Full disclosure before I even begin this post… We have literally no idea what we’re doing. We’ve gotten really great at just winging it in our 5 years of marriage, and it’s shining 😉 . We’ve mastered being adaptable, and going with the flow, and it’s what we’ve been doing for this entire Foster Care journey.
SO when people ask us what we’ve done and bought to prepare to have little ones in our home, I often panic. I stumble over words, afraid that the amount of things we’ve bought for any foster babes who come into our home will be judged… either that it’s not enough or it’s too much. (Seriously mommas, how in the WORLD do you figure out what you need for babes!?)

The truth is, we literally have no idea what life is about to look like. Sure, we’ve given our preferences for age ranges, but the beauty of fostering is that it’s still a lot of unknowns.e’ve specified our age range (for now) to be 0-2. I *KNOW* we should have a wider range, trust me, we’ve heard it 😉 , but this is what we got for an answer when praying, so I’m fully believing in this choice. Who knows what God will do to our hearts throughout this journey, but we’ve been preparing for babes to be in our homes for now. Although we’ve specified an age range, it’s still a HUGE range when it comes to preparing.
BUT I wanted to at least give a glimpse into the little bit of preparation we’ve done, in hopes that it will help any friends who are also on the journey of fostering. I searched and searched for things that we’ll need as foster parents, but I haven’t found a great list, hopefully this helps all you soon to be foster parents! As we get placements, I will be sure to do an update on things we wish we would have had, or things we didn’t necessarily need!

Here are the items we now own that can be used for a variety of ages:

–A convertible crib (one that’s able to convert into a toddler bed if needed)
-Several mattress pads for said crib
-A changing pad & cover.
-A glider
-A Diaper Genie
–An Ikea high chair (not necessary for newborns, but it is afforadble so we figured why not)
–A Tula
–A Lily Jade Co diaper bag (SOSO beautiful!!)
-A sound machine
–Some Natursutten pacis (a variety of sizes)
–A Moses Basket 
-A handful of bottles
-All of Young Living’s Seedlings Line + Kidscents Line (including baby wash, diaper cream, baby lotion, toothpaste, etc. with NO TOXINS. Seriously mommas, go download the ThinkDirty app and scan the big box store stuff. It’s scary. If you want the hookup on these amazing products shoot me a message!)
-TRAUMA LIFE!! This oil was MADE for stress & emotional trauma. And it smells amazing. We’re hoarding it.
-Gentle Baby + Lavender + A diffuser (for SLEEP!!! Again, shoot me a message for these!!)
–A diffuser paci clip
–A weighted stuffed animal for bonding/attachment
-A Carbon Monoxide detector (required to be licensed in Iowa)
-A Fire Extinguisher (also required to be licensed in Iowa)
-A frame + our emergency plans (required in Iowa)
-A list of questions to ask when receiving phone calls, placed in multiple places – including a note on your phone!
-A way to store any chemicals & alcohol with a lock (required in Iowa)

And here are some things on our list, but will have to wait until placements come (or we just haven’t gotten to buy yet!)!!

-ALL THE BABY CLOTHES
-Burp cloths
-ALL the cacti things from SpearmintLove
–A Solly (if an infant is placed with us)
-A baby monitor (this isn’t one we’re waiting on for placement, but just because we can’t make a decision)
-A carseat & stroller system
-All the Fawn & Sage cocoon swaddles
–Parasol Diapers & Wipes
-More bottles/sippy cups/feeding supplies
-Bottle brushes
-Formula/Baby Food
-Bottle-drying rack
-A baby gate for our split level home
-A baby bath tub + other bath supplies
-Wearable blankets
-Bouncer seat or swing
-Play mat
-Toys
-Books
-Extra book bags/duffle bags/suit cases for when children leave our home to put all their belongings in
-Photobooks/Boxes to keep photos & keepsakes safe
-Extra plastic totes to place any belongings that children come with in before you can go through them.
-Outlet covers
-A Roomba so this momma doesn’t have to sweep and vacuum all the time 😉

This list will obviously have to change and adapt depending on our placements, but it’s what we’ve come up with so far. I’d love to hear from any of you experienced mommas out there if more should be added!!