The death of a baby leaves you and your family shocked, devastated and lost. We understand the impact a sudden infant death can have on a family and have created the following booklets to try and help support families during this difficult time.
Our resources aim to help explain how grief can affect you after the loss of a baby or young child and some of the thoughts and feelings that can go along with this. They also give helpful steps for tackling the the practicalities you may face after the death of your baby or young child.
Bereavement Support Booklets
- Tips for coping with the trauma of sudden bereavement
- Grief: What can I expect?
- When a baby or young child dies suddenly and unexpectedly
- ‘When my baby died’: Parents tell their stories
- Bereavement support leaflet
- When a child dies – A guide for parents and carers
- Bereavement support in the workplace – A guide for employers, colleagues and bereaved parents
- Downloadable journal page for processing baby loss
- When someone else’s child dies in your care
Note: You can bulk order printed copies for professional use by visiting the shop.
Helpful Books
For adults
We have compiled a list of fiction and non-fiction books for grieving adults. These books cover topics such as miscarriage, pregnancy after the death of a baby, understanding grief, and much more.
You can download the list here.
You can read through our archive of stories from families who have been affected by the sudden and unexpected death of a baby, and have come to The Lullaby Trust for support.
Click here to go to The Lullaby Trust’s story archive
For children
Finally, we have written a short story with pictures for you to read with your bereaved children who are starting school/nursery.
Click here to read our Back to school story for bereaved siblings
Podcasts
After the sudden and unexpected death of a baby or child, we might feel a need to reach out and hear about other people’s experiences of grief. Listening to podcasts might help us feel less alone, provide us with inspiration, or give us a sense of what we might expect in the weeks, months and years ahead. We have compiled a list of podcasts which you might find helpful.
Music
You might think that listening to sad music when you are sad would make you feel worse, but it can actually be a source of comfort and help us regulate our emotions. It can feel good to have a music inspired cry as we listen to lyrics we can relate to and feel the music tug at our heartstrings and evoke powerful emotions. Music is very personal so it can be good to create your own playlist, but we have put together a playlist that you might find helpful.
Exploration of feelings
We run a regular social media series called ‘Focus on grief’ where, each month, we explore a common feeling or experience associated with grief. Knowing what to expect, and that others are going through it too, can help you to feel less alone and less afraid of feeling. We also offer practical advice on what might help you with that experience.
Here is an example:
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Tap here to visit our ‘focus on grief’ page
How we can support you
We offer confidential support to anyone affected by the sudden and unexpected death of a baby or young child. This support is here whenever you need it, whether the death was recent or many years ago. It is available for families, friends, carers and professionals. There are different ways we can support you and you can choose from our range of services.
How to request Whole Genomic Sequencing (WGS)
From 2023, any unexplained infant or child death in England has been eligible for a special test called R441.1 for unexplained death in infancy and childhood (SIDS and SUDC). Whilst some familes have been told about the WGS test, R441.1, we are hearing from other families that not all health professionals are aware of it yet. If this is the case, you can use our template for requesting the R441.1 test.
