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19 Meaningful Adoption Gifts To Wonderfully Celebrate This Special Day 

Finding the perfect gift to celebrate adoption finalization or adoption day can be tricky. I prepared this guide, full of excellent adoption gift ideas, to help you choose a fantastic present to honor newly adoptive parents, as well as adoptees.

Adoption gift ideas include thoughtful presents and gestures that aim to make an adoption day special for a family. A memory book or family photoshoot are great gift options for newly adoptive parents, while a family trip or board game makes a perfect choice for an adopted child.

Here you can jump straight to the ideas that interest you the most:

What Makes A Great Adoption Gift?

Every child deserves to have a loving family. And adoption is a better way to give a caring, healthy, and stable environment for those children who have never had a happy home but desperately need it.

Adoption has significant meaning both for adoptive parents and for the child who is being adopted. That is why it's important to celebrate this remarkable moment by showing our love, care, and support to new adoptive parents and adoptees.

An adoption day is a truly special day for a new family, and thoughtful gifts and gestures will help express your sincere feelings to the adopted child and adoptive family on this truly important life event.

Sad to say, but not everyone can easily come up with gift ideas for such an occasion. It can be challenging not only for friends and family members but also for parents themselves. 

Trying to find an appropriate, right gift to celebrate an adoption day, sometimes people forget that such a present doesn't necessarily have to be adoption-themed.

Adopted children like the same kinds of things as any other kids: books, toys, games, and adoptive parents usually need the same stuff as other new parents. 

I prepared this informative guide with a lot of meaningful, sentimental, as well as practical adoption gift ideas to celebrate the unique birth of a new, happy family. Explore our amazing list to find original gift options for newly adoptive parents or the adopted child.

 

Gifts For Adoptive Parents

Family Photoshoot To Capture A Milestone Moment

family photoshoot

A photoshoot is one of the best ways to document life's significant milestones.

And adoption is just such a milestone in your dear newly adoptive parents' lives.

Undoubtedly, a professional photo session will help them celebrate this special event truly unforgettable.

A family photoshoot is a great opportunity not only to capture all happy moments but also to rediscover the powerful feeling of family unity.

Besides, a photo session will allow your favorite adoptive family to spend their time together in an original and fun way. And as a result of the photoshoot, they get lovely photos for their new family album. 

Moreover, a family photoshoot may have some therapeutic effects and help children to build their self-esteem. The authors of the book “Photo Therapy and Mental Health” highlighted that family photos promote the feeling of security among children and help them see themselves as valued family members.

Indeed, feeling like a part of a loving family is certainly important for any adoptee, especially for the older child who has recently been adopted. 

A family photo session is a great gift idea for your dear adoptive family, which will help them keep this one of the most important episodes of their lives not only in their memory but also in a beautiful photo album.

Express Your Support With Deeds

Adoption is a big thing, and sometimes people can feel a bit uncomfortable because they don't know what kind of help to offer new adoptive parents and what type of gifts will be appropriate for this exact occasion.

The most important thing to remember is that the couple or person who recently adopts a child, especially an infant, needs the same support and help as any new parents. So, your time can be the most valuable gift that you can give an adoptive family.

It's super easy to show your care. Just become a babysitter for a while so that parents can take a little rest. You can cook some meals, order a takeaway delivery for them, or go grocery shopping. 

And if you have a parenthood experience, you can even share some advice and tips, for example, how to better organize space in the kid room or what baby things parents will need. 

Such things can seem somewhat petty for you, but it can be exactly what an adoptive family desperately needs, but what is too embarrassing to ask for. So, help your favorite family adapt to their new role and new, beautiful life with a child.

Parenting Books To Raise A Happy And Successful Child

parenting book

To be good parents is hard work, but usually, no one teaches us how to become them.

And although adoption is an absolutely informed decision to become parents, it's impossible to be fully prepared for this new role, so in such moments, excellent parenting books come to the rescue.

Parenting books are designed to help understand how to build and keep positive parent-child relationships and promote children's comprehensive development at each stage of their lives, from toddlers to teenagers.

So, undoubtedly, your favorite new parents will highly appreciate such informative books with useful tips on how to become better parents and raise their child kind, confident, and happy.

However, sometimes adoptive parents can face some parenting issues related exclusively to adoption, especially if they adopted an older child from foster care or internationally.

