[JCNickmom]

Hi,
My husband and I are in the process of befoming foster parents in GA. It is our hope to eventually adopt a little girl. My bio sons are not babies anymore and I didn't keep any baby items. Our requested age range is infant-5. We have just started the process, so placement is quite a ways off. However, I was wondering what I should have on hand. I have purchased a nice 2nd hand crib and mattress. It can also convert into a todler bed. I also have cabinet locks and outlet covers for baby proofing the house for the safety inspection. How do you prepare for a placement when the age renge is so wide? What should I have on hand?

[ms_mckenna]

When we were going through the process and still now I buy toys and clothes that are nice and also a good deal. I put them up for when and if we do have a child that can use them. I will admit though that we are overrun by baby things lmao. I am actually starting to give stuff away because I have gradually replaced my hand me downs and free cycle stuff with what I really want.

[amymlc]

I am actually in the exact same boat as you, I have tried to shop a few times but we have no idea what to buy because of the 0-5 age range. The few things I've purchased so far are artwork for the room, children's books, and bedtime stories. LOL. I guess we're going to just have the very basics, like furniture (bed, dresser, bookshelves, etc...) and then go on a huge shopping trip when we know who is coming. Although my agency said they've placed foster parents with children the minute they walked out of their last class.

[CaddoRose]

I broke it down into different ages and worked at it from there. New borns, 1-2 yr olds, 3-4, 5-6 etc. It was easier that way. Newborns- diaper bag, wipes, bottles, toys, diaper cream, shampoo, thermometer, burp cloths, onesies, socks, etc. I also bought a box of Johnson's head-to-toe washcloths. There are 14 in a box and perfect for newborn up. An easy way to be prepared to give one a bath asap.

I also tried to acquire a few toys for each age group just so I would at least have something for them to play with until I could get more for their age group. I put clothes in age/ size labeled bins and looked for non-gender specific clothing as much as possible for the first few days. Shoes too. I look at garage sales and all of the local thrift stores as well and pick out the really good stuff. It's a good idea to have sleepwear and a change of sheets for the bed in case of a nighttime accident. Along with that, some pull-ups too.

[NotAMomYet]

I asked all of my sisters and friend to pass along things that they don’t need for their own children with the caveat that after we get our placement (foster adopt) that we’ll either donate or return items that are not age/gender appropriate. Our “ideal” is a sibling group aged 3-6 but we are collecting donations for infants up-to 10-years-old because we never know what ages we’ll actually end up with.

We bought two twin beds and put them together with funky non-gender-specific bedding and got some inexpensive dressers for the home study, but have also put money away for a crib or other “baby” items if we end up needing them. When we met with the licenser she said that was fine since we have easy access to a large department store if we need to buy those things with short notice.

We do NOT have car seats or boosters for the same reason – the licenser says we can purchase those when we know what size and kind we need.

There are several other items that I can borrow (and never return?) from my sisters who’ve all had multiple children and thanks to the packrat gene that runs in the family they’ve kept everything!