Finding Adoptive Parents Based on Your Baby's Race

If you are experiencing an unplanned pregnancy, or perhaps even a planned pregnancy and are considering adoption for you baby, you likely have questions about the race of family that will ultimately adopt your baby. This can be a complicated topic, and we will address all of your concerns in this article.

Should I Choose a Family for My Baby Based on Race?

Some women are not sure how they feel about a family of a different race or ethnicity adopting their baby. Some Birth Mothers have concerns about cultural identity, or even just the idea as simple as their child “blending in” with the family that adopts them, and therefore prefer a family that has the same racial background as their baby. These are very common concerns and you are doing the right thing by considering all of these details. Know that if you choose to work with Open Arms Adoption, not only do we have very diverse waiting adoptive families, but we will never pressure you to move forward with a specific family. You can trust us to be an adoption agency that will always put your wishes first, and honor your decisions as you choose the RIGHT family for your baby.

When you begin to look at different adoption agencies, and learn more about the adoption process, you will quickly find that many agencies have different types of waiting families. Some may have more diverse families than others. Some may have adoptive families that are Hispanic or African-American, and some may not. You will be able to get a sense of the types of families available for you to choose from pretty easily when working with a reputable adoption agency. Your adoption counselor should be honest and open with you about the availability of families based on your preferences.

Can an Adoption Agency Help Me Choose a Family by Race?

While your first instinct may be to choose Adoptive Parents that are the same race as your baby, you may do further research and find that this is not necessarily what you want or need. Perhaps after spending time looking through current Waiting Family Profiles, you might find an Adoptive Family that you absolutely love for your baby, that is a different race than your baby, or perhaps, than you. Maybe they have other characteristics that are important to you, such as their personalities, the area they live in, their professions or their family life. Or, perhaps, they are already parenting a child that is the same race of your baby. Often, this is something that is important to Birth Parents– if the Adoptive Parents will not be the same race as the baby, the baby will have a sibling who is the same race, and that feels reassuring and comforting to Birth Parents.

Placing an African American Baby for Adoption

While you are considering adoption you may be wondering what the family will be like for your child and it is more than natural for race to be a part of that. If you are placing an African American baby for adoption you might be wanting them to grow up with a “black family” so to speak or with at least one parent of the same race. Agencies such as Open Arms Adoption have black families waiting to adopt a baby so that is an option if it is one you would like.

Placing a Hispanic Baby for Adoption

Whether you are placing a Hispanic baby for for adoption or just desire that background for the adoptive parents, please know that you have options. There are many adoptive families looking to adopt a Hispanic, Hispanic-American or Latino baby today and you may be able to find the perfect fit for what you dream of for your child.

Placing a Native American Baby for Adoption

We understand the importance of heritage and what it means to place a Native American baby for adoption. There is nothing wrong with wanting to select an adoptive family that is Native American. Whether that is of interest to you, know that many adoptive families are open to adopting a baby of another race and help them learn about and always honor their heritage as they grow up.

Placing an Asian American Baby for Adoption

There are many Asian American adoptive families waiting to adopt a baby just like yours. Choosing a family based on the race and background is completely up to you as this is your baby and your adoption plan. It is important that you feel completely satisfied with the family you choose for you baby. Reach out to Open Arms if you have questions about an Asian-American or other families that you may be interested in.

Is a Transracial Adoptive Family Always an Option?

Another piece of information to take into account when you are considering this very important decision is readiness of Adoptive Parents to adopt Transracially. Some adoption agencies such as Open Arms Adoption Network offer a lot of support, education and work in this area for Adoptive Families. We recognize that not every family is a good fit to adopt a child that is a different race than them– not every white family is a good fit to adopt black children. At Open Arms Adoption, we take a child-centered approach with this, and always aim to ensure that the child will grow up in the best environment for them.

You may wonder how we decide which families are a good fit to adopt a baby of a different race? There are lots of factors to look at in order to make these decisions. First, if a family is Caucasian, for instance, do they live in an area that is diverse? Do children of color actually live in their neighborhood? Will the school that their future child attends have other children of the same race as them and therefore grow up with friends that look like them? Do the Adoptive Parents have friends or family of other races? Are their friends and family members supportive of a transracial adoption? If the answers to these questions are yes, then it is likely that the family is a good fit to adopt Transracially. If, however, the family doesn’t have any diversity in their life, and it is clear that this child of color will be raised by white parents, in a white neighborhood, with white friends, it doesn’t really sound like the family is a great fit to adopt a baby of a different race.

How are Adoptive Families Chosen by Adoption Agencies?

Our Adoption professionals spend a lot of time and offer a lot of counseling to families as they go through the domestic adoption process, and many conversations about race take place before these decisions are made. These conversations are NEVER put off until placement, so rest assured, that if you choose adoption with Open Arms, you will always have the opportunity to choose a family that is a good fit for your baby- be it a black family, white family or a different race.

You may also be wondering how this process works if you are not interested in an Open Adoption. If you would like to move forward with adoption for your baby, but you are not interested in choosing the prospective adoptive parents, that is of course fine for us. We are happy to take your preferences into account, your social worker will discuss with you things like race of family, type of family, area they live and other factors to help to determine which family is the best fit for your baby. And do not fear, just because you may not want to choose the family, does not mean the foster care system needs to be involved in any way. We will work to make sure your baby goes to a permanent, loving, safe home, one that you would feel good about!

If you want to learn more about the types of adoption, current waiting families at Open Arms (Black Families, Brown Families, White Families or others,) the adoption process, or why adoption might be a good option for you, give us a call at 1-888-OPENARMS. We are a 24-hour adoption agency and can help you with resources and whatever else you may need based on your circumstances.