This NEW FREE 4 STEP GUIDE GIVES YOU THE PATH
TO FIND & CHOOSE THE RIGHT ADOPTION AGENCY.
ADOPTION BOOKS
- The Essential Guide To Adoption Outreach – this book is a must have for anyone hoping to adopt. Joanna Ivey (adoptee and adoptive mom) has created an amazing resource that will help you put together an adoption outreach plan and strategy.
- Adoption: Choosing It, Living It, Loving It; Straight Answers to Heartfelt Questions
by Dr.Ray Guarendi. This is a great book about adoption from someone who has dealt with infertility and went on to adopt 10 kids!
- Adoption: Your Step By Step Guide
- Your Sacred Adoption: A Guided Journal of Life, Love and Memories
This is an excellent adoption journal that you can fill out during your adoption process.
- Secret Thoughts of An Adoptive Mother
by Jana Wolff. This is a great book describing the emotions felt during and after the adoption process.
- You CAN Adopt Without Debt: Creative Ways to Cover the Cost of Adoption
by Julie Gumm. She has been featured on The Dave Ramsey Show with her book that will help you fund your adoption with a bunch of creative ideas.
- Tell Me Again About The Night I Was Born
- Adoption Nation by Adam Pertman. This book is a must read for adoptive families about the past, present, and future of adoption.
- The Eye of Adoption by Jody Dyer. In my opinion, EVERY hopeful adoptive parent should read this. It is Jody’s story about how she and her husband adopted a newborn in an open adoption. Click here to listen to the interview I did with Jody about her story and book.
- ABC, Adoption & ME by Gayle Swift. This is a awesome children’s adoption book. It is so unique because is uses every letter in the alphabet to talk about lots of adoption topics. Click here to read my review of the book.
- From Pain to Parenthood: A Journey Through Miscarriage to Adoption by Deanna Kahler. This book is all about her journey to building their family through domestic infant adoption. As you read this book, you’ll follow Deanna as she tells her incredible story of going through painful miscarriages to get to the joy of parenting through adoption. Click here to listen to the interview I did with Deanna about her story and book.
- How to Create a Successful Adoption Portfolio This is a step-by-step guide to creating a portfolio that will reflect your personality, make a strong positive impact and encourage the right birth family to choose you. Click here to listen to the interview I did with Madeleine about her adoption story along with tips to create a successful profile.
- Come Rain or Come Shine: A White Parent’s Guide to Adopting and Parenting Black Children – by Rachel Garlinghouse. This popular book was written by an adoptive mom of three. She shares her experience, her heart, and her passion for transracial adoption. Click here to listen to the interview I did with Rachel.
- Encouragement for the Adoption and Parenting Journey: 52 Devotions and a Journal by Rachel Garlinghouse. This is a weekly devotional that includes a biblical passage that talks about how it applies to the adoption and/or adoptive parenting journey. This book provides support for the ups and downs of the adoption journey.
- Sowing in Tears: A Mother’s Sorrow in Infertility and Joy in Adoption by Leeann Hale. As a Mom of 2 through infant adoption and dealing with the pains of infertility, Leeann has shared her memoirs in this must-read book.
- Do Right by Me: Learning to Raise Black Children in White Spaces by Katie D’Angelo and Valerie Harrison. These friends of more than 20 years share their stories, experiences, and expertise in how to navigate transracial adoption.
ADOPTION HELP & RESOURCE SITES
- LifetimeAdoption.com – an adoption facilitator based out of California that we have personally used to adopt all three of our kids. Their christian mission is to bring birthmothers and adoptive families together.
- HelpUsAdopt.org – this is a non-profit financial assistance grant program providing qualified couples with grants of up to $15,000 towards their adoption expenses.
- American Academy of Adoption Attorneys – The Academy is the largest and most accessible resource for finding an adoption attorney.
- Childwelfare.gov – this is the government website that answers adoption questions as they pertain to your state.
- Pear-now.org – Parents for Ethical Adoption Reform. Their mission is to provide resources and a voice for adoptive parents. They have a great PDF printable guide to researching U.S. adoption agencies.
- NACAC -North American Council on Adoptable Children – focuses on parent education and information sharing along with adoption support.
- YourAdoptionFinanceCoach.com – this is a great system which includes live coaching, on-demand training videos, budget and planning templates, and other great features. It equips adoptive families with the tools they need to create a customized financial plan to fund their adoption.
- FundYourAdoption.tv – created by adoptive parents Jeremy and Lori. Through personal experience, helping friends, and coaching other adoptive families, they’ve compiled exceptional tools and resources that teach families how to adopt without debt – including their amazing FundYourAdoption Bootcamp!
ADOPTION BLOGS & PROFILE SERVICES
- AdoptionProfileVideo.com – this is my site dedicated to helping you create and share an adoption profile video. My wife and I used videos to find and connect with our kid’s birthparents. Videos are making adoption connections easier, faster, and with less hassle than ever before.
- Adoptimist.com – post your online adoption profile here. They have different paid plans that will affect how often your profile is viewed by an expectant mother who is considering adoption for her baby.
- PairTreeFamily.com – the most innovative way to connect with expectant moms online. Post your adoption profile, get your homestudy completed, and learn how they can help you adopt faster. Check out the Infant Adoption Guide Podcast episode with Founder and Mom through adoption, Erin Quick.
- AmericaAdopts.com – for over 10 years they’ve helped connect expectant mothers with qualified families ready to adopt by allowing families to create & post their adoption profiles. They also have a great blog that I’ve been happy to contribute the article “5 Lessons I’ve Learned As A Dad Of 3 Through Infant Adoption”
- ParentProfiles.com – a unique online site created for birthmothers and hopeful adoptive parents to find each other, establish relationships, and create adoption situations that meet the needs of everyone.
- For The Love of Alex: A Birthmother’s Story – this is an awesome blog from a birthmother telling her story over several blog posts.
- WhiteSugarBrownSugar.com – an awesome blog by author and adoptive mom (and my friend), Rachel Garlinghouse (see her book listed above).
- OurJourneyToYou.com – a personalized profile creation service from an adoptive mom and adoptee (who’s also been a guest on the podcast!)
- AdoptionProfilesByDesign.com – a profile creation design and creation service who will also send you professionally printed copies of your profile.
- AnythingButOrdinaryLife.com – designer Michelle Cox knows that creating an adoption profile book can be a stressful part of the adopting process – but it doesn’t have to be that way. She has a process that is worry-free and stress-free. She offers several options to get your profile created – go check it out and you won’t be disappointed.
ADOPTION SUPPORT
- Infant Adoption Guide Community – this is the private membership community that I created just for you and me. It is a SAFE place for anyone who wants to adopt or has already adopted. We support each other, cheer each other on, learn together and help each other as we adopt and juggle this wonderful thing called parenting.
- FACEBOOK Support Group – this is a private Facebook group created by me ONLY for folks LIKE YOU who are wanting to adopt a baby. Over 3,000 members (including me!) are ready to provide you with support and answers to your infant adoption questions.
Disclosure: Some of the above links are affiliate links, which means that if you click them and buy something I make a small commission — at no extra cost to you. This is just one way I’m able to keep this blog going. So if you enjoy the blog and were going to buy this stuff anyway, this is a great way to show your support. And don’t forget: I only recommend products and services that I use and love.