Being a foster mom is a great thing, but being a foster parent, in general, has a lot of unique challenges that one would only know about if they had done it themselves at some point. But that’s even more true when it comes to newborns and toddlers since raising them can be very hard, even when they did not come from the foster care system. This kind of thing can be a really big adjustment for a person, even if they have already had little ones of their own. Here’s what parents should know about fostering babies and toddlers.
Make Your Foster Child Feel Safe & Secure
Settling into a new role can be fun and exciting, but it can also be really hard and stressful at times. That is especially true if that new role is being a foster parent to an infant or a toddler. There are lots of reasons why this is true, and one of them is the fact that one would have to baby-proof their home. According to camelotcarecenters.com, one should baby-proof their home if they are taking care of a baby who has just started to become mobile. That’s very important since kids like to get into a lot of things.
Arrange To Have Childcare On Hand
When a person does not have kids, they are not used to needing to worry about having someone to take care of their child when they are unable to do so. In addition, the same can be sad for couples who have kids that are old enough to be alone or babysit.
But, it should be noted that one of the things a person will need to do once they have started caring for a foster child is to arrange to have childcare. They can ask some friends or relatives to do it. But if they can’t do that, they’ll have to find a babysitter.
Help Socialize Your Foster Child
If a new foster parent is waiting at the hospital for their baby to be born and wondering what they should expect right after that happens, then they should do some research while they are waiting. If they do, then they are likely to find out that they are going to need to start being a bit social, if they are not already. That is because a social worker is very likely to pay them a visit shortly after the child has been placed in their care, according to fosterthefamilyblog.com. They need to know the baby is in good hands.
Look Out For Your Foster Child's Health
Caring for a young foster child is wonderful, but that does not mean that those who do it will not be presented with a lot of things to do and challenges to overcome. For example, they might have to deal with some health problems that the child could possibly have. According to americanbar.org, it’s important for infants to get screened for certain things that way if an issue does arise, it can be caught and treated very early on. There are a lot of health problems babies can deal with, one of which can sometimes be finger fractures.
Sources: Camelot, Foster The Family, ABA