But there are plenty of great parenting books about adoption that will provide a lot of beneficial advice on creating strong, close family bonds, developing relationships based on trust and love, and dealing with some challenging situations.

Parenting books will definitely come in handy for your newly adoptive parents on their long, sometimes challenging, but absolutely amazing, and fascinating parenting journey.

Stylish Family Pajamas

stylish pajamas

You would probably agree that pajamas are one of the symbols of home coziness.

Soft, comfy pajamas not only promote better sleep but also may improve a person's well-being.

Just imagine for a moment which significant positive effect stylish matching pajamas will have for your newly adoptive family.

It can sound a little bit weird, but matching pajamas is an excellent way to express family unity and spirit. Such kind of pajamas will help your favorite adoptive family feel cozy and happy both when they sleep and relax at home.

Besides, such identical things can help an adopted child feel a sense of belonging to a family. And this, in turn, will help develop closer family bonds.

Family matching pajamas come in a ton of different styles, colors, and patterns, so you will be able to find a cute set that will perfectly suit your dear adoptive parents and their child or children.

And if you want to make your gift more thoughtful and even unique, add personalization with a monogram or stitched name of each family member. Such a personalized gift is an amazing opportunity to show just how much you care about your favorite adoptive family.

Handprint Or Stepping Stone Kit

handprint

An original handprint or stepping stone kit is an absolutely fantastic gift for newly adoptive parents.

It will help them preserve precious memories about that special day when a child came into their lives and home.

An easy-to-use handprint or stepping stone kit will help your loved ones to make a mold of their recently adopted child's hands and feet. Due to a wide range of these handprints and footprint kits, they are suitable for children of any age, be it newborns or older kids.

Besides, thanks to some extras, like letter and number stamps, your favorite adoptive parents can easily personalize the print by adding a kid's name, date of birth, and adoption date. Undoubtedly, such an incredible keepsake will be cherished for a lifetime and become a real family heirloom.

Photo Album Or Memory Book To Collect All Happy Moments

memory book

Adoption is one of the most important and brightest events in your loved ones' lives.

And they, like any other parents, probably would love to preserve each moment of their new family's life.

One of the better ways to do it's to put together all these happier moments in a beautiful adoption photo album or memory book.  Indeed, such a simple thing is a perfect tool for your favorite adoptive family to keep their unique story,  pleasant memories, sincere emotions for their adopted child and even the next generation. 

There are many remarkable adoption-themed memory books, as well as regular child's photo albums. They will help your favorite adoptive parents to beautifully collect lovely photos, cute memory notes, and other important things for them, such as a baby's handprint or kid's drawings.

Moreover, you can even make your gift more thoughtful just by adding personalization. Whether you choose a photo album or memory book is an excellent way for your loved ones to start documenting a new chapter of their family story.

Lovely Bonsai Tree

bonsai tree

If you are looking for a meaningful and symbolic gift for newly adoptive parents, then a beautiful bonsai tree would be the right choice.

Flowers that quickly wither are unoriginal and not a practical gift, while a bonsai is kind of a symbol of new life.

Just imagine how fascinating it will be to watch this miniature tree grow with the child!

Did you know that in Japanese culture, bonsai symbolizes harmony, peace, and balance?

And according to beliefs, this graceful miniature copy of a tree grows only in an atmosphere of love and attention. So, by giving a bonsai to your favorite adoptive family, you thereby provide them with confidence and faith in their strength. 

Indeed, growing bonsai requires care and patience; it's an exciting and lengthy process lasting years, the same as parenting. There's something symbolic about that, isn't there? Without a doubt, the original and charming bonsai tree can become a real family heirloom.

Adopted Themed Jewelry

jewelry

Jewelry always makes a charming keepsake, so it's not surprising that adoption-themed jewelry has a powerful symbolic meaning.

Wonderful hand-stamped jewelry is an excellent way to honor adoptive parents. 

Personalized necklaces, bracelets, rings, or pendants engraved with a child’s name or a birthstone will be treasured for years. So why not surprised them with such a meaningful gift?

Moreover, such fabulous jewelry will always be a great reminder for your favorite adoptive parents about that life-altering decision to give a piece of their heart to their beautiful child. 

Adopted themed jewelry is one of the best gifts for new parents because this heartfelt keepsake can tell a lot about their adoption story. So, undoubtedly such personalized jewelry will have a high sentimental value for your loved adoptive parents.

