formula used at the rphanage to the formula they'll be using at home. If using the formula supplied by the orphanage, the custom is to replace it, usually with the formula brought from the States.

Want to see more?

• Check out our Article Library.
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• International Adoptions: A Healthy Leap of Faith
• Talk about it!