We have our first foster baby placement! And the very first thing I did was run out and google the hell out of fostering one year olds. And I found…nothing much useful! But I was still reassured by the blogs I did find.
So here is my small useful things:
- You might freak out! If you can, freak out in advance. I unintentionally chose this method and it worked out great – it was terrible in advance but once the baby arrived I was pretty calm. My husband waited and freaked out when baby arrived. I recommend this less – then you have two stressors! But, you might not be able to choose how this goes!
- Ask baby’s size and eating habits. You will not likely be able to get any of the serious important information you want – but these two pieces of information will let you prepare in every practical way.
- One year olds can eat most foods. Stock up on a veggies, fruits, and grains. Do not shop in the baby aisle, holy fuck that is a bunch of CRAP they are peddling… more expensive and less or non-nutritious. It’s not hard to cook for babies, and if you are working full time, cook on Sunday and you are basically good for the week.
- I think four sleep outfits are the most important. It didn’t matter if we used disposable or cloth diapers, our baby wet through every single night. Not worrying if we had to do laundry RIGHT NOW in order to put baby to sleep was very relieving. Clothing was simply less important – a few outfits will do in a pinch.
- One year olds are super mobile, ready to learn, ready to play, and want as much interaction as possible. They are a lot easier than a newborn because they can eat, can sleep long periods (overnight if you are lucky!), and are not floppy and fragile. They like two naps a day if possible. They are harder than a newborn because they need and want constant direct supervision. If your house is not entirely baby-proofed, you need to be ON TOP OF IT. In the future, we will be rearranging the house so that everything within small baby arms
There you go! No panicking! First placement is so exciting!