https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sat, 30 May 2026 08:54:15 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/preparation-for-foster-parenting#post-2387605 Mon, 14 Dec 2015 10:53:34 +0000 Mrs. Turtle 2387605@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@GoGoSnoGirl: Thank you! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/preparation-for-foster-parenting#post-2387293 Sun, 13 Dec 2015 21:50:11 +0000 GoGoSnoGirl 2387293@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Just wanted to say I'm excited for you!! I'm glad everything is coming together for you &amp; I hope you get a baby placed with you soon! :goodluck: :heart: :happy: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/preparation-for-foster-parenting#post-2387286 Sun, 13 Dec 2015 21:39:59 +0000 Mrs. Turtle 2387286@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Tiger: hmm, tempting. I had thought about starting my own blog before, but hadn't thought about becoming a blogger here. I looked over the application...maybe I'll work on that this week. How fun!<br /> @junebugsmama: I have seen a few foster blogs. I do really enjoy them. It's so helpful to me to read others' experiences. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/preparation-for-foster-parenting#post-2386871 Sun, 13 Dec 2015 10:51:21 +0000 mrsbubbletea 2386871@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@2farmmoms: do you follow any foster blogs? I think that would be a great resource to you because they in turn provide a lot of info about attachment, poverty, and other subjects and issues that come up in fostering and fostering to adopt. You might like fostermoms.com </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/preparation-for-foster-parenting#post-2386785 Sun, 13 Dec 2015 07:21:59 +0000 Mrs. Tiger 2386785@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@2farmmoms: super exciting, good luck to you guys! You should consider becoming a blogger, I think your parenting story will be so fascinating and helpful to others 😊 </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/preparation-for-foster-parenting#post-2386712 Sat, 12 Dec 2015 21:48:29 +0000 Mrs. Turtle 2386712@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Just a fun update for anyone interested. We've been doing some shopping, realizing that we really want to be prepared, even if it is a little overboard. And living in such a remote area, I really don't want to be racing around doing last minute shopping when we get our first placement. </p> <p>So we found a great deal on a beautiful crib on craigslist. They even threw in some really cute gender neutral old fashioned Winnie the Pooh bedding. My mom and I went consignment store shopping last week and found lots of treasures. A few onesies and sleepers for each size, plus a couple of sleep sacks. We got a few blankets, towels, diapers, bottles, and a few other accessories while we were at it. Plus I went through my mom's box of baby stuff she kept and found a few treasures from my childhood to add to our collection. We also went ahead and bought a gently used infant bucket seat. It was a great deal and I was stressing about not having one ahead of time. So we have all the basics now and are all ready when the first placement comes! We still have to finish our home study, but it sounds like that will happen soon and then we have orientation. That's about all that is left!<br /> It's getting real now! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/preparation-for-foster-parenting#post-2375368 Wed, 02 Dec 2015 10:16:28 +0000 Mrs. Turtle 2375368@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@lamariniere: Great idea! That'll be fun, anyway. The whole time I was ttc over the last year I purposefully didn't do any shopping or research about anything other than ttc. It was too hard. Now suddenly its all so real! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/preparation-for-foster-parenting#post-2375119 Wed, 02 Dec 2015 04:31:21 +0000 lamariniere 2375119@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>This is so exciting, I'll be curious to follow your journey! I think the idea of a convertible car seat is great, that way if you get an older baby or even a toddler, all your bases will be covered. I would maybe spend some time looking at car seats online and have a few in mind. Or, because I like to be prepared, I would start making a bunch of amazon wishlists for different ages with different items like clothing, toiletries and gear, and then purchase it with overnight or 2 day shipping when you are sure you are being placed with a child. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/preparation-for-foster-parenting#post-2374934 Tue, 01 Dec 2015 21:02:12 +0000 Mrs. Turtle 2374934@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Greentea: from everything I've read it can be anything from a couple of days to an hour. Yikes! I always assumed I'd have 9 months to do all of this research and prep. The agency is talking about finalizing as soon as February! