Fostering Babies & Toddlers

Infant placements often happen fast. Say the call comes at 9pm: a newborn needs placement tonight, hospital discharge in the morning. You say yes, and suddenly you're setting up a crib at midnight for a baby you know almost nothing about.

That's not unusual. Prep what you can in advance: a safe sleep space, newborn basics (diapers, onesies, formula), and car seat. Your agency may have a "baby box" program with emergency supplies, ask before you need it.

You often won't get complete information at placement. That's frustrating and also just the reality. Keep asking.

NAS (or NOWS, Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome, for opioid-specific cases) happens when a baby is born physically dependent on substances the birth mother used during pregnancy. With opioid use disorder at high rates in many communities, NAS placements are common in foster care.

These babies are not "damaged." With responsive caregiving, most NAS babies do remarkably well. But the early weeks can be hard.

The "Eat, Sleep, Console" (ESC) approach has largely replaced the Finnegan scoring system at many hospitals and is considered best practice for managing NAS with non-pharmacological means first. Know this term, it's worth discussing with your pediatrician.

Infancy is the critical window for attachment development. When babies have consistent, responsive caregivers who meet their needs, they build a secure base that affects their development for decades.

Some foster infants have already experienced inconsistency or neglect before placement. Others come straight from the hospital. Either way, your job in those first weeks and months is pretty simple in concept (and hard in execution): respond. Hold them. Make eye contact. Talk to them. Feed them when they're hungry. Soothe them when they cry.

You can't spoil an infant. That's not a thing. A baby who's held and responded to consistently develops better than one who isn't. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

If you have concerns about developmental milestones or attachment patterns at any point, bring them up with your pediatrician and request an early intervention evaluation.

Under Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), every child from birth to age 3 with a developmental delay or risk factor is entitled to free early intervention services. Foster children automatically qualify for evaluation, you don't need to prove a specific diagnosis first.

This is a big deal. Don't wait until you're sure there's a problem. If there's any question about a child's development, request an evaluation early. Services are most effective in the first 3 years.

Even if you're pretty sure the child will go home, advocate for early intervention anyway. These services follow the child wherever they go. Getting them enrolled now means they don't miss that window.

Foster infants tend to have more medical appointments than typical babies. There are often catch-up immunization schedules, specialist referrals from the hospital, and required well-baby visits that the agency tracks.

Keep a binder. Seriously. Dates of every visit, vaccines given, specialist notes, and contact info for every provider. It will save you later.

Safe sleep rules apply with zero exceptions for foster infants. Your agency will likely require documentation that you know and follow AAP safe sleep guidelines: back to sleep, firm flat surface, nothing in the crib. No exceptions for "this baby sleeps better on their stomach." You could lose your license over this.

For feeding: all foster children under 5 qualify for WIC regardless of your income. Formula is expensive and WIC covers it. Get to your local WIC office fast, bring placement paperwork and the child's Medicaid info.

If the birth mother was breastfeeding, talk to your caseworker. In some cases, during visitation, nursing can continue. This is a legally and medically nuanced area, ask the agency.

Infant placements tend to have the highest emotional stakes and the most unpredictable timelines.

You can spend six months being this baby's whole world and then watch them go home. Or you can spend three years thinking they're going home and end up adopting them. Both happen. You can't know which one it will be, and you have to care just as hard either way.

Some foster parents find infant placements more emotionally taxing specifically because attachment happens so completely and so fast. You're not just caring for a child, you're wiring their brain. That intimacy is its own kind of weight.