I need advice regards to my daughter coming home from Haiti!

Is it possible to get some measurements at this late date? For example, are you able to call or email the orphanage? If so, get the staff to give you a current height and weight, at minimum. Ideally, get chest, waist, and hip measurements. And if the orphanage has a fax machine, ask for a tracing of the child's foot. While you are at it, ask if your child is toilet trained, but remember that, under stress, a lot of kids regress, and getting a new Mom and moving to a new country will be stressful. Also, a lot of kids will have diarrhea from intestinal parasites or from new foods. Four year olds come in a wide range of sizes. While internationally adopted children are often smaller than their homegrown American/Canadian counterparts, they may not be. And children's body types vary. Department store size charts are often of limited help, as they are based on American kids, who tend to be fairly chunky. And sizes vary widely among brands of children's clothing. As an example, Land's End tends to run extremely wide, except, for some reason, in bathing suits. Gap runs a bit narrower. And so on. Shoe sizes are even harder to predict. Tall children can have tiny feet, and so on. And while it is normal for children to have wide feet, my daughter's feet were pencil-thin, and we had to buy narrow shoes from a pricey boutique or she would fall down. It is good that you have not bought too many clothes, as you could wind up having to bring some back. Still, you WILL need clothes for the trip home, and probably more rather than less, since accidents have a way of happening. You can undoubtedly buy some items while you are overseas. While the stores in a poor country may not have high quality items, the clothes will be fine until you get home. A pair of shoes, in particular, ought to be bought in-country, if your child comes to you in shoes that are too small, or without shoes. Your daughter will probably LOVE to be taken shopping, and her eyes will probably get very wide when she sees herself in the mirror, wearing a new outfit. But do bring a few changes of clothes from home, just in case you don't get to shop because you or your child is ill, because street demonstrations require you to stay in your hotel, etc. If you have no idea of measurements, bring a couple of different sizes. Leave tags on, so you can return what doesn't fit when you get home. While most American kids wear a size bigger than their age, my guess is that your child would be the same size as her age or smaller. So bring some items of that size, plus some one size larger and one size smaller. Because your child is likely to be smaller than average, but is four years old, look for clothes WITHOUT diaper snaps. If your child happens to be untrained, it will be easy enough to pull down pants for diaper changes. And if she is trained, she will feel embarrassed in clothes with diaper snaps. Besides, most of the clothes with diaper snaps are cut full, and my hunch is that your little girl will not need the fullness. Ideally, look for clothes that are "forgiving", if not quite the right size. Look for pants with adjustable waists and legs that can roll up, for example. Loose dresses often work well in hot weather, since they can be a little long or a little short. While you'd like for your child to look adorable, don't worry about making a fashion statement. Don't take winter clothes to Haiti. Get someone to pick you up at the airport when you return, and give him/her a small bag containing something like overalls, a long sleeved turtleneck, a sweater, a jacket, and a light blanket, to bring along. You may or may not decide to change your child into warm clothes at the airport. If she is small enough and sleepy, it may be sufficient to wheel her out to the car in a stroller, with a crib blanket wrapped around her. As far as toilet issues go, bring underpants and pullups, and maybe a few diapers. Most four year olds will NOT be in diapers, and will be mortified by them, so unless your child is very delayed, she won't want or need them. If your child is reliably trained, underwear will be fine. But if she is not, and for nighttime use, pullups are a better choice, and often unavailable in the countries open for international adoption; bring plenty. Diapers will usually be available in the unlikely event that you need them, though they may not be as absorbent as American brands. Sharon