Gift Card Or Money

money in an envelope

If you are a bit tired of wondering which type of gift to choose for newly adoptive parents, then a gift card or money would be the right decision.

Adopting a child is one of these life events, which calls for high costs. A cash gift is probably a better way to financially support your favorite adoptive family during this new period of their lives.

If you are worried that your loved ones would perceive your money gift as a lack of effort, imagination, or even rudeness, just ask them if cash or gift cards would be appropriate for such an occasion.

But in most cases, a money gift is a convenient solution for new parents, because they can buy everything that their recently adopted child may need.

But it's really important to make your money gift a little personalized! Don't forget to add for your cash gift a cute greeting card with sincere handwritten wishes for your favorite adoptive family.

 

Gifts For Adopted Child

Board Game To Play Together

board game

Board games are more than just fun entertainment. It's scientifically proven that board games are one of the important parts of children's development.

Moreover, playing board games is one of the best ways to develop close family relationships without resistance.

There are so many fascinating board games for all ages, so you can easily find a game that your adopted child will enjoy playing with you. How about good old Monopoly, classic Uno, exciting Qwirkle, or adventure Ticket to ride? 

Board games can bring your new family together and help build a tighter bond between you and your recently adopted kid. Moreover, playing such games helps to decrease stress and enhance self-confidence.

After all, it's a perfect way to spend time together and have fun! So, from any point of view, a board game is a wonderful gift idea for your adopted child.

Family Experiences

family riding bicycles

Building close family bonds and developing a secure attachment with parents may be especially crucial for an older child who was recently adopted.

And you, as newly adoptive parents, probably would like to make this gradual process for your loved child as simple and enjoyable as possible.

Spending time together is one of the greatest gifts you can give your adopted child. After all, what could be more fascinating than joint family activities, such as a short weekend trip or longer vacation, going on a picnic or camping, visiting a zoo, cinema, or museum?

It's just a few things that older children adopted from foster care probably have not had the opportunity to do. So, family activities are a perfect way to celebrate this special time when the beautiful child joined your family.

Undoubtedly, doing little things together can help build strong parent-child relationships. These fantastic family experiences will provide a sense of belonging and a feeling of safety for your recently adopted kid.

Stuffed Toy With A Personalized Message

girl with a stuffed toy

Do you know that stuffed animals provide comfort and security to children?

Moreover, researchers of the National University of Singapore found that touching a plush toy mitigates social exclusion's negative effects and increases prosocial behavior.

As you see, stuffed toys really play an important role in children's development. Well, why not surprise your little one with a cute furry friend?

A plush animal is much more than just a toy for your kid. Frequently stuffed animals become the kind of first best friend for children. And it's not surprising because stuffed toys provide much-needed comfort and help a child deal with stress and anxiety. 

And now, imagine how many benefits and joy can bring for your recently adopted child a cute plush toy with a personalized message! After all, what could be more soothing than parents' loving voices?

Give your baby a beautiful stuffed animal with sincere words of love, support, and care. This unique, personalized plush toy will be a good furry friend for your loved child for many years.

Family Shopping Day

clothes

It's not surprising that older children who were adopted from foster care need some new stuff, like clothes, shoes, toys, and books.

But the most needed essential for your recently adopted child is your attention. And a shopping day is an absolutely amazing way to combine these two things.  

Family shopping is a great possibility to know each other better and to build trustful and close relationships. Undoubtedly, your child will be delighted with the opportunity to try on clothes and accessories.

Help your boy or girl pick out trendy fashions or school uniforms and allow your child to choose something that he or she really likes. 

Moreover, a family shopping day can include not only shopping itself but also other activities. Almost every mall has some play areas, movie theatres, food courts so that you can spend your family time in a fun and original way.

Child’s Photo In A Prominent Place

woman and girl looking at photos

Have you ever wondered that family photographs can help improve children's self-esteem?

A Daily mail reported that the research conducted a few years ago in the UK revealed that children whose parents display family photos at home grow up with higher confidence and a sense of belonging to a family. 

So, don't you think that charming family photography in a prominent place in your home sounds like a great idea to express your love and care for your adopted child? 

Undoubtedly, cute family photographs placed in a prominent place in your home will provide your adopted kid a feeling of safety and a sense of their importance.

