[luvmysoxfan]

we just got certified for total 2 kids, m/f, ages 0-3.

we have a fully functioning nursery w/convertible crib, ready to go. i am concerned about clothing. what i should have/need for right now. i really have quite a bit of 0-9months clothing at least for a 'start', but i'm unsure what to have prepared for if we were to get an older infant.

i thought maybe at least a pair of pj's & shorts/sweat suit, sox & shoes or sandals?

anyone have a foster parent 'checklist'?

thanks!!

[Schnider1]

you never know, for sure, exactly what age you'll be getting. You'll need diapers and bottles and formula for sure. Most of the foster kids I have gotten have come with a few sets of clothing and the SW has always brought us an emergency voucher for clothing when they deliver the child. First kids I got where age 2 mos and age 16 mos. They called me early in the day and told me I could pick them up later in the day. Well...I had no clothing for the 16 mo. old so I sent husband out to buy some. The girls ended up only being here for two days. I took the clothes back and got my money back for them and I have not needed that size since. Besides that...they came with lots of clothing and would have not needed to go shopping for a while. If you buy clothing just leave the tags on them so you can return them if necessary. You'll need one pkg. of each size of diaper. You can always return those for exchange too if necessary. Good luck! I'm new to the fostering. Just got certified on Jan. 31st. We've had a total of 8 kids so far. Two of them are still with us.

Marsha

[twinflana]

I would just buy some onesies in larger sizes that should get you through the night or day if necessary. I have had 2 placements the newborn came with 1 tshirt and the 9 month old came with 2 outfits, no pajamas.

[Schnider1]

Also...I keep a few jars of baby food in the cabinet.

[luvmysoxfan]

thanks for all of your ideas!

what i learned from y'all:

* it hadn't occurred to me that they might come with any clothing!

*i do have some larger sized onesies (24m)

*great plan on the pgk of diapers! i have size 2 & some toddler pull-ups so far.

*baby food!

funny how after all the ppwk stuff i still feel like i need to 'do' something! i suppose i should enjoy the lull....

thanks again....if anyone has more ideas...keep 'em commin'~

[hubbyswife]

I guess we don't really worry about clothes and all that stuff. When we have a new placement, we go straight to the store to buy what they need, food, clothes, shoes, diapers, bottles. We usually get a voucher for $50, which doesn't buy much but it helps.

I wouldn't stress to much about it. Try having $$$ saved so that when u get a new placement u can use that to buy stuff.

[rtsmedley]

You could prepare by buying a little of everything from the ARC, but to me that seems like such a waste. I had clothes given to me by family and friends. I keep them in containers, sorted by age. And they are mostly boy clothes.

We have had 6 babies, in the last four years, and only 1 girl (very first baby placement). As much as I want a baby girl placed with us, I am not going to buy girl clothes, in all sizes, "just in case".

Children ususally come with the clothes that they are wearing, although, they may be dirty, it will work until morning.

[Schnider1]

One thing I did not think of when I started out was the toddler pull ups. Thanks goodness our 4 yo FD came with a couple in her bag because she sure needs them. LOL! I have since gotten out the cloth training pants and ordered a couple of diaper covers from Motherease.com for her to wear because I believe she is allergic to the material in the pullups just like my bio dd was. For my bio DD I put two pair of the thick training pants on and then a diaper cover and that worked fine instead of the paper pullups and it's cheaper in the long run anyways and it may train them faster not to wet the bed.

[Schnider1]

In Oklahoma we get, at least, $100. It depends on the age. The 17 year old we had got a $200 voucher. It depends on the age of the child. It ranges from $100 - $200. It really helps ALOT. And then we get a clothing voucher every 90 days. It's not as much as the first (emergency) voucher though. Not sure how much as we have not even been certified for 90 days yet. Our monthly suppliment may not be as much as yours though.

Marsha

[Luvbeingmommy]

I also keep a supply of new kids toiletries:

toothbrushes
toothpaste
shampoo & conditioner
lotions
comb & brush

Also new stuffed animals are always great to give them so that they have their very own special buddy to sleep with.

Welcome to the wonderful world of fostering

Darla

[luvmysoxfan]

thanks!! more great ideas!!!

[hotspice58]

Never brought clothes. Definitely had toothbrushed; also school stuff: notebooks, pencils, paper. My range is newborn to 10 and all of my kids came with a few articles of clothing.

[twinflana]

I am jealous of all of yous that getting immediate clothing vouchers we get nothing for the first six months and as I said before both came with nothing.

[tvs4]

If possible, before your placement see if there is a foster parent association in you area. They are a wealth of resouces and generally have clothing/items in all sizes. They also often have cribs, carseats, etc.

I recommend keeping on hand some pedialyte (or generic oral rehydration soultion - at least one liter bottle), infant tylanol, infant motrin, and maybe some baby saline for the nose, maybe some baby vicks to rub on a chest of a congested child, and maybe children's Benedryl (they don't make it for kids under 2 according to the lable but if you talk to a pediatrician they can give you a safe dose for a younger child) incase a child has an allergic reaction to something in your house and can be used to help dry out a runny nose.

Our foster son came to us at 19 months old with a stomach virus (puking and pooping all over) and then quickly got a very bad head cold. The oral rehydration was a GREAT thing to have in the house that first afternoon of his arrival(we already were fully stocked because we have a 2 year old daughter - and I'm an RN by background so I tend to be over prepared).

Infant Tylanol and Motrin can be used in toddlers too. Check the lables for dosage by weight. And be sure to ask about any allergies a child has when the child is placed (although my experience is the kids come with very little background medical information).

Also, find the nearest all night pharmacy incase you need to get meds at night.

also a thermometer (I use a digital one placed under a toddler's armpit - generally add one degree to the reading and you get a good estimate of their temp. It seems to be the least difficult way to get a very young child's temp), a nose syringe for sucking out mucus, and a humidifier are all handy items too. You never know if the child will show up sick and the last thing you want to do is take a sick child shopping for needed items.

Again, the nurse in me says track down the directions to the nearest pediatric ER if you don't know where one is. ( I did this when we moved to a new area and my daughter was a baby). 2am is no time to be using mapquest to find a pediatric ER. Also, if your foster child will be on medicaid you might want to ask around your area for a physician that will take medicaid (not all children however end up on medicaid - our current fosterson is covered by his mom's insurance because she is still working and it is part of her plan to get him back that she must maintain medical coverage).

[luvmysoxfan]

those are great thoughts!!

medicine cabinet...things i hadn't thought of yet!!
thank you thank you thank you!!

we live in a relatively new area and just got a flyer in the mail for a night-time ped clinic. i was sure to post it on the fridge!


do any of you take your foster child to the dr right away for a check-up?
i remember vaugely in our classes a social worker recommending this for a 'base' or jumping off point. especially b/c the kiddos don't often come with any sort of medical records. also to protect ouselves if any issues arise.


i also wanted to add: i re-checked in my foster care class book. we aren't issued emergency care checks either. infact i had made a note (apparently during class) that sometimes you have to harrass your CW to get any sort of $$ for such things! is that normal from state to state? (we're in AZ, maricopa county)