“There is no foot too small that it cannot leave an imprint on this world.”
October is Infant and Child Loss Awareness month. We honor and remember all the babies who were born sleeping, those we’ve carried but never met, those we’ve held but could not take home, then the babies and children that came home but could not stay.
Every family grieves differently. We have gathered ideas to remember and honor your child or a friend or family member’s child. This is just a start to give a few ideas, do what feels right for you and what will help you in your journey.
1. Write a poem in honor of your child.
2. Thank a family member or friend who has helped you along your journey.
3. If you are parenting a child who came after the one who died the book “Someone Came Before You” is perfect gift just for them. It explains in a gentle way the parents desire for a child and the sadness that comes over them when that baby dies. It then shares how the parents, with the help of the baby, get to the point of wanting another child to come into their lives. The book also includes suggestions about keeping your baby s memory alive.
4. Plant a memorial garden in memory of your child. Use colors they liked or remind you of them. Use colors from the child’s nursery or room.
5. Release beautiful Sky Lanterns or balloons in their memory on a special day.
6. Take memorial pictures at cemetery or cremation site or with urn.
7. Take photos of something in nature that help you feel closer to your angel (light, butterflies, flowers, dragonflies, etc…). Post the photo on social media in remembrance of your child.
8. Make a charitable contribution in your child’s name to your favorite charity or organization.
9. Create a place in your home for your child’s special things. It can be a bookshelf with trinkets, photos, quotes, books and other display items.
10. Keep a blog. It can be private if you don’t feel comfortable sharing your journey with others yet. Add photos and write from your heart. If you feel like sharing it, it can be an inspiration to parents who are grieving.
11. Speak to your hospital about starting or being involved with the bereavement support program available.
12. Celebrate their birthday, in a big or small way. Involve your family and friends, buy a cake, decorate their grave, sing the birthday song or light a candle. There are lots of ways to honor your child on their birthday.
13. Write a letter to your child.
14. Light a Candle for them. October 15th is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day and is recognized around the world, and you are invited to participate. The remembrance ceremony can take place in your home. All you have to do is light a candle at 7 p.m. your local time and leave it burning for an hour.
15. Perform a Random Act of Kindness in the child’s name. What better way to show that your friend’s child’s life has impacted others than by continuing to do things in his/her name? The MISS Foundation started The Kindness Project and this idea of remembering our children through random acts of love.
16. Donate an item to a child in need and in the name of their child that died. Around the holidays, your child’s birthday, or the anniversary of your child’s death, donate a gift in your child’s name to a child in need that is around the same age their child would have been or was when they died.
17. Purchase a Molly Bear. Molly Bears is a non-profit organization that creates weighted teddy bears for families coping with infant loss. MollyBears.com is also an online community of support for families that have suffered a death of an infant.
