Gift-giving is a wonderful way to show how much you care about and support someone who has recently adopted! There is no shortage of gift options to present to a loved one who has brought home a new bundle of joy through adoption. With so many options, we understand that it can be challenging to narrow down the best gift ideas for adoptive parents. We reached out to Lifetime’s adoptive families for suggestions and input on the best adoption gift ideas!
Ideas for Adoption Gifts That Mean A Lot
If you have a friend or family member who is welcoming a baby or child into their family as an adoptive parent, consider these 10 suggestions for thoughtful gifts to show them how much you want to celebrate their growing family.
Table of Contents
- Baby Book for Adoptive Families
- Adoption Photo Session
- Adoption-Themed Book
- Personalized Christmas Ornament
- Digital Photo Frame
- Photo Book Gift Card
- Adoption Finalization Picture Frame
- Baby’s First Holiday Milestone Blanket
- Personalized Adoption Plush
- Adoption Jewelry
- What to Consider When Looking for Adoption Gifts
1. Baby Book for Adoptive Families
Adoptive mom Lauren shared, “A baby book that fits adoption better than a pregnancy/birth baby book. Also, one we could give to the birth family to put updates in.”
My Family, My Journey is a lovely keepsake album that contains sections to write all the joyous milestones and family moments that mark a new baby’s life. It includes pages to chart an adopted child’s journey and a pocket to place important documents and memorabilia. Inside this pocket are over 60 stickers adoptive families can use to customize their family tree pages.
This baby book stands out because it is written from the parents’ perspective, addressing their child directly. It includes sections for parents to describe their hopes and dreams before becoming a family, slots for the first photos together, and spaces to share their adoption story.
New adoptive mothers into a more artful, creative-looking aesthetic can turn to Etsy’s selection of adoption baby books for a gorgeously crafted baby book tailored to their unique journey.
2. Adoption Photo Session
Adoptive mom Kari says, “I think my favorite gift was a gift to have family pictures taken. We didn’t get an infant photo session with adoption, but we DID get an adoption session that really celebrated us as a family. It was very special.”
We think this is a great gift idea for new adoptive moms! Hiring a photographer to capture precious memories of their newly expanded family is a present that they’ll enjoy for years to come. Plus, an adoption photoshoot can help the child with their sense of identity later in life. These photographs let the child know that they are loved, both by their birth family and by their adoptive family. Look into prices for available photographers in their area, and see if you can get a gift card to help cover all or a part of the cost.
3. An Adoption-Themed Book
If your friend or family member is a book lover, consider giving them an adoption-themed book. You can look for a book to encourage her or for her to read to her new child.
In response to our question, adoptive mom Michelle shared that she loves the book Just in Case You Ever Wonder by Max Lucado. And adoptive mom Kari says, “I have the book “I’ve Loved You Since Forever,” which is really special!”
4. Christmas Ornament
Add something beautiful to her Christmas decor or tree this year with a personalized Christmas ornament. Even if the adoption was finalized outside of the holiday season, a personalized ornament will add a touch of sentiment and uniqueness to her tree! These ornaments are customized with names, dates, or special messages, making them cherished keepsakes for years to come. Here are four options we found on Etsy:
Simple porcelain “Blessings from God” ornament
Ornament with a calendar and Christmas tree
Wanted. Chosen. Loved. ornament
“A Gift from God” porcelain ornament
These ornaments beautifully capture the spirit of the season while preserving memories for years to come. Gift them to the adoptive mother in your life to create enduring holiday traditions filled with warmth and nostalgia.
5. Digital Photo Frame
Gifting a digital photo frame to new adoptive parents is incredibly meaningful because it creates an evolving visual story of their family’s journey together. As they begin building memories and traditions with their child, they can continuously add photos that capture milestones, everyday moments, and the beautiful growth of their bond. The frame becomes a living celebration of their family’s unique story, one that grows richer with each passing month and year.
The flexibility to update and curate the slideshow makes it especially perfect for adoptive families, who often treasure being able to showcase the special moments that mark the beginning of their life together – from homecoming day to first holidays, birthdays, and all the precious firsts that follow. It’s a gift that keeps giving, allowing them to create a visual legacy that their child will one day cherish as well.
This popular model from Nixplay allows you to preload the frame with photos, videos, and a personalized message using their app. The setup is simple: download the Nixplay app, plug in the digital picture frame, and follow the on-screen instructions to upload photos and videos. You can even invite more people to upload pictures to the frame!
6. Photo Book Gift Card
Photobook websites like Shutterfly and Artifact Uprising have made creating beautiful, personalized keepsakes incredibly accessible with their intuitive design tools. A gift card to one of these services is particularly thoughtful for new adoptive parents because it gives them the flexibility to create their family’s photo book on their timeline, whether that’s capturing those precious first weeks together or waiting until they’ve settled into their new rhythm as a family.
