Choosing to place your baby for adoption in South Dakota is pursuing the best life for your child. One major component of this pursuit is finding the perfect adoptive family for your child – a family who will provide the kind of life and opportunities that you envision for your baby.

You are in control of the adoption process and get to make this choice.

Maybe you are wondering, “How will I find adoptive parents for my baby in South Dakota?”

Fortunately, we are partnering with a national agency to give you access to some family profiles to view today. You can simply browse to get a feel for the kind of families who are hoping to adopt, or you can reach out to a professional about specific adoptive families who stick out to you.

This guide is designed to assist you in your search for an adoptive couple for your child. Whether you are in your first week or last week of pregnancy, you are in the right place. There are adoption specialists who can help you find the perfect family for your child today. Contact a professional today. 

Do I Get to Choose the Adoptive Family for My Child in South Dakota?

Yes. You are in control of this process, and you absolutely get to choose the adoptive family that is right for your child. Considering the many choices you get to make during the adoption process, this is perhaps the most consequential. Your child’s adoptive parents will set the tone for your child’s life, provide the comfort and guidance they need, and expose them to special opportunities. Choosing a family that will provide your child the life that you want for them demonstrates your maturity, generosity, and your deep love for your child. And the decision is yours and yours alone.

To find this perfect adoptive family, you will want to work with an agency who prioritizes your vision for your child’s life. When you partner with a licensed adoption agency, you will work with an adoption specialist who will guide you through creating an adoption plan.

In this plan you will describe what qualities you prioritize in a potential adoptive family. They will take your description and use it to curate a list of hopeful adoptive families that might fit your needs.

They will then give you access to these family’s profiles that will give you a feel for what life would be like for your child in each family’s home. You can take your time reviewing these profiles, and when one of them stands out to you, you can speak to them through a mediated phone call with your adoption specialist.

Of course, your adoption specialist will work alongside you as you weigh your options. You will be encouraged to follow your intuition, but never left to navigate the choice by yourself.

How Can I Find Parents to Adopt My Baby in South Dakota?

Your search for the perfect adoptive family will be greatly aided by the support of a licensed and reputable adoption agency. While there are agencies that work within a particular niche, the major distinction between agencies is whether they are national or local.  

Due to their size, national agencies can often offer a birth mother more services and many more adoption opportunities. They work with hopeful adoptive families from around the nation, so when you partner with them, you have a larger database of families to choose from.

Here are some national agencies that can help you find the perfect family for your child:

• American Adoptions
• Gladney Center for Adoption
• Beacon House Adoptions

When you work with local agencies, you can sometimes receive a more intimate, in-person experience. And, if you are certain that you want an adoptive family from South Dakota, you may have a better chance of finding what you need when working with a local agency.

Here are some local agencies you may consider working with:

• Lutheran Social Services of South Dakota
• Children’s Home Society of South Dakota
• New Horizons Adoption Agency
• All About U Adoptions

If you are ready to start your adoption journey, reach out to an adoption specialist today. There are many professionals who are eager to come alongside you and help you navigate the process of finding an adoptive family in South Dakota.

Here’s how that will work:

Step 1: Describe what characteristics you want in an adoptive family.

You may have a clear vision of what you want for your child and can describe your perfect adoptive family in detail. Or, maybe you are struggling to pinpoint the most important qualities that you want in an adoptive family for your child. Either way, you are on the right track.

 An adoption specialist will help you to articulate your desires into a written description.

This description will be a component of your adoption plan and will guide your adoption specialist’s next steps. With your needs in mind, they will begin a search for the perfect adoptive family for your child. 

Along with talking to your adoption specialist, sometimes looking at family profiles can help you to refine the list of characteristics that you want in an adoptive family. If you are interested in familiarizing yourself with couples hoping to adopt, browse these family profiles today.

Step 2: Review profiles of hopeful adoptive parents in South Dakota.

Family profiles are put together by hopeful adoptive parents to give you an overview of who they are and an idea of what your child will experience if they are adopted by them. With some agencies, you will be given a print profile, and with others it will be in video form.

Included in the profiles will be the following:

• Pictures
• Description of the family lifestyle and personality
• Video interviews
• Reasons the couple wants to adopt
• Couple’s hopes and dreams for an adoptive child

You can take all the time you need with these family profiles. If your ideas about what you want in a family shift as you peruse the profiles or if a particular couple really stands out to you, then you can contact your adoption specialist.

In the first case, they will adjust the results of their search to better meet your needs. And in the second scenario, they will setup a mediated phone call for you to chat with the hopeful adoptive family. This will give you an opportunity to ask any questions you might have for them.

If you would like to view some family profiles now, you can click here to browse families now

Step 3: Get to know the adoptive family.

Contact with a family does not obligate you to choose them as your child’s adoptive family. If you are feeling any apprehension about a choice, you have the liberty to continue getting to know a family before making your choice, or to return to the family profiles to continue looking for the perfect family for your child. 

Your loyalty is to your baby and the life that you want for them through adoption. Your decision is not final until you sign consent for adoption after your baby is born, and you can take as much time as you need to settle on a family.

Of course, the sooner you find the adoptive family that is right for your baby, the sooner you can begin to get to know them and determine what kind of relationship you want going forward. You can choose to keep talking to the adoptive family on the phone, exchange emails, or meet up in person. It is also an option for you to limit your contact during your pregnancy. This all depends on your needs.

The relationship with your adoptive family does not have to end after placement. When you enter an open adoption, you can maintain a lifelong relationship with them and your child. This special relationship can even flourish into a family-like bond.

What Should I Look for in an Adoptive Family in South Dakota?

When you think of the kind of life that you want for your child, what does it look like?

This could be the guiding question you use as you think about what qualities you want in an adoptive family for your child.  

Some other questions that can help you as you narrow your search are:

• What kind of community or neighborhood do you want your child to grow up in? Do you have a preference between an urban, suburban, or rural area? Do you want your child to live in South Dakota? Do you want them to grow up around certain cultural or geographic landmarks?
• Are there values that you care about which you would like to be encouraged in your child? Do you have a faith that you would like to see them grow up in?   
• What sorts of activities do you want your child to be encouraged to try? Would you like them to play sports, volunteer, or be involved in scouts?
• What type of adoption agreement do you desire? Do you want to continue a relationship after the adoption or do you need a closed adoption? What kind of contact would you like to have? How often do you want to interact with the adoptive family?
• Are you looking for certain personality traits or interests in your child’s adoptive parents? Is it important to you that they are motivated, funny, or open and accepting? Do you want them to exhibit interest in their own hobbies or interests?

As you think through some of these questions and as you review some of the family profiles, you will likely find that there are some traits that are more important to you than others. This is a good sign – you are starting to identify your priorities in an adoptive family.

Your hopes and dreams for your child are the most important part of this process. It is important that you express your needs and follow your instincts as you search for the perfect family for your child.

View South Dakota Adoption Profiles

If you are ready to start your search for families wanting to adopt in South Dakota, you will want to first contact an adoption professional.

Another avenue can be to view family profiles today. In some cases, this can feel less overwhelming than contacting an agency right away. You can ease into the idea of finding an adoptive family for your baby by first reviewing video profiles from the privacy of your own home.

Adoption professionals are eager to guide you through the process of finding a family for your baby. Contact us today to request the help of a licensed and reputable agency.