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Introduction: Social changes that have occurred in recent decades regarding the organization of families and gender roles have legitimized and given visibility to family arrangements that diverge from the traditional model. It is therefore important to study single-parent adoptive families and their specificities. Objective: To analyze the adoption process and the arrival of the child in single-parent families. Methods: Four adoptive mothers and one adoptive father, aged between 31 and 56 years, with children aged zero to five years at adoption were interviewed. The interviews portrayed the motivation and adoption process, the expectation of the arrival of the child, and the experience of single parenthood. The Thematic Analysis framework was adopted to explore the data. Results: The adoption was motivated by the desire to start or expand the family and exercise parenting. The time waiting for the arrival of the child was used for the emotional and financial preparation to receive the new member of the family, and fears and anxieties related to the adoptive process were experienced. The children’s adaptation occurred in a short period and it was necessary for the participants to adapt their routine to the new family situation. In all cases, family support was observed. Conclusion: The preparation for adoption benefited the parent-child adaptation process. The participation of the extended family as well as guidance from technical staff were relevant to the families.