Baby Loss Awareness Week: How to support a bereaved parent and show you care

Ahead of Baby Loss Awareness Week, two organisations are reminding us why acknowledging a baby and their family’s grief matters.

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Published: October 9, 2026 at 10:00 AM

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Baby Loss Awareness Week runs from 9 to 15 October, offering an opportunity to remember babies who have died and to support families living with grief.

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For parents who have experienced miscarriage, stillbirth, neonatal death or infant death, that support can be particularly important after the first wave of messages, cards and flowers has passed.

Teddy’s Wish, a baby loss charity founded by bereaved parents Jennifer and Chris Reid, has teamed up with gifting company Don’t Buy Her Flowers to create care packages for families experiencing baby loss.

Why acknowledging a baby’s death matters

Jennifer and Chris founded Teddy’s Wish after their son, Edward Louis Reid, died from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) aged three months in April 2014.

Jennifer says that, after Edward died, a simple care package from an old school friend stayed with her. It contained a book about baby loss, a candle and tea, and inspired her to approach Don’t Buy Her Flowers founder Steph Douglas in 2020.

Jennifer Reid, co-founder of Teddy’s Wish, said:

“After Eddie died, people understandably didn’t know what to say or do. I remember receiving flowers from well-meaning friends, but at that point they were another thing to look after when we were barely functioning ourselves."

Sometimes simply showing that you remember and care can mean an enormous amount.

Jennifer Reid, co-founder of Teddy’s Wish

“One gift that has always stayed with me was a care package from an old school friend. It was incredibly simple – a book about baby loss, a candle and some tea – but I felt so touched that she had thought about what I might actually need in that moment.

“That experience was ultimately the inspiration behind approaching Steph. We wanted to create something that told another bereaved parent: we see you, we remember your baby, and you are not alone.

“Baby loss can be incredibly isolating, and people can sometimes be so frightened of saying the wrong thing that they say nothing at all. But acknowledging a baby and acknowledging a parent’s grief is so important.

“Baby Loss Awareness Week gives us an opportunity to break the silence and stigma of baby loss. We want bereaved parents to know there are organisations and people who understand, and we want their friends, families and colleagues to know they don’t need the perfect words. Sometimes simply showing that you remember and care can mean an enormous amount.”

How can you show up for someone who has lost a baby?

Steph Douglas says people can feel particularly unsure about what to say following baby loss, and may worry about causing further upset.

Don’t Buy Her Flowers began in 2014 after Steph received eight bouquets following the birth of her first child and questioned whether flowers were always the most helpful way to show someone you care. The company began creating care packages for a range of difficult life events, and has worked with Teddy’s Wish since 2020 to create packages specifically for bereaved parents.

Steph Douglas, founder of Don’t Buy Her Flowers, said:

“When I started Don’t Buy Her Flowers, I hadn’t anticipated how many customers would use the boxes for bereavement. But people were coming to us because somebody they loved was grieving and they wanted to do something - they just didn’t know what.

“I think that uncertainty is particularly acute with baby loss. People are terrified of saying the wrong thing or causing more upset, so sometimes they withdraw or avoid mentioning what has happened. But from the conversations we’ve had with bereaved parents and guidance from Jen at Teddy’s Wish, acknowledging the loss and their baby can be incredibly important.

“When Jen approached us in 2020, it felt completely right to work with people who had the lived experience and expertise to tell us what might genuinely offer some comfort.

“A care package obviously can’t make grief go away, and that isn’t what it is trying to do. It is a physical way of saying, ‘I’m thinking about you, I haven’t forgotten, and I’m here.’

“What I love about our partnership with Teddy’s Wish is that these packages have been shaped by bereaved parents themselves. It isn’t about assuming what somebody needs at the worst point in their life; it is about listening to people who have been there.”

Free baby loss care packages are available

Teddy’s Wish sends care packages free of charge to eligible recently bereaved parents living in the UK.

They are available to parents who have experienced:

Packages contain items intended to offer comfort, including books about grief and baby loss, tea, biscuits, candles and other thoughtful items. Wherever possible, the baby’s name is included, helping to acknowledge the child who has died.

The charity says recently bereaved parents can contact Teddy’s Wish to request a package. People who want to send a package to someone they know can also purchase one through Don’t Buy Her Flowers, which makes an annual donation from the sale of Teddy’s Wish packages to the charity.

Baby Loss Awareness Week 2026

Baby Loss Awareness Week takes place from 9 to 15 October, bringing together people affected by pregnancy and baby loss and organisations supporting them.

The week ends with the global Wave of Light at 7pm on 15 October, when families around the world light candles in memory of babies who have died.

For bereaved parents, support does not necessarily end when the first messages and flowers stop arriving. Teddy’s Wish highlights the importance of continuing to acknowledge a baby, remembering significant dates and checking in with parents in the weeks, months and years afterwards.

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More information about requesting a free Baby Loss Package is available through Teddy’s Wish. People can also purchase a care package for someone they know through Don’t Buy Her Flowers.

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