Arranging a Funeral for a Baby or Child

Our baby and child funeral services are free and include:

• Bringing them into our care within a 20-mile radius of our Brentwood office and looking after them until the funeral
• Our female funeral arrangers’ time and experience through the arrangement and on the day of the funeral
• A coffin of our choosing
• Appropriate transport of our choosing to the funeral venue via a home address
• Use of our Wilmott Chapel

Things you might wish to pay for include:

• Flowers
• Alternative transport, for example a horse and carriage
• A non-standard coffin, for example a willow coffin
• A headstone

What financial help is available for a child or baby’s funeral?

This fund is not means-tested — what you earn or how much you have in savings will not affect what you get.

Early pregnancy loss

If you need to arrange a funeral for a still born baby or one younger than 24 weeks gestation, we can work with you and the hospital to make this possible. We understand how important this can be for some parents experiencing baby loss, and we will support you to make whatever funeral choices feel right.

Sadly, unlike other funerals for babies and children, there is no government funding available. However, some crematoria and cemeteries will waive or reduce their fee in this situation. We can help you choose the right place for you.

It is now possible to request an optional certificate of loss in memory of your baby. This is issued by the government and is not a legal document. Request a baby loss certificate – GOV.UK

Arranging a funeral for a baby or child

Your child’s death may be the first time that you have been involved in arranging a funeral and it may become your final act of caring for him or her.  This is not lost on us at Bennetts Funerals.  Our qualified, compassionate and professional female arrangers will guide you every step of the way.

One of the first decisions you’ll need to make when arranging a funeral for a baby or a child is whether to choose burial or cremation (unless this is dictated by your religion), and, if cremation, what you would like to do with your child’s ashes.

There are a number of topics you will wish to consider, and your arranger will cover all of them.  It is important to remember there is no right or wrong answer in this situation. Things to think about include seeing your child one last time, keeping a memento such as a lock of hair, placing personal items or messages in the coffin, bringing the coffin home ahead of the funeral, and including younger siblings in the ceremony.

We will also complete any necessary paperwork with you and arrange everything you would like for the funeral.

You will not have to pay the cremation or burial fees, although some local authorities might ask you to pay and then claim the cost back. Our funeral directors will know what is required at your chosen location and can advise you accordingly.

Transport and care

We will collect your baby or child and care for them in our Brentwood Mortuary. Furthermore, we will always let you know the names of the people on our team who are collecting and caring for them so you will know where your child is at all times.

If you decide you wish to see your baby or child before the funeral you are welcome to visit, by appointment, and spend time with them in our Wilmott Chapel.  Some families prefer to come and sit with their baby’s coffin on the day before the funeral, so they are not seeing it for the first time on the day itself. If you would like to bring your baby home before the funeral, we can also enable this to happen.

You are also welcome to include anything in the coffin with your baby or child, such as a favourite cuddly toy, letters or photos. We can place these with your him/her, or you can do this yourself.

Whatever you decide, you can be confident that we will look after your child for you while they are with us.

Coffin choice

We will fully explain and where possible, show you the coffins we provide free of charge.

Any coffin up to £300 is covered by a government grant from the Children’s Funeral Fund for England. The Children’s Funeral Fund for England can help to pay for some of the costs of a funeral for a child under 18 or a baby stillborn after the 24th week of pregnancy.  The burial or cremation must take place in England.

If you choose a coffin with a cost price over £300, you will need to cover the additional cost. We can advise you on your choices and we are always clear and open about what the costs are.

Whatever you decide, you can be confident that we will look after your child for you while they are with us.

Transport to the funeral

Preparing for the funeral

You can have a photo of your child on the screen if you wish, alternatively, there will be an age-appropriate image on the screen with their name.  

The catafalque will be decorated with teddies and a white blanket to make it less imposing.  Many parents chose to carry the coffin into the chapel themselves; we will discuss this with you beforehand and there will always be a member of the team on hand to assist.

Flowers and/or donations

When arranging a funeral for a baby or a child, some parents prefer to have floral tributes from close family only and ask others to give a donation to a chosen charity instead.  We can set up an online donation page on your behalf with our charity partners, MuchLoved.

Support after the funeral

“Our Grieving Hearts” is our own bereaved parents support group which has been supporting bereaved parents since 2011.  The group meetings are in person on the first Monday evening of the month in Brentwood and the group is run by one of our qualified female Funeral Directors who is also a bereaved parent.

We mark Baby loss Awareness week every October with a memorial service held at St Peter’s Church in Hutton.  All families who have lost a baby are invited to this special service.  For families who have lost a child of any age, there is an invitation to our ‘Carols at Christmas’ service at the Regimental Chapel in Warley.

If you’re arranging a funeral for a baby or child, you are not alone

Call us on 01277 210104 and 01277 627492. We are here to help.

For further support you can visit:

• Child Bereavement UK to get support as a bereaved sibling or family member. Call 0800 0288840 for support.
• Sands if you have lost a baby. You can reach them on 0808 1643332.
• Compassionate Friends to join a peer support group run by bereaved parents. You can call their helpline on 0345 1232304.
• Winston’s Wish if you are a bereaved child, young adult of family member. Call their free helpline on 0808 8020021.