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Home › Articles › Getting Ready › Packing for International Adoption Trips

Packing for International Adoption Trips

What to Bring When You Pick up Your Child

By Sue Poremba

Pages:  1  2  3  

Wojnilower recommends taking a variety of nipple styles, as well. This way the baby will be sure to have the type of nipple she is used to.

When Thompson packed clothing for her new daughter, she didn't know how big or small the baby would be. So she filled a suitcase with baby clothes in various sizes. She kept whatever fit her little girl and donated everything else. This served a dual purpose. It gave Thompson extra suitcase room, which she used to pack gifts to give to her daughter throughout the years.

A first aid kit is handy to have. Even though many medicines can be found in local stores, it is handy to have the supplies for the inevitable middle-of-the-night illness. It should include diaper bag essentials such as diaper rash cream, teething gel and baby pain reliever.

Other items for the baby include small blankets, a few toys, some type of carrier to help hold the baby and, if you have room, a compact umbrella stroller. While these things aren't necessary, they can help make traveling more comfortable.

Gifts

Giving a gift to those who have cared for your child and helped with the adoption is expected in some countries and a nice gesture overall. Cash gifts are generally frowned upon. Since most caregivers are women, items that allow her some personal indulgence that are easy to pack make nice gifts.

Calming the Adoptee

The adoption is a traumatic event for the baby, who is being taken from the only home he's ever known. Here are tips to help ease the transition:

  • If you are adopting from a country like Russia, which requires multiple visits before the adoption takes place, give the child a blanket or a stuffed toy that will be kept in the crib during your initial visit. This gives the baby something familiar to take with him.
  • Create a little picture book of you and close family members that can be kept in the crib.
  • Babies have a very strong sense of smell. Future parents should sleep with a baby blanket or toy for a few days so their scent is on the object, and then send it along to be kept in the baby's crib.


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