Help Your New Child Feel At Home

by Pediatric Nursing staff and Michigan adoptive parent Katie Mikesell

If you’re adopting a child from another part of the world, these tips may help him or her adjust to a new family in a new country:

• Talk with your child—all the time. Sprinkle your running conversation with songs and rhymes. Besides knowing little or no English, many international children are behind on language skills in general.
• Learn as much of your child’s native language as possible. This will help during the adoption process as well as when he or she comes home.
• Find CDs, especially lullabies and other songs, in the child’s original language.
• Many toys for young children have bilingual sounds now. See if you can find or order one with English and the child’s original language.
• Limit visitors so that your child isn’t overwhelmed. And remember that your attention and love are far more exciting to him or her than any toy.
• Serve food at regular times every day, so that your child learns there’s always a next meal. Many international adoptees come from environments in which food is scarce.