At Sands, we believe that parents experiencing baby loss or pregnancy loss should be cared for with compassion, patience and understanding. Families whose baby dies during pregnancy, at birth or shortly afterwards need sensitive support as they begin to navigate life after loss.
When expectant parents are not able to bring their baby home, they can benefit from gentle guidance and reassurance as they develop a new and different relationship with their baby. This support can help families process their grief, create meaningful memories and feel less alone after pregnancy loss or the death of a baby.
When a baby dies, there may be little visible evidence of their time with their parents, family and loved ones. Memory boxes are an important part of many bereaved parents’ journey, since they are a special place for families to store meaningful items they have collected through their baby’s pregnancy, birth and in the years that follow.
Order a free memory box from our shop
Information for professionals
How we offer support
About Sands memory boxes
Sands memory boxes are:
- An evidence-based platform for midwives to start conversations and begin memory-making activities with parents
- An initial contact with Sands, an organisation which can support parents at any stage after a loss
- A safe and reassuring space for parents to build their own memories around their bond with their baby in the years that follow
We have included the following memory making materials because parents have told us they need help connecting and getting to know their baby during those precious moments together.
Sands Memory Box Contents
- Hand and Footprint Kit
- Baby Details Book
- Certificate of Birth
- Pair of bears
- Heart in Their Hand
- Soft White Blanket
- Approximate measures 30.5 x 22 x 8.5cm
Muslim Care Boxes
Sands Muslim Care Boxes include the same contents as our Memory Boxes, and also contain faith-specific items for parents preparing for a Muslim funeral:
- Cotton shroud
- Alcohol free oud
- Prayer beads presented in a velvet box
- A book, 'A Gift for the Bereaved Parent' by Zamir Hussain
- Approximate measures 30.5 x 22 x 8.5cm
If a baby's funeral has already taken place, you may find it helpful to request a different box which can be used to keep precious items. Our Helpline staff can help you decide on the right option for you.
Healthcare Professionals
Healthcare professionals play a vital role in helping parents to choose things that help them connect to their baby. By modelling how to hold, swaddle or arrange special items you can help parents to overcome any uncertainty around physically connecting to their baby. It is you and the relationship you encourage at that point that can make all the difference in establishing continuing bonds and mitigating loss through memory-making.
Evidence suggests that a positive experience at this stage in bereavement will enable parents to reach out for further support as they need it. Through having a safe space for their babies’ special objects that they can re-visit any time, parents will not feel like there is limited time to dedicate to their baby in the brief hours between birth and going home.
A Memory Box that is a permanent and personal reminder of the baby they could not bring home can help integrate parents’ experience into their family history and grow around their grief as life moves on.
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