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/preparation-for-foster-parenting#post-2374917 Tue, 01 Dec 2015 20:54:18 +0000 Greentea 2374917@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@2farmmoms: When you get a placement call, how much time do you have?</p> <p>When I had my first, we got a graco car seat for $50. It wasn't my favorite in the world (didn't have 5 point harness) but we made it work. We actually sold it later for $50!</p> <p>Bottles, formula, onsies, a thermometer, baby Tylenol, a safe place to sleep, and diapers and wipes.</p> <p>Cool adventure! Good luck! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/preparation-for-foster-parenting#post-2374900 Tue, 01 Dec 2015 20:46:05 +0000 MrsSRS 2374900@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@2farmmoms: Yes. We needed new seats after a wreck and it seemed silly to buy another infant bucket, but I wanted to find one that would be secure for my infant. The extra padding seems cozy and stable but is easy to remove. Bonus: easy to install and really user friendly. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/preparation-for-foster-parenting#post-2374895 Tue, 01 Dec 2015 20:43:20 +0000 Mrs. Turtle 2374895@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MrsSRS: that one looks much more baby friendly than the other ones I've seen. Thanks.<br /> @ShootingStar: yeah that's our plan. I also need to find out if we get any sort of voucher for diapers, as that might help determine what we do. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/preparation-for-foster-parenting#post-2374882 Tue, 01 Dec 2015 20:24:33 +0000 ShootingStar 2374882@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would recommend trying to find an inexpensive convertible seat that's rated ok for a newborn. That way you'll be able to fit a wide range of ages. </p> <p>I'd also recommend starting with disposables. Cloth diapers can be tricky and the one size ones don't fit babies great until 10lbs. I'd get some experience under your belt and then decide if cloth diapers work for your situation. </p> <p>Good luck getting a placement! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/preparation-for-foster-parenting#post-2374872 Tue, 01 Dec 2015 20:13:37 +0000 MrsSRS 2374872@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@2farmmoms: We got this one. Our 5 month old is in it now. The little flappy looking padding bits are removable for when you have a bigger kid. You also adjust it with a handle without rethreading the buckles which is really helpful. </p> <p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00H8MSKAU/ref=yo_ii_img?ie=UTF8&#038;psc=1" rel="nofollow">https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00H8MSKAU/ref=yo_ii_img?ie=UTF8&#038;psc=1</a></p> <p>A small package of diapers (Target brand is cheap and works well if there's one in your bigger town) in each size just to keep around the house and 3 or 4 pajamas in each size is probably a good idea. That gives you at least a day's grace after placement before you have to find more things. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/preparation-for-foster-parenting#post-2374867 Tue, 01 Dec 2015 20:10:25 +0000 yoursilverlining 2374867@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>This isn't fostering specific, but I would suggest joining your local area FB yard sale groups and mama groups (even half hour or hour away cities if super rural like you said). There is always a ton of baby stuff cheap cheap cheap, and a bunch of my local ones always have stashes of cloth diapers. Would be an easy way to start amassing things without paying full, or even consignment, prices. Wish I had known about these groups before having a kid!!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/preparation-for-foster-parenting#post-2374863 Tue, 01 Dec 2015 20:05:16 +0000 MrsSRS 2374863@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@2farmmoms: We didn't use it for a newborn, but looking at the body padding that comes with it I think it would be fine. After your infant is buckled with the straps properly tightened you can also place rolled up receiving blankets around them as long as they don't interfere with the strap positioning and tightness. But it has good head support and is designed for infants too. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/preparation-for-foster-parenting#post-2374854 Tue, 01 Dec 2015 20:00:53 +0000 Mrs. Turtle 2374854@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MrsSRS: did it work well for a newborn? I've been afraid of buying a convertible seat because they seem so huge for newborns. But that might be the smartest option. