[Boycrazy372]

Hi All,
I'm in the process of exploring which country to move forward with. My husband and I are both in our late 30's, have 3 biological children, and are financially stable. We are hoping to adopt a healthy girl around 12 months old. Wondering about time frames and availability with various countries? Thanks for input and suggestions!

[carmen90]

Hi

I think you may not find any country which can give you a young healthy girl. Many countries do not have children under 2, as many have enough adopters in country for those children, and many also have a mandatory waiting period before a child can be made available for adoption. The wait for any girl would probably be longer than a boy because boys are left behind while the majority of adopters prefer girls. Some countries do have children under 2, but they may have special needs such as limb differences, Hepatitis etc.

It might be possible. I don't have any up to date information, but i think you could still adopt a girl under 2 from Russia. You may have to be accepting of some uncertainties, like delayed development, or minor health issues, attachment issues etc

Others here know much more and could advise you on any possible countries

Have you considered a domestic adoption through foster care, or a domestic infant adoption?

[sak9645]

South Korea remains a good option. The country has the oldest international adoption program with the U.S., going back more than 50 years. The program is organized and ethical, and the U.S. agencies accredited by the Korean government to work with families in their states include some of the oldest and most reputable agencies in the country.

While the number of available children has decreased sharply, for a variety of reasons, and while the time from application to homecoming has increased somewhat, it is still possible to be referred a child who is well under one year of age, and to bring him/her home before he/she is 18 months old.

There are some drawbacks to Korea, however. From your standpoint, however, the most serious is that most agencies do not allow gender choice, although some may permit it for families who alread have children and have a specific reason for their request -- for example, because they have three boys and want a girl to balance their family, or because their house is small, and a new child would have to share a room with their son, meaning that they'd need another boy. The reason for the lack of gender choice is that Americans overwhelmingly ask to adopt girls, which means that long waiting lists develop for them, while boys languish in foster homes and orphanages. If you go with an agency that does not allow gender choice, you are almost certain to be referred a boy.

Korea has an excellent and Western-style medical system. American doctors tend to trust Korean medical information on referrals. It should be noted, however, that the children coming into care in Korea are quite different from those that needed homes in the past. Instead of being the offspring of very sheltered young women with little exposure to alcohol, drugs, or sexually transmitted diseases, they are often the children of more emancipated young women.

While the Korean doctors make an effort to find out whether these women engaged in alcohol, drug, or tobacco use during pregancy, they may not always receive accurate information. As a result, more children than in the past are coming home with a Fetal Alcohol Spectrum disorder, though the numbers are still small. Depending on the amount of alcohol consumed and the stage of pregnancy during which the birthmothers consumed alcohol, the children can have issues ranging from minimal to severe. The issues can include such things as learning disabilities and impulsive behaviors resulting from a lack of understanding of consequences, and may not be recognized until a child is of school age.

Sharon