Domestic Infant Adoption
Domestic infant adoption, also known as baby adoption, domestic adoption, birth mother relinquishment adoption, and sometimes private adoption, is one way to adopt an infant in the US.
It is possible to adopt a baby in the US using either an adoption agency or an adoption attorney. In most infant adoptions in the US, the expectant mother (or couple) chooses the adoptive parent or couple for her child. The vast majority of baby adoptions in the US are open.
It is also possible to adopt through the foster care system, but the majority of infants who are available for adoption are adopted by relatives or by their foster parents. International adoption is not a good option if you want to adopt a baby. The youngest children available through international adoption are usually around 2 years old, and most will have significant special needs or be part of a sibling group.
Check out this CreatingaFamily.org graphic resource, Quick Comparison Chart for the Different Types of Adoptions or listen to this 1 hr. CreatingaFamily.org podcast, How to Adopt in 2023.
Given these variables, the average adoption cost from an adoption agency ranges from $25,000 – $60,000. Some adoption agencies have a sliding fee scale where adoption costs are based on your income. An independent adoption through an adoption attorney usually costs in the range of $35,000 to $50,000.
See the CreatingaFamily.org resource page, Cost of Adoption in the US, which breaks down the cost by type of adoption and analyzes factors that affect the cost.
We suggest you read this blog that addresses how “advertising” for prospective birth mothers can turn them into a commodity. CreatingaFamily.org has many resources to help you find prospective birth mothers. These will get you started, but check out the many more resources at the icons at the bottom of this page.
The profile contains basic information on the prospective parent(s), why they want to adopt, and pictures representing their life. These profiles are shown to expectant mothers or couples considering adoption and are the first step in choosing the family with whom they want to place their babies for adoption.
Adoptive parents often feel a lot of pressure to make the perfect profile book to be chosen. While there is no such thing as perfect, CreatingaFamily.org has many resources to help you prepare your adoptive parent profile and know what to include and leave out. These radio shows, fact sheets, blogs, videos, and expert Q & A’s can be found by clicking the icons at the bottom of this page. Here is a sample of what you will find:
- Preparing an Adoptive Parent Profile (video)
- Creating Your Adoptive Parent Profile (article)
- How To Create a Compelling Adoption Profile (1 hr. CreatingaFamilyEd.org online course w/ certificate of completion available)
CreatingaFamily.org has many additional resources on domestic infant adoption. A few recent ones we think you will find particularly helpful are:
- Do You Feel Like School is Not Working for Your Child? (article)
- 5 Rules of Thumb for Your Family’s Digital Health (article)
- Coming to Terms with Infertility Grief Before You Adopt or Foster (1 hr. podcast w/ expert)
- Introduction to Domestic Infant Adoption (1 hr. podcast w/ expert)
- Introduction to Prenatal Substance Exposure (1 hr. podcast w/ expert)
- Basic Baby Care (1 hr. podcast w/ expert)
Many more CreatingaFamily.org podcasts, articles, and fact sheets on domestic infant adoption can be found by clicking on the icons below.
Sources: CreatingaFamily.org podcasts with experts, Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, National Council for Adoption
Image credit: Papermoons