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/preparation-for-foster-parenting#post-2374851 Tue, 01 Dec 2015 19:59:59 +0000 Mrs. Turtle 2374851@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@anonysquire: this is what I'm afraid of. When the agency said not to worry about a car seat yet I immediately pictured a frantic run to walmart on the way to pick up the baby. And since Walmart is our only option, that doesn't leave us many choices of seats. I'm going to the bigger town next Monday with my mom to look at cribs and consignment shops, so maybe I'll take a peek at car seats while we are up there. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/preparation-for-foster-parenting#post-2374785 Tue, 01 Dec 2015 18:59:27 +0000 anonysquire 2374785@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Sorry to burst a bubble but most kids come with nothing. So we had at least a pack of every size diapers and probably at least 10 outfits in every size. You want a car seat and booster because they will call for a placement and you will go get them a couple hours after. I'd rather be prepared than have to stop at the store. Some kid toiletries and blankets also. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/preparation-for-foster-parenting#post-2374768 Tue, 01 Dec 2015 18:49:49 +0000 MrsSRS 2374768@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We bought a graco carseat on amazon that's 4-65 lbs so that would be pretty flexible. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/preparation-for-foster-parenting#post-2374739 Tue, 01 Dec 2015 18:18:14 +0000 Mrs. Turtle 2374739@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Raindrop: good point, I would hope they would come with at least a few things. It probably varies a lot. My cousin gave me a bit of formula to have on hand, and we do have a couple of clothing items in various sizes, so maybe I'll focus on the crib and sheets for now, so at least we will have a safe place for a baby to sleep!<br /> @DesertDreams88: this is a great idea. I guess I could probably get my mom to do something like this with me. I'll check out Facebook groups as well. Thanks! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/preparation-for-foster-parenting#post-2374738 Tue, 01 Dec 2015 18:09:38 +0000 DesertDreams88 2374738@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Most of my friends who foster (4 couples) had "foster showers" where they received diapers of all sizes, wipes, and gift cards. The showers were held right around their foster certification date.</p> <p>As for cloth diapers, I've have a lot of good luck with brand-specific buy-sell-trade facebook groups. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/preparation-for-foster-parenting#post-2374734 Tue, 01 Dec 2015 18:03:44 +0000 Raindrop 2374734@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I didn't foster but all the things you are worried about... I'm sure they will give you a supply that would last a few days.</p> <p>Even giving birth ... I was surprised how much the hospital gave us. The supplies definitely lasted us 2 days ... so I hope getting a foster baby, you will get about the same amount of supplies. </p> <p>So I was thinking you can just order anything you need off Amazon and get it to you in 2 days? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/preparation-for-foster-parenting#post-2374727 Tue, 01 Dec 2015 17:58:42 +0000 Mrs. Turtle 2374727@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Well, we are definitely taking the plunge. The further through the process we've gotten, the more sure we feel that this is what we should do. We have nearly all of our paperwork in, our home inspection done, and we just have a couple more meetings, CPR and a bit of training left to complete before we are licensed. </p> <p>So...we are starting to prepare our house. We have a spare room that was always going to be the "kids room." We have a twin bed and bedding for it, a bookshelf with tons of really old kids books, a few stuffed animals and toys, and a couple of clothing items. We are hoping to start with an infant, so we are in the process of looking for a crib. </p> <p>I'm trying to figure out how much gear and supplies we need. Not knowing the age makes it really hard. The agency said not to get a car seat yet because they will help us buy one when we get a placement. But then it's an emergency and I hate being rushed into buying things! Then there is so much else, bottles, formula, diapers (we are hoping to use cloth if we can find a reasonable stash of one size fits all to pick up used), and the list just keeps going. I think many foster parents already have kids so they have a lot of the supplies. </p> <p>If any of you have done this, what did you buy ahead of time? Did you have time to shop once you got the placement call? One problem is that we are very rural and the only store within 45 min is walmart, which we really try to avoid as much as possible. So it's not quite so easy just to run out to the store. It's so hard to not want to BUY ALL THE THINGS!! </p>