Experience with China Adoption

I would visit the Rumor Queen site and click 'forum', there are literally thousands of moms on there who have adopted from CHina and they know just about everything there is to know.

Congratulations!

I haven't taken my kids (4 and 1) on a long flight, only about 2 hours at a time with a connection. Overnight diapers are a big help. At 2.5 my son repeatedly peed thru regular ones in under 2 hours on a plane (but not at home). We always get a seat for each kid and put them in a car seat (now my son has a booster so it isn't used on an airplane). You need to have an idea of her weight to get a car seat that fits. Also in addition to changes of clothes make sure you have something warm like a sweat shirt and pants and a cuddly blanket because it can get cold in the air.

As a former adoption counselor I would also say take lots of pictures, especially of her caretakers and where she has lived. If you can ask questions, do (favorite foods, routines, when she walked, talked, funny stories, anything that shows her personality, any nicknames). If you can record sound or video, even better. A few small, sturdy keepsakes may be good too. You have a few months to read up on adoption if you haven't already but basically adoptees make sense of their adoption a little at a time as they grow and develop. So if you have pictures and other things from her early life she can look at them whenever she wants as she gets older.

A good resource is Families With Children From China, check out heir website and you will find many people who have ben through the process and have advice/ideas to offer.
Congratulations and good luck!

Hi C.. Congratulations on your adoption. We traveled to China four years ago to get our daughter. Has your adoption agency given you any advice prior to traveling? Our agency held a day-long travel meeting to go over everything with us, so we felt well prepared. Please email me if you'd like to talk further or if you have any specific questions.

I have no advice for you but just wanted to say congrats and I hope all goes well with that. Must be exciting. I'd love to adopt from China one day too.

As an ex airlines employee & a mother of a 3 yr old girl these are my suggestions: Find out her favorite snacks that you can put in a clear ziplock bag, if she still drinks from a bottle have the flight attendant fill it with juice or milk or water for take off & landing to help her w/ her ears, make sure you purchase an actual seat for her - it's a VERY long flight from China to have her as a lap child & having had terrible experiences w/ turbulance you are SAFER w/ her strapped in her carseat to a seat - think of it as a HUGE car going hundreds of miles an hour...take a portable dvd player w/ some movies for her to enjoy & some dolls & books...anything she really enjoys. You have to remember that not only is she on a long flight but it maybe scarey for her cause she's most likely never been on a plane before or for that long of a flight & to top it of she's w/ folks who are practically strangers going to a new strange country...one of these situations alone are stressful & she's going thru them all so you have to make her as happy & as comfortable as possible. If you are flying an American airline like Continental or Delta see if you can introduce her to the pilots &/or flight attendants before they go on board & let them know it's her first flight & first time to the USA...they usually give them little wings as honorary pilot! Get to the airport early so she cab see the plane thru the window & also gives her time to take it all in slowly. Make sure you board the aircraft first & get off last so she's relaxed.
I hope some of these suggestions help you. I do these for my daughter & even though our longest flight was only 6 hours it helped her tremendously! Congrats on your new babygirl!! Have a safe trip! If you have ANY questions feel free to email me: ____@____.com hubby still works for an airline so if I can't answer it he can!

I don't have any advice but I do want to wish you the best of luck. My husband and I just submitted our paperwork and our log-in-date is March 8, 2010 so we have some time before we will be in your shoes. Enjoy! China is a beautiful country as my parents are from there and I have only been there once. Food takes a little getting use to :)

Congratulations! I have travelled to Europe when my children were toddlers many times and the best advice I can give you is the following. Have plenty of snacks and drinks on hand as it is a long flight. Ask the adoption agency what your child prefers to eat and drink and make sure you have the snacks on the plane with you and their drink is available on the plane. Also, have their comfort toy or blanket with you as your child is aware of what is happening but probably may not understand fully and may be scared. If they don't have one, buy one. And find out what your child likes to do ie color, favorite book(s), sticker books, etc... and have that with you as well so they are occupied during the long flight. Bring plenty of diapers, more than you think you might need, as there may be delays, etc... and airplanes do not carry them for emergencies. It's also a good idea to bring a change of clothing. Congratulations and good luck!

Congratulations! I would advise you to read some of the other posts on travelling with toddlers for info on the travel standpoint. I found good info on ivillage concerning travelling for adoption to China at: http://parenting.ivillage.com/baby/badoption/0,,697n,00.html

Also, ask the agency for a listing of what you should bring and if you have joined any international adoption support groups, consider asking those who have already made the trip ahead of you.

I went to China many times for work and there were nearly always people bringing home children from China. I'm afraid most of my advice may or may not be applicable - I make sure that I always put my children in a car seat on the plane but since your daughter is likely not accustomed to a car seat she may hate that! I always bring tons of snacks and drinks but I can't tell you what your daughter will be used to so lots of new things may not be the best idea on a long trip. I would recommend plenty of changes of clothing in your carry on for both parents and daughter - accidents happen and you don't want to have to be in yucky clothes for the duration of the flight. Bring plenty of diapers and you can never have enough wipes! I don't know if a stroller will be useful to you and it might not be....

When I go to China, I always bring gift items for my hosts, lots of granola bars in case I arrive somewhere outside of normal restaurant hours, and my usual over the counter type of medications - Tylenol, Pepto tablets, TUMS tablets, etc.

We've been flying internationally with our son who is nearly 4 since he was 3 months old so I would be happy to answer any questions about that if you want to email direct.

Good luck and best wishes, C.