New adoptive parents can use the gift card to craft a truly customized memory book that tells their unique adoption story, choosing from countless layout options, cover designs, and special touches that reflect their family’s personality. Since every adoption journey unfolds differently, having the freedom to decide when and how to document these meaningful moments makes this gift both practical and deeply personal.
7. Adoption Finalization Picture Frame
Celebrating their child’s “gotcha day” is a special occasion for adoptive parents, and a photo frame is a lovely way to commemorate this moment. A photo frame specifically chosen for this milestone can hold that first precious photo from gotcha day – whether it’s the moment they first met, their child’s joyful smile, or the family’s first official portrait together.
As the years pass, adoptive parents might choose to rotate different “gotcha day” photos in the frame, creating an annual tradition of displaying each year’s celebration. This simple yet meaningful gift becomes a visual anchor for one of the most important days in their family’s story, reminding them year after year of the joy and love that brought them together. The “Our Forever Family” photo frame from Brandon Scott Art & Design is a lovely option available on Etsy.
8. Baby’s First Holiday Milestone Blanket
Many adopted children join their forever families beyond infancy, which is why milestone blankets that celebrate “first holidays” rather than monthly milestones are so thoughtful and inclusive. These special blankets acknowledge what truly matters – those meaningful first experiences as a new family unit, whether it’s their first Thanksgiving together, first Christmas morning, or first birthday celebration as part of their forever home.
This type of milestone blanket shifts the focus from developmental milestones to emotional and experiential ones, creating photo opportunities that capture the joy and significance of building new traditions together.
9. Personalized Adoption Plush
A personalized plush companion that will become a treasured keepsake for years to come! These adorable stuffed animals are crafted from incredibly soft, huggable fur and feature the sweetest embroidered faces that seem to radiate love and comfort. At 13 to 14 inches tall, they’re perfectly sized for little arms to wrap around, making them ideal snuggle buddies for bedtime stories or quiet moments together.
What makes these plush friends truly meaningful is the personalization that celebrates the adoptive family’s unique story. Each one comes with a beautiful custom satin bow that proudly declares “My Forever Family,” a gentle daily reminder of the love and commitment that brought your family together. The child’s full name and adoption date are carefully personalized on the bottom of each foot, creating a lasting record of this momentous occasion. Whether displayed in a nursery or carried everywhere as a constant companion, this personalized plush friend becomes a tangible symbol of belonging and the forever love that defines your family.
10. Adoption Jewelry
This affordable adoption bracelet comes in three styles and is a great way to commemorate the special way your friend or family member became a mom. Shop at AdoptionPrayerBracelet.com for her favorite style and color today! In addition to our original style with beads, we’ve added a modern, minimalist bangle bracelet style. Our bangle style comes with three options for the attached charm. You can order it with an adoption symbol charm, a charm which features 1 Thessalonians 5:17, or a charm with the verse Numbers 6:24.
It will be a treasure for anyone who’s been touched by adoption!
Plus, each purchase of these bracelets supports the Lifetime Adoption Foundation. This non-profit organization assists women who are thinking about adoption by providing needed essentials. The Lifetime Adoption Foundation also provides birth mother scholarships and adoption grants.
What to Consider When Looking for Adoption Gifts
Adopting a child is a beautiful and emotional journey filled with a wide range of experiences. Celebrate the special adoptive mama in your life with a gift that is as unique and meaningful as her adoption story.
When considering the best gift ideas for adoptive parents, remember that the thought and meaning behind the gift are more important than its cost. You don’t need to spend a lot of money; instead, focus on what would be most meaningful to the family. Work within your budget and choose a gift that reflects your care and thoughtfulness. This approach will resonate more deeply and create lasting memories.
We’d love to know what you think about these adoption gift ideas. Have you received or given any of these gifts? Or do you have a gift idea that would be helpful to add to this list? Let us know in the comments below!
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on May 17, 2021 and has since been updated.
Founder of Lifetime Adoption, adoptive mom, adoption expert, and Certified Open Adoption Practitioner (C.O.A.P).
Since 1986, adoption expert Mardie Caldwell has been dedicated to bringing couples and birth parents together in order to fulfill their dreams.
“Many years ago, I was also searching for a child to adopt. We didn’t know where or how to get started. Through research, determination, and a prayer, our dream of a family became reality. I started with a plan, a notebook, assistance from a caring adoption consultant and a lot of hard work; this was my family I was building. We had a few heartaches along the way, but the pain of not having children was worse!
Within weeks we had three different birth mothers choose us. We were overwhelmed and delighted. Many unsettling events would take place before our adoption would be finalized, many months later. Little did I know that God was training and aligning me for the adoption work I now do today. It is my goal to share with our families the methods and plans which succeed and do not succeed. I believe adoption should be affordable and can be a wonderful “pregnancy” for the adoptive couple.
I have also been on both sides of infertility with the loss of seven pregnancies and then conceiving by new technology, giving birth to a healthy daughter. I have experienced first-hand the emotional pain of infertility and believe my experience allows me to serve your needs better.
It is my hope that for you, the prospective parents, your desire for a child will be fulfilled soon.”
0 Comments