Such photos in beautiful frames on the walls or shelves are an irreplaceable attribute of a loving home. Besides, these photographs surely will be a great reminder about your love and that you are proud of your child.

Lovely Personalized Blanket

baby in a blanket

A soft, warm blanket is one of the symbols of home coziness and comfort.

So if you are looking for a symbolic gift for your child, a personalized blanket is a perfect choice.

At first glance, it may seem that an ordinary blanket customized with your child's name isn't a thoughtful enough gift, but even don't doubt, a cute personalized blanket indeed will have a significant meaning for your kid. 

A super-soft blanket is a thing of exceptional comfort that can always wrap up your loved kid in warmth and coziness. If you give a beautiful personalized blanket to your child, he or she undoubtedly will be delighted.

Besides, such a blanket embroidered with a child's name is an excellent gift idea both for toddlers and older children.

A lovely personalized blanket is an absolutely unique present for your recently adopted child that can perfectly highlight your sincere care and love. After all, curling up under a soft blanket near loving parents is a perfect way to spend a cold evening together.

Cake To Celebrate Adoption Day

cake

An adoption day will undoubtedly become for your family a special date in the calendar.

And like every special event in your life, you need to celebrate the finalization of adoption beautifully.

After all, what is a celebration without a delicious cake?

Every child probably loves cakes because they symbolize a festive atmosphere, joy, and happiness. So, it's an absolutely incredible idea to bake for your new family member a tasty cake and show that you are happy and excited that he or she became a part of your family. 

Besides, a delicious and beautifully decorated cake is a perfect way to introduce a new family tradition to celebrate an adoption day each year as your new happy family's birthday.

Plant A Family Tree

girl planting

Planting a tree is an incredibly symbolic gift for your older child.

The same as a small tree begins to take root in the new environment, as your adopted child becomes part of your family.

Undoubtedly, planting a tree is truly an original way to preserve this milestone moment for all of you for many years. Besides, planting a family tree, as well as preparing for this task, such as a trip to a local tree nursery or garden center, is a fun and engaging activity that can help build family bonds. 

After your new tree is planted, don't forget to gather the family around it for a memorable photo. Make this picture-taking near your beautiful family tree an annual event to create a remarkable family keepsake. 

Moreover, you can plant a young tree about your kid's height, so each month, you can measure the tree's and your child's height, so he or she can see how much your family tree grows in comparison with them.

Support In Their Aspirations

two ballerinas

Probably, every child has many big dreams about what he or she wants to do as an adult. But most of them have no idea of what it takes to achieve them.

That's why it'is so important to support children in their aspirations and help them set effective goals for the future.

Help your older adopted child put their dreams, whether that is a desire to become a professional athlete, a scientist, or musician, in the spotlight.

Depending on your child's interests, give them a membership to dance or sports classes, find a music teacher, or endorse your kid's passion for science with fascinating experiment kits. 

But remember that it's always important to play a supportive role in your child's journey and motivate and encourage them to accomplish desired dreams. It's really one of the most valuable gifts you can give your loved kid.

Remarkable Adoption Storybook

adoption storybook

Telling your child his or her adoption story is always difficult.

Adoption is a complicated mix of emotions, and sometimes it's hard to find the right words to introduce your young kid to details of the adoption.

Thanks to unique personalized storybooks, it became much easier to reveal your child the story of her or his adoption.

There are some options for adoption storybooks, which you can customize by inserting your child’s name on the cover, photos, and specific details and messages into the particular dedication pages.

But you also can create your own storybook from scratch. It will require a lot of effort and time, but the result is definitely worth it.

A remarkable, touching story is an excellent opportunity to tell your little one his or her adoption story. But, first of all, such a personalized book is a perfect way to express how hard you wished for your adopted child and how you are happy that they became a permanent part of your family.



Adoption day is a life-changing event for parents and children. Giving meaningful gifts to an adopted child is just as important as showering a recently adopted couple with thoughtful gifts and gestures. And remember, not all gifts will cost you money.

The most valuable things you can give newly adoptive parents and adoptees are your time, support, attention, and of course, love.

About the Author

author picture

Hi! I'm Yasia, founder of giftideaspace.com. I’m passionate about gift-giving, and I’m here to help you choose perfect gifts for your loved ones. I will always provide you with the best possible gift ideas and explain, based on statistics, scientific studies, and my own experience, why one or another gift is the best option to surprise your recipient.