[FunTracy]

How should I prepare for my first placements? I know that there won't be much time between when a SW calls and a child is placed in my home. Do I stock up on assorted clothing sizes, toys, and kid friendly foods? Should I wait until the child arrives and then go and buy things?

Seasoned FP may laugh, but I'm a little overwhelmed!

[Scrapsathome]

If you don't already have bio kids, then I'd say it depends on what ages you plan to accept. If you have absolutely nothing for a baby, then yes, I'd grab all the essentials from diaper cloths (to catch the copious amounts of puke) to a small bassinet (which you can find cheap if you get the travel size). If you plan to get older kids I'd wait to get clothes and things until you know the age and size of the child you'll get. You can run out the next day and get a few outfits depending on how long you think they'll stay.

Other than that, I'd plan as if a niece or nephew was coming to visit for a few days. I'd have a few kids movies and maybe a few little toys like blocks and hot wheels available. My kids love fruit snacks and string cheese. Unless you eat really strange gourmet foods, they'll probably eat whatever you eat at meal times. No sense stocking up on PB & J just to find out that they hate it and won't eat it. You might purchase a night light. One for their room and one for the hallway so they can find the bathroom at night.

Good luck!

Jess

[Kat-L]

Originally Posted by FunTracy

How should I prepare for my first placements? I know that there won't be much time between when a SW calls and a child is placed in my home. Do I stock up on assorted clothing sizes, toys, and kid friendly foods? Should I wait until the child arrives and then go and buy things?

Seasoned FP may laugh, but I'm a little overwhelmed!

I would get a car seat and/or booster seat. I would also get baby tylenol and children's tylenol. A kids ear thermometer, kid shampoo, and a RID lice removal kit (Lice is common! And you'll need the RID when they first arrive or else your house will become infested. As soon as they step foot in your house, check their head for creepy crawlies. If you even suspect lice, put them in the tub and use the lice shampoo and launder all their stuff in hot water and dry it in the dryer). I would hold off on clothes, food and even toys. I definately wouldn't buy clothing.

In 2005, I was waiting to be matched with a girl between the ages of 2 and 5. I got the things I thought I'd need. A twin bed. A side for the bed so she doesn't fall out. A doll..etc. Well.. I ended up bringing home a new baby (I was totally unprepared! But I managed to get everything I needed within a few days).

This year, I started waiting again for a girl or little girl sibling group between the ages of 2 and 5. I bought two twin beds, bedding, booster seats & a car seat. Adorable pink bedroom all ready to go. I brought home a 7 month old boy! The first night at my house when I was putting him to bed, I said to him "If you can survive a pink princess bedroom, you can survive anything".

So far I haven't used any of the things I thought I was going to need. So I'd recommend that you hold off until you actually receive your child.

But definately get Tylenol and RID. Those are two things you don't want to be without.

[cabbagepatchkid]

When I was getting ready to do foster care I began visiting yard sales and buying a variety of clothes for boys and girls between the ages of 2 thru 5--the ages that I was getting. I was looking for seasonal stuff too, boots, coats, winter P.J's, summer P.J's, etc. It's the kind of things that you will need but the stores may not have anymore if it's near the end of the season. Most of the kids that I have had came without any proper clothes...either they were for the wrong season, they were the wrong size or for the wrong gender !!!! Yard sales are a great place to get good deals on toys, car seats and playpens.

I also went to Walmart and stocked up on bed sheets, blankets, Tylenol, shampoo, Q-Tips and soft and squishy stuffed animals so that they will have something to hug when they go to bed. I also like to buy child friendly cereal bowls, cups and silverware. They have so much in the stores to choose from and it makes breakfast more special--especially their first few mornings with you. Good luck.

Oh, yeah...I forgot about the lice shampoo that Kat-L mentioned. Definitely get some of that. You don't want to have to run to the store at suppertime (that's when most of the kids arrive) for it. I became a "nit-picking expert" a couple of years ago. Now I check heads right away.

[chevyjewel]

I agree with what Kat said you should get. Kid friendly soaps and shampoos are necessary. Most kids we've had have come filthy. It's a nice distraction for little ones to have a bath too. I like cabbage patch kids suggestion of lots of sheets and blankets and kid friendly eating utensils, bottles (with varieties of different nipples) too if you're accepting babies. Everything else you could accumulate until the cows come home and will still not have what you need when it's time. Unless you have a humongous house with tons of storage I wouldn't bother trying. Believe me, I did and I'm still trying to get rid of all of it!

And wanted to add you should NEVER buy carseats at garage sales. That's one of the first things they taught us at our (4 hour) car seat class. There's no way to guarantee they haven't been in an accident. And once a seat has been in an accident it is weakened and unsafe. Our county actually sends fliers out to the entire community periodically offering to dispose of old seats people have for free.

