I was wondering if anyone knew roughly how much interfamily adoption is in florida.?

My husband and I are thinking of adopting his sisters baby. She's 7 weeks pregnant and already has a 7 month old and they are having a hard time affording her first baby let alone 2. But I can't find anywhere how much adopting her baby might cost. I live in florida so I was trying to find laws on adoption for florida but I can't find anything about cost. I just wanted to try to do some research on my own before I go and talk to a lawyer, so in case i stumble across something or get some more information i can ask the lawyer and be more prepared. Thanks
Additional Details
My husband and I are thinking of adopting his sisters baby. She's 7 weeks pregnant and already has a 7 month old and they are having a hard time affording her first baby let alone 2. She goes to this family planning and pregnancy place and told them that her brother and sister in law are adopting the baby and they told her that we would have to contact a lawyer. So i was trying to find out how much it might cost and if I do have to contact a lawyer. But I can't find anywhere how much adopting her baby might cost. I live in florida so I was trying to find laws on adoption for florida but I can't find anything about cost. I just wanted to try to do some research on my own before I go and talk to a lawyer, so in case i stumble across something or get some more information i can ask the lawyer and be more prepared. Thanks

julie j

Hi Ashley,

Here are a few things to consider before assuming that adoption is the answer:

Your sister-in-law is only 7 weeks pregnant. If she does not want another baby at this time it is not too late for her to get an abortion.

If they do want to continue the pregnancy, then they should be encouraged to parent their own child. Since they already have a baby, the 2nd baby will not cost that much more. They already have all the baby things they will need. Other ways to cut baby-related expenses are using cloth diapers & breastfeeding. The baby can sleep with his/her parents at first, and use all the same toys & hand-me-downs from the older sibling. Being poor is not a good reason to give away your flesh and blood. I suggest putting her in contact with resources in your community that are there to help mothers & babies.

If there are other reasons that you did not mention besides finances that make it difficult for them to parent their other child, then as family, you should HELP them to help themselves instead of helping yourselves to their child.

If parenting is absolutely impossible for them, then yes, it would be best to keep the child with a relative rather than letting strangers adopt him/her. If this is the case though, that they cannot parent, why would they be able to continue parenting the first child? Anyone who wants to be considered to be a legal adoptive home must first pass a homestudy. You would also need an attorney specializing in family law. To answer your question, those could cost $1,000's of dollars. Again, adoption is not really necessary in your family's case.

As a last resort, you might want to consider temporary guardianship with the ultimate goal of reuniting the family as soon as possible. The baby should always know who his/her mother is, and also the rest of his/her family.

Think of how not only that child would feel, but also their first child, if the parents give one of them away.

Please talk over all of these things with the sister-in-law. Even after considering all this, remember that once that baby is born, most mothers DO want to keep their babies, regardless of what they may have considered earlier in their pregnancy. She should be encouraged to do so! Remember, it is not about you getting a baby. It is about helping your sister-in-law and her husband with their expanding family. You do not want to set up a situation where there will be regrets later. Thank you.

julie j
reunited adoptee

stormytexxxas

what part of florida do u live in? if u r in central florida.... in leesburg, florida, on picciola road, i dont have the phone number handy right now, but the atty's name is P.B. Howell. he handeled my adoption, and may be able to help. (actually his father handeled mine, but he has his dads practice now, and i spoke to them recently and they were very helpful, and polite. i am trying to find out my own birth parents is y i contacted them. but either way, they may be helpful for u.
good luck!!!

and props to u for not allowing the child to get caught up in the system in the awful state of florida. i have no problems with florida itself, at all. its my home, and where i was born. its thier adoption system i hate. they r full of liars!!!

Ann Mary G

I adopted my step-daughter a few years ago. I don't remember if the papers cost anything or not at the courthouse. It includes the paper that is needed to have the parent's sign their parental rights away. This needs to be done in front of a notary. There is no waiting period and once the papers are signed, there is no turning back for the birth parents. Unless this changed over the last couple of years. The filing fee was $93. Call the Family Law department and they can give you the updated information. I too am in Florida. Good luck.

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