Here is Adoptive Family‘s list of tips for domestic adoption travel.
1. Don’t buy your tickets through a discount Web site. Your stay in your child’s birth city may be longer or shorter than you had anticipated, and these tickets generally cannot be changed. Use these sites to research the lowest fares, then pay a little extra to buy your tickets directly from the airline.
2. Ask for a hotel room with a refrigerator for baby formula, and either a microwave or a coffee maker so you can boil and sterilize nipples.
3. Lay a towel in the tub floor to give your baby a bath—don’t bother lugging a baby tub or mat with you.
4. Don’t worry about a crib, either. You can probably rent one from the hotel, or bring a portable pack-and-play. Your baby can even sleep in a drawer lined with towels (placed on the floor).
5. Bring an extra, empty suitcase for anything you’ll buy on the trip.
6. A front-pack baby carrier, such as a Baby Bjorn, is perfect for hauling a baby through airports. At this age, they’re too young for strollers, so don’t bother packing one.
7. Take the bare minimum! We recommend:
- Front-pack baby carrier, such as a Baby Bjorn
- 4-5 gowns and hats
- car seat
- travel size kit of baby products, including baby shampoo, lotion, and so on
- diaper bag or back pack
If you need more of anything, just buy it while you’re there!
8. The hospital will give you more than enough diapers and formula to last for several days.
9. For keepsakes, take photos of birth mother and baby, of family with birth mother and baby, and of the hospital sign. Also, save a local newspaper from the day your child was born, and be sure to get one of those baby t-shirts that read “Property of [hospital name].”
10. Enjoy! This is the trip of a lifetime!
Adoption Agencies with U.S. Newborn Adoption Programs
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