What is the Wait Time to Adopt?

This is a common question that we get asked every day. Wait time depends on many things. Among them: how many placements an agency does per year, how many adoptive parents it has waiting, the adoptive parent’s preferences, and the adoptive parent’s profile book.

Questions to Ask an Adoption Agency

When you’re considering an adoption agency, you should ask them how many placements they do a year, how many families are waiting, and what the average wait time is. To decrease wait time, you can apply with multiple adoption agencies at a time (which may require relatively small application fees). This is fairly common, but make sure it’s OK with each agency that you plan to apply with.

Consider Working With an Adoption Consultant

They have relationships with many different agencies and are well informed about what’s going on with each of them. Consultants do charge a fee, but the money may be well worth it and decrease your wait time. Check out a few of our favorite adoption consultants here: Hello Baby Adoption Consultants, Kathie Otte Adoption Consultant, RG Adoption Consulting, Faithful Adoption Consultants, Adoption Information Services, and Christian Adoption Consultants.

Adoptive Parent & Birth Parent Preferences

Another factor affecting wait time is your own preferences—or how you state them. Some preferences might possibly include: gender, race, prenatal care, drug use, birth father participation, and the physical or mental health of the birth parents. The more specific you are, the less likely the combination you’re looking for will come along, and the more time it will take. The more flexible you are, the more likely you’ll find a good fit relatively quickly. Also keep in mind that birth parents have preferences too, and most often they want to pick the family themselves. Which brings us to another important factor that affects your wait time…

The Adoption Profile Book

Your adoption profile is usually the one thing a birth mother sees when deciding whether to select you, rather than someone else, to be the parents of her baby. You should spend time on it and make it a quality representation of you and your family. For more info, check out our design tips here. Texas Adoption Center provides professional adoption profile design, or you can check out others. One of our favorites is Our Chosen Child.

Expect Six Months to Two Years

Generally speaking, most families adopting domestically are successful within six months to two years after being approved. For more information, contact us, we’d love to speak with you.