We are often warned of picking up playpens too, at least at consignment stores they check for recalls and safety hazards. You never know if what you're picking up at a yard sale is there because it's unsafe and some parent wants to unload it on an unsuspecting thrifty buyer. It's just not a good idea unless you actually KNOW the people you're getting it from and can trust where it's coming from.

[cabbagepatchkid]

Originally Posted by FunTracy

How should I prepare for my first placements? I know that there won't be much time between when a SW calls and a child is placed in my home. Do I stock up on assorted clothing sizes, toys, and kid friendly foods? Should I wait until the child arrives and then go and buy things?

Seasoned FP may laugh, but I'm a little overwhelmed!

I don't know what age you are expecting but I have been doing home daycare for years and I have found that the all time favorite toy is Duplo blocks....they are like Lego's but easier for the little kids to play with. I have tons of them and it seems as if there is still never enough for what they are building with them. A good video for toddlers is the Wiggles "YUMMY YUMMY" video.

[lilraskels]

I would wait until the child comes that way you know what size they are bringing. Once they come you might want to ask them depending on the age what food they might like. This will help them feel comfortable and show them that you want them there. Me and my girlfriends would get together when we got new placements and see what we could give each other that would work. It was hard always having the right size clothing even having seven kids in the house. I know the excitement of recieving the first call and every call after is just as excitement. good luck

[arangia]

initially we were prepared for a baby, got a crib (convertible at least) dresser/changing table, etc.

no clothes or anything since we didn't know about gender.

we ended up with a 3 year old boy and 4 year old girl! we had to run out and buy a twin bed, convert the crib into a toddler bed and stow the changing pad.

we have quite a few friends from church and our FFA that came through and gave us lots of stuff. i'd say if you have a good network of friends/family that you can rely on, i would wait. we did fortunately get a baby last month and now have use for those things we bought.

we got clothes, bottles, formula, diapers, sheets, toys, diaper bags, pacifiers, etc...

in the end there wasn't really anything we would have HAD to have had before hand.

the only thing i would suggest would be car seats. i'd suggest investing in a good convertible. they're not ideal for newborns, but totally workable for infants up to 3 year olds.

[an_aurora]

Originally Posted by arangia

the only thing i would suggest would be car seats. i'd suggest investing in a good convertible. they're not ideal for newborns, but totally workable for infants up to 3 year olds.

Depending on the car seat, many convertibles fit children up to 6-7 years old. There are several with higher weight limits (50, 65, or 70 lbs) and higher top slots that will work for infants up to booster age.

[ALfostermom]

the thing we stress to our new fp is have the beds if you are planning on infants a pack and play will work till you get a crib, But always good to have a twin bed on hand they are good for any age over 2. You might check with your agency but ours has to supply age appropriate carseats. I wa just planning on infants and toddlers and had plenty of stuff for that age, my first placement was a 11 year old. Fortunatlly she was fine with tv and craft stuff till we got age appropriate stuff.

[Howdy]

The most useful stuff that I bought ahead of time was basics like toilet paper and kleenex and extras of my favorite jeans, extras of my favorite toiletries, etc.

The placements I've had were happy to go shopping and pick out the things they needed, but there was not much time (or energy) left for taking care of me. It was a great relief to not have to worry about running out of my necessities.

Extra children's toothbrushes come in handy. And bandaids. And basic children's medicines as mentioned above.

[mama-2-3]

We accept a wide age range, so I just bought the bare basics:
- two twin beds (with neutral bedding)
- crib (mint green bedding)
- lots of toothbrushes and toothpaste
- carseat and booster seat

Our first foster child came with only the clothes on his back, so he slept in one of my t-shirts that first night, but the next day we went to the Mall and I let him pick out some new clothes, a few toys, and some books (he really lilked picking out his own stuff).

Our next two foster children both came with a lot of stuff, so I really didn't need anything right away.

The girls we are getting on Friday are, apparantly, coming with some stuff, but I did buy them each a "starter package" (I just filled a couple of big gift bags with girly things like jump-ropes, hair bands, rulers, perfume, markers, deodorant, erasers, brushes, etc.). Once they arrive and settle in, I can take them shopping for anything else they might need.

I think it is easier to stick to the basic needs like food, sheets, toilet paper, toothbrushes, and shampoo until you know what you are getting. Otherwise, your cabinets and closets will be overflowing before you know it.

[xxsurroundedbyxy]

Hi~
Don't feel like this is what everyone does. You will see as you go along that you find your own system. I am just going to tell you what works for me. I know each PRIDE/PATH class is different based on the trainer and I am sure you learned things that we others did not, so please feel free to share any ideas you come up with.

