The nursery is ready; and you have a supply of bottles, tiny clothes, and other baby items. There´s more to do in preparing for your baby´s arrival, especially if your baby is being adopted from another country. If you plan on traveling abroad to bring Baby home, you´ll need various documents, including a passport. Go ahead and apply for this now, as it may take several weeks to complete all the paperwork.

Other necessary documents include copies of W2 forms and income tax returns for the last three years, as well as letters verifying your employment. Be sure to have the tax returns notarized. Obtain a letter from your doctors about any medications that you or other traveling family members are taking, stating that you need to take these medications out of the country. Ask your doctor to write extra prescriptions to carry with you in case any of the medications are lost. Don´t forget to obtain an extra prescription for contact lenses and/or eyeglasses, too!

Don´t forget to make photocopies of all documents. Leave copies with someone at home: and carry copies with you, in a separate place from the originals.

Hopefully a little preparation will prevent any financial problems while traveling abroad. Traveler´s checks are very important, but you´ll need to carry a little cash in U.S. dollars for tips, too. Find out the money exchange rates and make a chart of these.

Be sure to let your credit card company know that you´ll be traveling out of the country so they won´t cancel your card due to unusual charges.

Now is a good time to get vaccinations, too. An international travel clinic or The Center for Disease Control can tell you what shots you´ll need for your particular country.

Since you´ll be spending some time in a country, plan an itinerary for some travel. Tour guides or travel agents can provide valuable information.

You may want to take along pre-addressed birth/adoption announcements to complete and mail to friends and family to share your good news before returning home!

You´ll want to keep in touch with family and special friends back home, too. Buying a phone card to take with you can make this easier. Don´t forget to make a list of phone numbers, mailing addresses, and e-mail addresses that you may need while away from home!

If you haven´t already, start reading about your child´s country of birth and learn to speak basic words such as hello, good-bye, and thank you, in that country´s native language. Read all you can about baby and child care and development, attachment and bonding issues, developmental delays, and post-institutionalized children. Read up on medical conditions that your child could possibly have. Join an adoptive family support group.

Enjoy this time preparing for your new arrival, and get as much sleep as possible!


Note: Thank you, Callie and Carol, for your valuable input for this article!