So what do you think about photolistings? Photolistings are websites that feature photos of children that are available and waiting for adoption. Typically the “listings” provide a small photo, age and some basic information on the child. While many countries allow this, some countries do not allow their children to be on photolistings, and some allow “text only” listings.

Advocates of photolistings feel that for harder to place children, they are a wonderful resource. Most adoptive parents do not go out seeking an older child or a special needs child, etc., but many a prospective adoptive parent has fallen in love with a photo of a child and because of that, expanded what they were “open to” in their minds and hearts.

Those against photolistings feel that it is an invasion of the children’s privacy to have their photos on the internet, and I have heard people say that it makes it too much like “shopping” for a child.

It is hard to argue that photolistings do indeed help find homes for children. We adopted our sweet little girl Amanda (from South Korea) after seeing her face on a photo listing. If someone had just called us and asked if we were interested in a toddler with a heart condition and several other “birth defects” we probably would not have been interested, but when we saw her face, we just knew she was ours. I know countless other families that were united after a mom or dad saw a face that they could not forget on a photolisting. There are lots of families who started out waiting for a referral, and ended up finding their own child on a photolisting.

Personally, when they are well-run (little or no identifying information of the children posted, etc.) I feel that photolistings provide a great way for older kids and special needs children to get their faces out there. I think that they make it easier to find homes for children who are difficult to find families for. I also think that for the perspective adoptive parents who are considering adopting, looking at photolistings and realizing how very many children there are waiting for a forever family can be very motivating.

Most of all I feel that it is too easy for these children to be forgotten and left behind, and having them on a photolisting is one way to prevent that.

There are several well-known photolistings such as Precious in His Sight and Rainbowkids, and Adoption.com has a great photolisting here. The Adoption.com photolisting has both children available for adoption internationally and domestically in the U.S. and they provide several ways for you to search the large database of available children. Adoption.com also provides this article that provides some great tips on how to use a photolisting as an adoptive parent.