“How long will we be waiting to adopt a baby?!” This is one of the biggest questions that hopeful adoptive couples have. And, the waiting phase is likely the most difficult thing to do in your adoption journey. So today, Lifetime is giving you another installment in our series Before You Adopt, which shares productive activities that you can do during your adoption wait.

Consider creating a baby registry for items you’ll need once you bring home your baby through adoption. If you’ve previously dealt with infertility, this may be difficult to think about. Some adoptive families have shared with us that they’d rather wait, so that baby gear isn’t sitting around. Others like the security of knowing they’re ready and well-supplied for when their baby arrives. They’re aware of how practical it is to have everything in place once they arrive back home from traveling to adopt.

Now’s the time to get used to the idea that you’re going to need some things once you become parents. Whatever you decide to do regarding a baby registry, it’s smart to plan ahead. It may even be as simple as creating a baby registry of items you know you’ll need when it’s time for your adoption. It’ll help you to go to the stores and take a look at car seats, strollers, diaper bags, bottles, and other baby gear.

You’ll need to tailor your registry based on your adoption preferences. For instance, let’s say you’re open to adopting a child between the ages of newborn to three years old. In that case, you wouldn’t want to register for newborn clothing only or buy an infant car seat. As soon as you know for sure the age and needs of the specific child you adopt, then you can register or buy gear unique to your child.

Creating a wish list or online baby registry on Amazon is an option that’s popular with future adoptive parents. There are also adoption-specific registries through retail chains like buybuy Baby and Babies “R” Us. Also, Wal-Mart’s site and smartphone app both provide “list” function that you can use to make category-specific lists and add items as you browse.

Once you’re ready to start shopping, check out Lifetime’s post Adoption Registry: Shopping Checklist for Parents-in-Waiting!

Written by Heidi Keefer

Heidi Keefer is a Content Creator for Lifetime Adoption and has 15 years of experience in the field of adoption. An author of thousands of blog posts over the years, Heidi enjoys finding new ways to educate and captivate Lifetime’s ever-growing list of subscribers.

Heidi has a keen eye for misplaced apostrophes, comma splices, and well-turned sentences, which she has put to good use as a contributor to Lifetime’s award-winning blogs. She has written and published hundreds of adoption articles which explore the various facets of domestic infant adoption today.