How do you change your newly adopted childs date of birth?

Question

Friends of mine have just adopted a little boy from China who is obviously not about to turn 3, more like 18months. How do they change his DOB??

Answer 1

They must have dealt with an adoption lawyer - they should talk to him/her...but are they only assuming that the child is 18 mos, not 3?  A pediatric specialist would be able to better gage the age...their son may not have developed as quickly.

Answer 2

Once they get home, they can petition a judge in family court about changing the birth date.  They will need information from several pediatricians who can more accurately guess the age of the child.  This has happened in the past, but generally with children from South America.  In some cases, it is totally due to malnutrition or a malfunctioning pituitary gland, which is why several opinions are required.

Answer 3

Shouldnt his real BD be on file somewhere, they need to try to find that so he wont be curious when he gets older.

Answer 4

First you have to have a specialist do a bone density test on the child to determine his age.  Once that information is conclusive it is best to hire an attorney to file all necessary documents to legally change his age.

Yes, China considers a child one year old at birth but during the immigration process with the US government that is translated and changed to reflect the age of the child according to how we in America address age.  If here were 4 in China, his age would have been translated as 3 on immigration documents.

There are many reasons why he may be so small.  He may indeed be 3 with physical and developmental delays which affect the size of a child.  A bone density test is the only way to challenge his age.

I adopted a child from Guatemala where several children are abandoned, age unknown.  I have been involved with orphanages there where it is common that children just have no background information and never know their age.  When an older child in an orphanage is adopted our embassy requires this bone density test because they have to list an age of the child officially in order to process the adoption and issue a VISA.

Answer 5

you shouldn't want 2 change the baby birthday so he won't be confused bout his age

Answer 6

you dont change the date of birth you cant i suppose you should get a lawer and change the year.

Answer 7

They should talk to an attorney about this to ensure there are no technicalities that could invalidate their adoption.  They might want to let this sleeping dog lie for awhile.

Answer 8

They need to talk to a lawyer about this issue!! It needs to be researched more than just the average person could!!

Answer 9

First, get a Doctor to check the child out. He can determine the approx. age of the child. Hire  an attorney to do the leg work for you. Didn't your friend question this at the time of adoption?

Answer 10

Keep in mind that MANY children from China are malnurished and geneticly small. Also there are so many babies per caregiver that many children develope delays.

Most catch up and there's no reason to feel ashamed if One's child is behind.

Olny a VERY skilled dr. could accurately age the child. They can do x-rays to see the progress of the fusion of the bones. If that shows the child to be only 18 months then I don't see a problem getting it fixed, otherwise let it be.

Answer 11

my aunt had a baby prematurely and even though he is 2yrs old now you would swear up and down he is only 8 or 9 months.  it may be possible in your case.  You should consult an attorney just to be safe.

Answer 12

must hire a lawyer and file a motion

Answer 13

prepare aconsiderable amount and hire a lawyer; they can do so much

Answer 14

i think the reason he is about to turn 3 is in china they start counting at 1 at the time they are born his birthday should be on file somewhere i would think and it would probably work ot to the same as you are thinking if you get what i'm saying

Answer 15

Yes best bet is to consult a lawyer!!

Answer 16

In China, the child is "born one year old" and everyone gains a year on New Years Day, so what we would consider an 18 month old baby would be turning 3 on January 1. Depending on what part of China the baby comes from, the actual DOB may not be available.

I think they would need a lawyer (and a doctor to estimate the DOB) to change the date officially.

Answer 17

Are you sure he isn't just small? My son from China is 8 and he's smaller than most kindergarteners here in the US. My daughter from China is almost 4 and could easily pass for 2. Being naturally petite plus malnutrition from growing in an institutional setting can make a child appear to be smaller and developmentally behind their peers.

These kids lose so much, their families, their heritage, their country, their language, and usually even their names. It would be a shame to take away the only thing left, the birthday, because they appear smaller than the average non-institutionalized american child.