What do I need to do to prepare my home in order to adopt a baby?

Mr GooglyMoogly

This company specializes in writing books on adoption and infertility. I would recommend purchasing this book. http://www.perspectivespress.com/0-944934-20-x.html Also I would suggest attending local support groups and seminars on adoption to get the best information. There are many issues that go into adopting a child and raising an adopted child.

The social worker that does the home study is only looking for a safe home. He/she doesn't care about the Feng Shuei, and they don't care if the curtains match the wallpaper. They care if you have mold growing on the walls, wall switches with no switch plates, and anything that would constitute an unsafe environment.

Bo Peep

I don't think decor will have anything at all to do with you being accepted or turned down - this is purely supperficial and everyone has different tastes anyway. The more important thing is that a) there is room for a child in your home, and b) that the home is safe.

There are a lot of common sense things you need to do to make your home child friendly - think about the bathroom and the kitchen especially. Make sure there is no bleach or detergents at child height etc.

A very good tip would be to invite a friend around who has a crawling baby and ask her to alert you to things she sees as a problem or would have to change if she and her baby lived in your house...

If they find things they don't like in your home they will not automatically fail you but rather advise you on changes that must be made....you then make the changes and someone comes back to see if they have been done.

Your home doesn't have to look like a show home, just a nice clean hygenic family home... :-) Take care

Gabby_Gabby_Purrsalot

oh, they'll tell you what you need to do. Our house was "perfect" until they went back to their office to write the paperwork, and then they gave us a literal shopping list: child safety locks on pretty much anything, plug covers, etc. and he was 7 months old when we brought him home. But as long as it's a safe environment, they'll approve you.

Doodlestuff

Clutter free and baby safe. Install all of the baby safety stuff like plugs into electrical sockets.

Also, check the outside. Is it free of clutter and well maintained? Are there danger zones (unprotected water features, deep window wells, etc.).

Bouvier

There are no "adoption decorated houses" that I know of. Think of what you believe a house should look like as a HOME with children. Obviously, safety should be first and formost. You don't want to have live wires and knives laying around obviously!!!

Anyhow, my point is, don't stress over it. Keep your home in order and cozy/comfy. Imagine what you think a home should be like for a child to feel "at home".

Wow!

To start, go to the website listed below.

It is the how to's, home study info, and the things they look for from the gov't.
-Understand the laws of your state and what is expected.
-Find a reputable agency or attorney
-Do your research thoroughly

Home decor plays no part whatsoever. They are looking at: do you have hot running water, running toilets, fire extinguishers & child safety features. Can you afford the child? Is there room in your home for a child? These are the things they looked at in our home study. It does explain clearly about the adoption process at the child welfare site (US GOV'T SITE)

Best of luck.

Lillie

when decorating make sure your furniture is stride .
no white carpets (tile makes things easier to clean up mess) and no furniture should have pointed edges(think round)
tables should be high or low enough so they can't hit their heads when getting up
no glass anything (example tables,cups ,etc.)
also try http://www.ewtn.com/library/FAMILY/FRIENDLY.TXT
http://www.homeandfamilynetwork.com/decorating/

Gaia Raain

The only thing they care about as far as your house is whether it's a safe place to raise a child. As long as you don't have a chain saw in the living room, you'll probably be just fine. They don't even look at your house until the homestudy, which is after all the other paperwork and such, so you don't need to worry about that right now.

Your home is the least of your worries. Have you done your research on adoption from the adoptee's perspective? Have you read "Twenty things adopted kids wish their parents knew", or adoptee blogs, etc.? Have you considered the issues adoptees will have, the questions they will ask later in life, making sure your future child's adoption is ethical and necessary? That stuff is far more important than whether your paint is green or blue.

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