A Child Chosen - Perspectives of an Adoptive Parent

The Packing List: Adoption Trip

by Marcie on January 2nd, 2008

Sure, its a last minute trip but the essentials are the same. Preparing to travel to an international country can be daunting. I know it was when we traveled to Russia. It was actually scary the first time we went. By now traveling is easy for us. We have been to Thailand, Russia, Mexico, England, and my husband travels to Germany frequently. But traveling to meet or bring home a child is entirely different.

When we first traveled to Russia we had months to prepare and we put our suitcases in our guest room and put our essentials in there when we purchased them. It worked great. This time, however, we had only a few days and our items are all over the house (and AJ got into everything). We also had Christmas and entertaining to deal with making it even more stressful. But, somehow we made it all work…and then we slept on the plane.

Packing Essentials for Guatemala

For the Babes or older children (this list is dependent on age but is geared for 0-3):

Child Clothing: Outfits in several sizes…don’t count on measurements being correct. In Russia measurements were not correct. At this point I don’t know if measurements are correct or not because I was there when they took them and they were, obviously, correct. Ere on the larger side if you don’t want to take several sizes and hit the garage sales!

On the first trip take clothing that is about the same size and leave several other items for the foster mom (or in future case, the orphanage).  Additionally, take items such as toys and small gifts for them as well.

I highly suggest taking a sling for the little ones (Try http://BabyLoveSlings.com or for the older ones, try a The BabyWearer to get an idea on which one might work best. A stroller is also handy for moving about but the slings/hammocks are essential for airport use when a stroller can be checked and stowed away. We opted to use a stroller bag and check ours when we came home from Russia and it allowed us some freedom in the airport. AJ was in the Hip Hammock and Eric carried the backpack and carry-on.

Baby Food: Bibs, Playtex bottles and disposable liners, nipples that match the age/developmental age of your child, pacifiers, something to chew on if needed, (in Guatemala no formula is needed, as they do not want to mess with the feeding of the child),

Toddler Food:  rice cereal, baby food, Cherrios, graham crackers, teddy grahams, oatmeal, baby gold fish, gerber fruit snacks, etc.), 2 disposable sippy cups and disposable bowls, disposable spoons and forks, disposable bibs, formula dispenser and previously stated bottles, as many are still on formula and is used as a supplement.

Misc.:  Diaper bags with scented powder (this is essential in a hotel room if the child has bacterial infections), disposable changing pads for travel, formula dispenser, snack caddy, travel toys, pictures of family and foster mom, baby shampoo (chose the most gentle and non-toxic to avoid allergic reactions), alcohol swabs and bandaides, neosporin, toothbrush and toothpaste, bottle brush,  Dawn dish pads (these are disposable and travel wipes that are activated with water), Huggies washclothes, hairbrush, nailclippers, Benedryl for the plane (contraversial but in my opinion, a must), A blanket to leave with the foster mom (trip one), disposable cameras to leave with the foster mom (trip one),

Clothing:  Booties or socks, Hat for the sun or infant hat to keep the warmth in (depends on the age of your child), Warm blanket and receiving blankets for swaddling, clothing (onesies, sleepers, warm clothing, burp cloths, shirts, pants, etc. Bring more than you anticipate them wearing and put several outfits in Ziploc bags for the plane ride home (shirt, pants, socks, diaper, wipes, and disposable changing pad). Place these in your carry- on for easy access. When you need to run for a diaper change all you will need to do is grab the Ziploc, kiddo, and go. This was super handy for us because AJ actually soiled several outfits while on our trip home from Russia. We had three Ziplocs handy and he went through all three.

For Mom and Dad: 

Sandles, tennis shoes, 2 pairs of pants: khakis and yoga pants, one pair of jeans (although it is not customary to wear them. I wore khaki cords), pajamas, t-shirts, long sleeved shirts, sweater, jacket, undies, and socks. It is customary to dress nicely and present yourself well. Wear makeup, do your hair nicely, and basically present yourself well. Foster mothers want to see the children going to good homes and people who take care of themselves will most likely take care of their children. (However, don’t go down there being flashy because that is not welcomed either.)

Misc: Antibiotics, Tylenol, prescription meds,

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POSTED IN: Countries and Domestic, Foster Care, Guatemala, My Family