Now that you have had your Giving and Receiving Ceremony and have spent a couple of weeks in Viet Nam, your child’s visa will be issued and you will all be free to fly home! Traveling home with an infant, toddler or child will be a unique experience, and has the potential to be lovely and shockingly easy or so horrid and difficult that you will wonder how you can arrange it to just stay in Viet Nam.

Now that your hands will be occupied with a child and all their paraphernalia, try to check as much luggage as possible. It’s very easy to buy luggage in Hanoi if you need more space. When you pack your carry on bags, try to think of the worst case scenario. Your baby could go through five changes of clothes (which inevitably means you will need that many changes too,) or be hungry, cold, hot, thirsty or bored. Dress in layers so that you can remove and put on clothing as needed, and you’ll save space in your carry on. Throw some gallon size ziplock bags in your bag to store any soiled items and you won’t have to endure stinky clothes for over a dozen hours.

When you check in at the airport, try and be early so you can request a bulk head seat. The bulk head seats have a lot of leg room with plenty of room on the floor for a child to sit and play. If your child is small enough, they’ll be able to fit in the bassinettes that attach to the wall in front of your seats.

Your child’s age will play the biggest part in how to prepare to entertain them on the flight home. For babies, have their bottles warm and ready for take off since the sucking will help relieve any pressure from building up in their ears. Toddlers and older children may be frightened of the plane and will hopefully be distracted by new toys, books and favorite snacks.

When you arrive at your home airport, give some thought to who will pick you up and the fanfare, or lack thereof that you want. My husband and I initially thought it would be wonderful to have a huge crowd with banners, balloons, tears and all that good stuff. After hearing the opposite opinion of several adoption professionals, we decided against the fanfare to spare Ella the shock and scare that could have ensued. Instead, we had both sets of grandparents meet us and they actually got a limo, installed our car seat in it, and we traveled home in style.

Next we’ll look at adjusting to life at home with a new child.

photo credit

More Reading:
Receiving and Accepting Your Referral
Compiling Your Viet Nam Adoption Dossier
The USCIS Process for a Viet Nam Adoption
The Viet Nam Adoption Home Study
Choosing a Viet Nam Adoption Agency
Deciding to Adopt from Viet Nam
Making the Decision to Adopt