50 Best Blogs for Adoption Advice

February 9th, 2011

Single, partnered or married parents elect to adopt children for a wide variety of reasons. Some struggle with infertility. Some like the idea of giving marginalized kids around the world opportunities to succeed at life. Some possess the resources to care for serious medical conditions and want to put them towards suffering youth. Regardless of their motivation, religion, sexual orientation or relationship status, there likely exists a resource brimming with insider tips and tricks for raising healthy, productive adopted kids. This list seeks to bring together a nice mix of these resources, though anyone curious about adoption or foster care should certainly pick up perspectives and facts from a much broader range.

Please keep in mind that many, many adoption scams exist to prey on the earnestness and kindness of potential parents or those wanting to show their support for the practice. Before shelling out any amount of money, conduct thorough research into the organizations or individuals asking for it. That includes any of the blogs listed here, which were picked because of their valuable, eclectic advice rather than services rendered.

Adoption Advice

1. Adoption Help & Guidance: Adoption professional Mardie Caldwell pulls from her experience to offer up the best advice possible to potential parents of all types.

2. Adoption Lives Transformed: Learn about adoption through parent stories, ruminations on lessons gleaned from the different experiences and recommended resources.

3. Adoption at Families.com: The popular website hosts a special blog catering to the needs and concerns of adoptive and hopefully adoptive parents alike.

4. O Solo Mama: One doesn't have to be married or partnered to adopt and raise a child, and Jessica Pegis overflows with advice, insight and research for the independent-minded single mother.

5. Ramblings of a Single Dad: Single, adoptive fathers are a rarity, so any men thinking of raising a child solo should look to this resource for pointers.

6. The Journey of Adoption: Whether adopting from the United States or abroad, Deanne Hamlette of Family Life Services has plenty of advice to dole out.

7. Daddy, Papa and Me: Gay individuals and couples hoping to adopt a child can find inspiration in the story of this very loving, very stable family.

8. Open Adoption Blog: As the title states, the Open Adoption Blog provides visitors with all the information and resources they need to ponder such a major life decision.

9. Adoption Under One Roof: No matter one's marital status, sexual orientation, religion or decision to adopt a foreign or domestic child, this absolutely amazing read covers all possible scenarios and perspectives.

10. Adoptive Dads: The majority of adoption bloggers appear to be female, but fathers wanting to read and share their own stories have a few places of their very own.

Foster Parents

11. Foster Care: Adoption.com hosts a highly informative blog for anyone interested in taking an infant, child or teenager into foster care.

12. Never a Dull Moment: Blogger Claudia works as an adoption professional, and she herself has taken many under her wing as a foster parent.

13. Thoughts from a Foster Family: Since 2000, these have opened their home to foster teens, particularly those cruelly cast out due to their LGBTQIA status.

14. My Life in a Foster Care Space Warp: A mother of seven who also fosters blogs about life in the system from the perspectives of a parent as well as the kids placed in her care.

15. Crayon: Creating a Life Out of Chaos: Not every reader can relate to this resource's Christian overtones, but this single woman's passion for fostering teens is an inspiration to others who realize parenting doesn't require a partner.

16. Roztime: Infertility inspired one spunky, sassy couple to "steal other people's children" and serve as foster parents. However, most of the emphasis lay much more with their kids than the battle with the physical inability to have babies.

17. Mama Drama — Times Two: A pair of exceptionally adoring mothers have had 24 biological, adopted and foster children pass through their care, and they draw from their experience to bring readers valuable advice.

18. Frum Fostering: Orthodox Jews and single women hoping to serve as foster parents may find some excellent insight at Frum Fostering.

19. Postcards from Insanity: The family around which Postcards from Insanity revolves contains both biological children and some adopted straight out of foster care.

20. Popp Life: Another detailed, intelligent and open blog all about the trials and triumphs of life in a big fostering household.

Infertility and Adoption

21. life from here: After suffering from infertility and miscarriage, one couple turned to adoption to make their family complete.

22. Parenthood for Me: Anyone hoping to build a family through adoption, medical procedures or both should stop by Parenthood for Me to read stories and advice by others in such situations.

