Jul 24

Jul 24 Preparations for Adopting a Baby

How to Prepare for Adoption

Families come in all different shapes, sizes, and colors. Adopting a new member into your family, whether it is domestically, internationally, independently or through the foster care system, is a treasured event to be shared with family and friends.

BABY ADOPTION ANNOUNCEMENT PHOTO SHOOT

There are tons of fun photos you can take to announce your plans of welcoming a child into your family. Plan a unique photo shoot using props like a globe, map or chalkboard to let the world know you are planning on growing your family. These photos make easy DIY photos sessions, or you can seek the help of a professional photographer.

If you are super creative and tech savvy, create an ultrasound image with the map and country of where your baby is being adopted from, and use it in the foreground of a photo of you and your partner. This special keepsake will allow your new child to see the happiness and love they brought to your family for years to come.

Another cool idea for an adoption announcement photo is to focus on the parents-to-be. You can create a cute message with Scrabble tiles and your wedding rings, or create your own spin on the traditional ‘we are growing a baby’ chalkboard message. Hey, even the furry family can join in.

Whatever creative photo idea you decide on to share your incredible news, Mixbook can help. We can easily turn your digital photos into heartwarming photo prints in minutes, and have them delivered right to your door. We offer a number of different size options, from standard 4x6 to share with your family, right up to an 8x10 to frame and hang in the nursery.

PREPARING FOR PARENTHOOD SHOWER

Adoption is a miracle event in the lives of the parents-to-be, and even though you are not going to have a traditional birth, you shouldn’t miss out on the fun rituals and traditions that go with it. Planning a shower for parents who are adopting can be a little more difficult as the details around arrival date may not be available. Talk to the parents-to-be and choose a date that works into the adoption schedule, but prepare to be flexible as many times these schedules need to be modified. Sometimes these parties are hosted before the child arrives, but most often they are held once the adoption is final and the child has arrived in their arms.

BABY ADOPTION SHOWER INVITATIONS

When sending out invitations to an adoption shower, it is important to include the gender and age of the adopted baby. This helps guests when picking out suitable gifts such as toys and clothing for the child. Mixbook offers a number of cute baby shower invitation options that can be customized just for this purpose.

THEMES FOR A BABY ADOPTION SHOWER

When choosing a theme for your baby adoption shower there are a ton of fun ideas to welcome the new addition with family and friends. One popular idea is to use the child’s birthplace as a theme for the shower by incorporating this into the party’s activities and food. For a child being adopted from China, you could use a red motif in your decorations. For food, visit a local bakery and have them create beautiful decorated cupcakes and get the family involved to make Dim Sum appetizers to share. You can even ask guests to write a short notes of good fortune for your new family inside red envelopes. You’ll love reading these later. It is important to stay tasteful when incorporating another country’s culture into a party. Avoid over-stereotyping or using Americanized traditions.

There are many ways to include birthplace into a shower theme. If your baby was born on the West coast, a sunny beach or soothing ocean themed shower would be a nice touch. A child adopted from New York could have a Big Apple themed shower. A snow or winter themed shower is perfect for a child born in the north. The possibilities are endless!

If a newborn baby is joining the family, a cute shower activity is to decorate onesies with sayings and well wishes for the new parents going through the adoption journey. These adorable little shirts are sure to bring happy tears to everyone’s eyes and be a sentimental keepsake for years.

ADOPTION ANNOUNCEMENT CARDS

Your adoption journey has ended with you welcoming a new member into your family. Whether you adopted a newborn baby or an older child, you will want to send out cards to family and friends announcing their arrival to your family.

Mixbook offers a number of cute and customizable adoption announcement card options. One of the most popular cards for an international adoption is our World Adoption Map card. This gender neutral, clean design points to the country on a world map where you are adopting your child from. It includes a photo on the front and back cover for you to share some of the awesome pictures from your adoption announcement photo shoot or photos your new addition.

If you are looking to add a little buzz to your announcement card, our Sweet Honey Bee option is the perfect card for you. This card can also be customized with two photos of your little honey bee and has text options for the baby’s birth date as well as as the date the baby was welcomed to your home.

Another very popular adoption announcement card is our simple, but oh so cute, We Adopted! card. This card has color options to fit both genders and is monogrammed with the child’s initials. It looks awesome with a photo of your new addition.

MEMORY BOOK - AN ADOPTION STORY

Now that your new family member is home with you, it’s a good time to capture the story of your child’s journey in an adoption photo book. Whether your new addition joined as an infant or toddler, from your hometown or another continent, it’s important to capture all the little details easily forgotten years down the road. These beautiful books with your child’s own special story, make for sweet bedtime traditions with your little one as they learn all about how they were specially chosen by you to love and cherish.

These books are the ideal choice for capturing memories in cute storybook form. They are filled with beautiful quotes that represent just how important and special your new baby is to you and your family.