Can You Give Your Baby Up for Adoption at 2 Years Old? [How the Process Works]

You can give your baby up for adoption at 2 years old. This process can be challenging, and the best thing you can do now is to call 1-800-ADOPTION to get free support from experienced professionals. 

• Adoption may be an option for you, regardless of your circumstances. 

• You can place your 2-year-old up for adoption and receive support services such as 24/7 counseling, free legal representation and more. 

• Our adoption professionals will provide you with many adoptive family profiles to consider. 

It’s common to hear the phrase “giving a baby up” when people talk about adoption. But a mother who chooses adoption is not giving up.

Adoption isn’t throwing in the towel or taking an easy way out. It is a very difficult decision made out of love, and it can benefit both the mother and the child in the right situation. 

Placing a 2-year-old for adoption is a big decision. If you are considering adoption for your child, you may be wondering what options are available to you. 

In this guide about how to place your 2-year-old up for adoption, we’ll look at the adoption process and how our agency and adoption professionals can help you find the perfect home for your child.

Can My 2-Year-Old Be Adopted? 

In some situations, you can place a 2-year-old for adoption.

This is less common in domestic adoption situations than newborn adoptions, but it is still possible. American Adoptions primarily handles the placement of infants, but our agency has worked with some women who want to put their 2-year-old up for adoption. 

Placing a 2-Year-Old for Adoption with American Adoptions 

As a full-service, fully licensed national adoption agency, American Adoptions works with hundreds of women each year who are considering adoption for their children.

While most of these women are thinking about adoption for their newborns, we do also work with women who want to put their 2-year-old up for adoption on a case‐by‐case basis. 

In this adoption process, you have many of the same choices that any other prospective birth mother would have — such as choosing the adoptive family and deciding on the level of openness in your adoption. However, placing a 2-year-old for adoption may look a little different.

Step 1: Contact American Adoptions and make a plan. You’ll start by calling 1-800-ADOPTION to speak with an adoption specialist.

At that point, you’ll be able to fill out a social and medical history form for yourself and your baby. This will give your adoption specialist a good understanding of your situation.

You’ll also create your adoption plan, which will explain your preferences in an adoptive family, your open adoption relationship and more. 
 
In addition to this important information, your adoption specialist will also ask you for: 

• A copy of your child’s birth certificate 

• Who is listed as the father on your child’s birth certificate 

• Medical records for your child 

• Information on where the child has lived from birth to present 

• Who has had custody or care of the child from birth to present 

• Information on who has provided financial and emotional support for this child from birth to present 

• Documentation of child support from any father 

Step 2: Choose adoptive parents. Once your adoption specialist has a good understanding of your needs, you’ll be sent a list of different adoptive family profiles to look through. This process can take some time, so don’t worry if you don’t find a family right away. 

Step 3: Get to know the adoptive family and lay the foundation for open adoption. Once you’ve found the right family for your baby, you’ll start getting to know each other through pre-placement contact. This may include phone calls, email and whatever forms of contact you’re most comfortable with, as well as in-person visits to help your baby transition.

After you’ve gotten to know each other, you’ll then decide the amount of contact you’d like to have after the adoption. Contact is determined on a scale of openness, so, you can have as much or as little as you’d like. 

Step 4: Legally place your baby for adoption. After everything is ready, you’ll be able to complete your adoption paperwork. Your adoption specialist and adoption attorney will make sure you understand all of your legal rights in adoption before you sign. 

There is also some additional information that you’ll need to provide when placing a 2‐year‐old for adoption, such as: 

• A copy of your child’s birth certificate 

• Who is listed as the father on your child’s birth certificate 

• Your child’s medical records 

• Documentation of where the child has lived from birth to present 

• Who has had custody or care of the child from birth to present 

• Who has provided financial and emotional support for this child from birth to present 

• Documentation of child support provided by any father 

Get More Information on Placing a 2-Year-Old for Adoption  

If you have any additional questions, contact Michelle, a birth parent specialist and a birth parent herself, who is ready to answer any questions you have about putting a 2-year-old up for adoption.         

“I am available to answer any questions that arise, particularly from birth moms, as I have been in your shoes and know how you are feeling,” Michelle said. “It was most helpful to me when I had someone to talk to who would just listen to me without making any judgments or conclusions about who I was as a person.”         

You can ask Michelle questions about the adoption process online. You can also call us at 1-800-ADOPTION, or get free information with our online contact form for prospective birth mothers considering adoption here. Adoptive families wanting more information on adopting a child can click here to get more information. 

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