23. Chasing A Child: When medical intervention proved futile for this Pacific Northwest couple, adopting a little boy ultimately proved everything they could've wanted.

24. Hannah Wept, Sarah Laughed: Infertile individuals and couples who want children can explore all their options — from IVF and surrogacy to foster care and adoption — right here at this very personal, very informative resource.

25. Mommies Here!: Eva and Nadia tried to conceive through many different means, but every effort failed. However, they found that adopting an infant boy completely fulfilled their desire to become loving, supportive mothers.

26. This Cross I Embrace: A devout Catholic woman struggles with infertility and finds many frustrating dead ends on the adoption front, but still she and her husband prevail.

27. Our Story: Another adoptive mother openly discusses her difficult battle with infertility and relief at finally adopting a baby boy.

28. Not Sugar Coated: Very earnest, very emotional, very educational. Not Sugar Coated serves as an excellent resource and online support for the infertile considering adoption.

29. Feigning Fertility: After adopting a daughter following a long, painful bout with infertility, this couple unexpectedly ended up with a biological child.

30. Already Love You: When infertility prevented this pair from giving birth to a biological child, they turned their attention towards Ethiopia.

International/Interracial Adoption

31. Transracial/Transcultural Adoption: Individuals, hopeful parents and families hoping to adopt a child outside their native country would do well to check Adoption.com's detailed blog on the subject.

32. My Crazy Adoption: Inspired by her adoption of a Rwandan child, one woman devotes an impressive amount of time and energy providing advice and resources for those hoping to do the same — regardless of whether or not they want to go international.

33. AdoptionTalk: Anyone considering adopting a child from China will appreciate all the information about possible roadblocks before, during and after the process.

34. Pure & Lasting: This Texas couple has been waiting a while for their Ethiopian child, chronicling the excitement, nerves and paperwork they encounter along the way.

35. Adoption Advocates International: Although it blog may not update as often as some of the others, Adoption Advocates International brings readers a first-person glimpse at some of the children and centers with whom they work.

36. They're All My Own: Alison Boynton Noyce herself grew up as an adopted child, and spread this love and experience to children from Ethiopia.

37. Pampers and Pakhlava: Once age 50 descended, this indomitable couple decided to adopt an Armenian kid and took to the internet to chronicle their emotional journey.

38. my tori bug: Follow the life of a little girl from Kirov, Russia who inspired such love in her new parents they decided to start working on a second adoption.

39. The International Mama: Judy M. Miller herself is an adoptive parent of four kids and teaches classes on how to raise an international family that embraces multiple cultures.

40. Peter's Cross Station: Though domestic, these adoring mothers still opted for an interracial adoption and provide advice and inspiration for parents in similar situations.

Special Needs Adoption

41. Cornish Adoption Journey: This huge, loving family incorporates both international and special needs children, some of whom are adopted.

42. The Reece's Rainbow Blog: Potential adoptive parents hoping to give a Down Syndrome child a home (or those with one already in their lives) can find plenty of resources and advice here.

43. Can I get a do-over?: Adoptive parents whose kids struggle with psychiatric and behavioral disorders can find solace and bits of advice at this incredibly honest blog.

44. Signs of Hope: Kindhearted Carrie and Jacob live in China and work at an orphanage just for special needs children in need of loving foster or adoptive homes.

45. Blessed By A Child: Not everyone finds fulfillment in faith, but those who do may find inspiration in this family who lovingly opened their home to twenty-two adopted children — many of whom have special needs.

46. the road less traveled: These parents are raising adopted kids from Bulgaria and Ukraine, one of whom has been diagnosed as autistic.

47. love > fear: Read about one family's life full of love and support for the HIV-positive girl they adopted from Ethiopia.

48. The Fritz Farm: Down Syndrome children (and some without the condition) from all over the world find themselves welcomed and love into one huge family.

49. Terri's Special Children Blog: Though not exclusively about adoption, this About.com guide oftentimes covers issues pertinent to such parents.

50. Our Journey to Ethiopia…and Back: Unfortunately, this blog does not update terribly often. However, it does chronicle the struggle of a couple who warmly welcomed a young girl from Ethiopia suffering from cerebral palsy.

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