How To Foster A Newborn Baby

Where To Obtain Foster Kittens

There are several ways you might obtain a foster kitten. If you are interested in fostering kittens, here are a few ways you might begin:

• Contact your local shelter and let them know you’re interested in fostering kittens. Many shelters have foster programs and will be thrilled to have your help. If your shelter doesn’t have a foster program…

• Contact a local rescue group about fostering. Rescue groups can’t pull animals out of shelters unless they have somewhere for them to go, so offering up your home will allow them to rescue animals from the shelter.

• You may find kittens outside and decide you want to help them. If this is the case, please make sure the kittens are truly orphaned before moving them. No one will be a better caregiver for kittens than the mama cat, so make sure that you’re giving them a chance to stay with their mom.

• When to leave the kittens: if they are clean and plump, the mama is likely nearby. Watch for her and make sure they are being cared for. If so, leave them with her.

• When to take the kittens: if they are dirty, soiled, crying, or thin, they are likely orphaned and in need of rescue. If they are in an unsafe situation, such as being exposed to harsh weather or elements, it is appropriate to rescue them. Use your best judgment.

Complete An Adoption Homestudy

An adoption homestudy by a licensed adoption agency is required by law.

A homestudy is a process through which prospective adoptive parents are educated about adoption and evaluated to determine their suitability to adopt. A home study is a three-part process required before a child can be placed with a family for foster care or adoption: Written portion includes autobiographies, references, medical reports, financial statements, child abuse, and criminal clearances and other written materials Social work process include a series of visits in the applicants home to discuss a variety of issues from the applicants backgrounds to their motivations to adopt and their understanding of adoption and parenting Educational process includes training in adoption and parenting issues. The end result of this process is a written document completed by a licensed agency giving a summary of the applicants family life. This document indicates approval of the applicants for adoption. In most states, it must be updated annually.

For more details on adoption homestudy requirements by state, go to this page, find your state and click on it.

What It Means To Be A Foster Parent

One or more foster parents provide the day-to-day care for a child on behalf of a foster care licensee, such as a children’s aid society. Licenses to provide foster care are issued by the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services under the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017.

Becoming a foster parent can be a challenging, rewarding and fulfilling experience. Foster parents should provide a stable and caring home that encourages a child’s growth and development.

Foster parents can be representative of all populations in Ontario, including cultural and religious backgrounds, marital status and financial income. Foster parents should also have a genuine desire to contribute to a child or youths wellbeing and to their community.

Foster parents can be a relative or a member of a childs or youths community .

Foster parents in Ontario can provide a foster home to up to four children at a time, subject to a few exceptions. Children may remain under the care of foster parents for brief or extended periods of time.

You May Like: Why Newborn Baby Cry At Night

What You Get From Fostering A Baby

Fostering babies and young children is particularly rewarding because of the impact the first three years of a childs life has on their personal development.

If youre already a parent or have experience of caring for babies, thats the perfect start. But bear in mind, a foster baby will most likely be placed with an experienced foster carer, so you will need to be open to other types of fostering too. This might include emergency foster care for toddlers or children of primary school age. You will also need to make the most of training opportunities provided by the National Fostering Group.

You will need good interpersonal skills to work closely with birth parents and other family members too, to allow them to develop their attachment relationship or you could host meetings with prospective adoptive parents.

Our baby foster carers dont do this alone: National Fostering Group provides excellent support and training. You have a dedicated Supervising Social Worker who is backed by an experienced local team, access to 24/7 advice and excellent training delivered in your area.

If you think this type of fostering would suit you, please enquire now.

Exhaustion And Joy Will Go Hand

Caroline Bailey

Our first foster placement was a 2-day-old baby boy. We picked him up from the hospital on a Friday evening and I went back to work the next Tuesday. Thankfully, I had found a daycare for him that accepted babies under the age of 6 weeks. My employer also graciously allowed me to bring him to work with me, when my schedule permitted it. Besides, EVERYONE in my office wanted to hold a baby! Even with these options, it was still incredibly hard to foster a newborn while working full-time.

I recall many times just collapsing into the bed once I got home and sobbing from exhaustion. Up all night, working all day and taking care of sweet little boy was, at times, seemingly too much. My husband and I both worked full-time, and I was a foster parent trainer . When people asked me, How do you do it? The answer was I dont know, we just do.

Here are a few tips to help you if you are fostering a newborn while working:

1. Pack a protein bar in the diaper bag or your purse. I know this seems silly, but I basically lived on protein bars when fostering. Often, new mothers forget to eat due to being so busy. Protein bars help tremendously.

2. If you can nap, do it. My husband and I really tried to make sure each other were getting enough sleep. If the baby was sleeping, we would lie down and try to fall asleep. If the baby was at daycare and I happened to get off of work a little early, I would run home and rest for a bit before picking him up.

Caroline Bailey

Also Check: How To Clear Newborn Reflux Congestion

Challenges In Parents That Can Affect Secure Attachment

Parents who themselves did not experience a secure attachment bond when they were infants may have trouble emotionally connecting with their babies. Other challenges that can get in the way of your ability to bond with your baby include:

• Depression, anxiety, or other emotional problems.
• Drug or alcohol problems.

Do I Have What It Takes To Foster Or Adopt

Foster and adoptive parents are just like you. You dont have to be an actual superhero to be a childs hero. There is no singular ideal candidate, but reflecting on these questions is always a great place to start:

• Do you want to support and nurture children in need?
• Can you provide a stable home life for a child?
• Are you empathetic and understanding?
• Are you a good listener?
• Are you flexible and adaptable?
• Are you able to manage when the going gets tough?
• Do you have extra love to share?