Not all these suggestions will work for you because of the age of kids you requested but it is good groundwork.

Here it goes:

1. Get a hanging file tub (rubbermaid) and make lots of blank copies of all the forms you have to have on hand such as medical exam forms, fire drill documentation forms, clothing inventory, medicine dispensing, initial dental exam form, etc. If you don't have a copier--you will need one. If you can find a copy/fax machine for cheap even better. And let me know where to find it too! HeeHee. My copier is also my printer and I am wearing it out fast.

2. Get some 3 ring binders and place tab sheets in for each of the types of forms I mentioned above...so when you have one filled out you can make yourself a copy and place into the child's binder and send the original into the appropriate state worker. We buy the type with a plastic outer sleeve and I place an info sheet in the front of it with a place for the child’s name, case number, cw name and contact info, dcfs healthcare worker name and contact info, hotline number, etc. for quick reference. I often just grab the binder on the way to a dr. appt or meeting because it will have all I need in it.

3. Buy a journal for each child so that at the end of the day you can jot down the date and any important happenings of the day to keep track of what happened when AND to cover yourself. This is good for meetings with therapists and court dates. It would also make a great little diary of your little one’s first days with you if you end up adopting.

4. Buy some scrapbooks and film. I love the 12x12 kind. I buy some refill pages with dividers and memo slips for pics and other pages big enough for 8.5x11 paper drawings or schoolwork etc. to slide down into. I also like the kind with a small square on the front for a small pic so I can easily tell who’s scrapbook it is. I bought some great ones on sale at Kohls for 5.99 (blue and pink) but EBay is good cheap refill pages.

5. We also get a small rubbermaid for each child because we have had children come with clothes from mom that were 3sizes too small or too large or were so filthy that laundering them would not have helped. You can NOT throw these out (I wish) until you know your children are not returning home. In our state this is a rule, but really these children have (and typically come) with so little to call their own that we make a point of telling them that they don't fit but we are putting their "things" into a special box for them. These may also be the very last items they receive from their biological parents. So we label the rubbermaid with the child's name and place any items like this in there. When/If they leave, we place all personal items like toothbrushes etc in there along with any personal toys of theirs and send it home with them or to their next placement (if you decide that child is not the right fit for your family).

6. We posted our "house rules" on the fridge. There are only a few such as keep hands and feet to self, tell the truth, knock before entering a room, talk nicely, respect your property and others......all things TO DO...instead of what not to do. We read these to even the youngest the very first night and every day for awhile and discuss why they are important and why we have them. When in trouble, we refer back to them to let them know which rule was broken and why they are getting a time out.

7. After the child has been here a couple of weeks, we discuss allowance and chores. Even the younger ones can understand that they can earn a dollar for the dollar store if they brush the cat, dust their room with a feather duster, pick up their toys before bed, take a bath without whining, etc. After a couple of weeks, you will know what "chores" you would like to see them do for the reward of payment. For instance, we had one that never hit the toilet when he peed so his chore became cleaning to toilet with lysol wipes three times a week. He soon learned to aim better. We do family rewards like movies, bowling, or Chuck E Cheese. These are privileges and can be taken away if the child has been especially ugly at home OR school.

Some of this will not matter if all you take in are infants. In this case, don't post house rules....post a house schedule and get everyone on board. They will have no excuse if it is posted on the fridge.

8. If you are CC and plan on taking any race and are unaware of how to care for AA hair, then I would visit a salon that specializes in that and learn what you can do and let the person know you may be bringing some business in for her. There are many threads on the forum regarding this as well.

9. We also purchased a jumpdrive (flashdrive) to have on hand to save ONLY emails and pics involving foster children. This is handy if they come into your home and the first night as you are getting ready to bathe them you notice bruises etc. You can notify the caseworker immediately and take pics and save to a jumpdrive which can be transfered to anyone's computer. This protects you. Plus, these are not pics you typically want to email or be sending into cyberspace. A jumpdrive can also be taken and used to print pictures off of in the event the CW thinks a hardcopy is necessary.

10. And lastly~
Will you be a SAHM or will the children be going to daycare? If kids need daycare, that can open a whole new can of worms that you need to start researching. I have found that DCFS is not good at helping find one (and I only work one morning per week right now as the Storytime Director at the local library). A good daycare that has openings available on short notice that also takes DCFS vouchers can be hard to find. You would want to meet with the director, introduce yourself and your situation, and see what you must do to enroll a child. Fill out any paperwork in advance and have it partially filled out and at home ready to take if an opening is available and you need one, etc.

Like I said, these work for us and you will find your own way and if you think of something that can benefit others PLEASE send it our way.

Kim