Of course there are some legal qualifications youll have to meet, but we think the above list is a pretty good place to start when deciding whether or not opening your home to a child in need is right for you.

Recommended Reading: Is It Ok For Newborn To Sleep On Side

Bringing Home The Kittens

When you bring home kittens, the most important thing is to first understand what kind of condition they are in. If you have a sick or injured kitten in need of immediate care, take them right away to the nearest emergency veterinarian. A kitten needs emergency care if she is:

• Gasping for air, cannot breathe

• Suffering from a painful infection to the eyes or skin

• Bleeding from any orifice

If the kittens seem in stable condition, bring them home and follow these guidelines:

• Feed them

• Much of the time when you get an orphaned kitten, they will have gone too long without food. For this reason, you will want to feed them right away.

• Kittens 0-4 weeks with no mom will need to be bottle fed using a kitten formula. Never give cow’s milk to a kitten — this is very dangerous! Learn some helpful tips for bottle feeding orphaned kittens here.

• Kittens 4-5 weeks are weaning and can eat slurry, a combination of formula and wet kitten food. Learn about slurry here.

• Kittens 5-6 weeks plus can generally eat wet kitten food. Make sure the can says it is for kittens, and provide fresh water at all times as well.

Babies Waiting For Adoption Within Foster Care

Many people underestimate how many babies are waiting for adoption with foster care. Navigating the foster care systemcan be intimidating regardless of the goal. Taking the time to learn about and understand the process and practices is very important. That is exactly what Kelly Reynolds and her husband did. The couple talked about the possibility of adoption but didnt really know what to expect so they hadnt made up their minds. In 2014 they decided to go to an information meeting and had many questions answered. By January of 2015, the couple decided that they could do it and began their training.

Read Also: Which Formula Is Good For Newborn Baby

Why Consider Fostering Or Adoption

Children come into the care of the state through absolutely no fault of their own. And through fostering or adoption, youre able to help provide a caring, nurturing environment where they can heal from past experiences and trauma and grow to their fullest potential. People who are called to foster or adopt all share one thing in common–the desire to help the most vulnerable children thrive.

Submit An Adoption Application

Once you decide on an agency you would like to work with, the second step to moving forward with your dream to adopt a newborn baby is to complete an adoption application. In some cases, you may have already completed a preliminary application before the orientation. Either way, this would be the time to look into completing a formal application.

Don’t Miss: How Much Milk Should A Newborn Eat

Receiving Your Childs Passport

If you applied by mail, the passport will be returned to you by traceable mail and may arrive in two separate packages.

If you applied in person and paid for a pick-up service, the pickup date will be indicated on your receipt. The passport may be picked up by a third party if they provide written consent from the applicant and valid identification.

Important: Never sign your childs passport or other travel document. A parents or legal guardians signature makes the document invalid. Print the Signature policy and bring it with you when you travel in case you are asked to sign it.

A childs passport or other travel document does not need a signature. A child may sign the passport or travel document and children over the age of 11 are encouraged to sign. If a child does not sign, the signature block on page 3 must be left blank.

It Is Possible But There Are Definitely Some Things You Should Know And Consider

Kristy O’Neal

When it comes to adopting newborns, here are a few things to remember.

For many people who have dreamed of being a parent, it can be a harsh awakening when life doesnt work out that way. Infertility, singleness, and other life circumstances can thwart our expectations.

And because for most of us those dreams started with the idea of bringing a baby home from the hospital, it can be our natural inclination to pursue infant, or even specifically newborn, adoption. On the other hand, most photos and stories you see about foster care adoption do not include tiny babies. So is it possible to adopt a newborn from foster care?

The answer is yes, it is possible to bring home a newborn from the hospital through foster care, be the only parent she knows from that point forward, and eventually, finalize her adoption. But if this is your desire, there are a few things that you need to know first.

1. Adoption is not the goal of foster care it is a byproduct.

2. Even if you bring the baby home from the hospital and reunification is never part of the plan, the legal process to adoption still takes time.

3. There may be older children, or sibling groups, or children labeled as special needs but without any diagnoses that require significant intervention, who need you.

Are you ready to pursue adoption? Visit Adoption.org or call to connect with compassionate, nonjudgmental adoption specialists who can help you get started on the journey of a lifetime.

Kristy O’Neal

You May Like: Why Is Newborn So Fussy

Transitional Care For Infants

Infant Transitional Care is designed to provide pre-adoptive care for infants born to young women in the Christian Homes & Family Services maternity program. In most instances these newborns cannot be placed directly from the hospital with their forever family due to unresolved legal situations or possible health conditions that have to be diagnosed or treated prior to their adoption. Transitional care is typically short term two weeks to three months and concludes when the infant is placed with an approved Christian Homes adoptive family, chosen by the biological parents.

Transitional Care parents are reimbursed a nominal amount to help defray the cost of care for these infants.

To be considered for foster parenthood, contact Christian Homes at 592-4725 or

Do I Need Any Special Training Or A Special Foster Parenting License

Yes, in some states, you will be required to be licensed, and in other states, youll just need special training. In either case, well provide everything you will need, including: orientation to the program, ongoing trainings, regular in-person support, twenty-four hour on-call support availability and other tools to help you learn and develop your skills along the way.

Recommended Reading: How To Help Your Newborn Sleep At Night

About Adoption From Foster Care

Thousands of children in foster care need permanent families

Adopting a child from foster care is a great way to help a child while growing your family. Today there are more than 117,000 children and teens in foster care who are waiting for the love and security that a permanent home provides.

You can learn more about foster care and adoption by clicking through our short, interactive modules about the children in care and the families they need.