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Baby Loss Awareness Week runs from 9 to 15 October, highlighting the experiences of families affected by pregnancy and baby loss. Teddy’s Wish and Don’t Buy Her Flowers are encouraging people to acknowledge a bereaved parent’s loss and keep checking in after initial support fades; Teddy’s Wish also offers free packages to eligible recently bereaved UK parents.
Baby Loss Awareness Week runs from 9 to 15 October, bringing attention to families affected by pregnancy and baby loss and to ways friends, relatives and colleagues can support bereaved parents. Teddy’s Wish and gifting company Don’t Buy Her Flowers say that acknowledging the baby and continuing to check in can matter after the first messages, cards and flowers have passed.
Teddy’s Wish, a baby loss charity founded by bereaved parents Jennifer and Chris Reid, has worked with Don’t Buy Her Flowers since 2020 to develop care packages for bereaved families. The charity says it sends packages free of charge to eligible recently bereaved parents in the UK. Its stated eligibility covers stillbirth or termination for medical reasons from 24 weeks’ gestation, neonatal death and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
The packages include items intended to offer comfort, such as books about grief and baby loss, tea, biscuits and candles. Wherever possible, the baby’s name is included. Friends and family can also buy a package through Don’t Buy Her Flowers; the company makes an annual donation to Teddy’s Wish from sales of the charity’s packages.
Jennifer Reid said that, after her son Edward died from SIDS at three months old in April 2014, a simple package from a friend — containing a book, candle and tea — stayed with her. She said flowers from well-meaning friends could feel like another thing to manage while she was barely functioning. The experience later inspired her to approach company founder Steph Douglas about creating packages shaped by bereaved parents’ experiences.
Support Beyond the First Messages
The week’s message addresses a common difficulty for people around a bereaved family: uncertainty about what to say. Reid and Douglas say fear of causing upset can lead people to avoid mentioning the loss. Their advice is not that a particular gift or phrase can ease grief, but that acknowledging the baby and the parent’s grief can communicate care when silence may feel isolating.
Support may also be needed well after the first days. Teddy’s Wish points to remembering significant dates and checking in during the weeks, months and years after a death. That matters because initial contact may fade while parents are still grieving. A message that names the baby, or a simple offer to listen, can show that the family and their loss have not been forgotten; the right approach will differ from person to person.
The packages are one practical option, not a substitute for personal support or a promise that grief will change. Douglas said they are intended as a physical way to tell a parent that someone is thinking of them. The partnership says its packages were developed with bereaved parents’ input rather than based on assumptions about what every family needs.
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How the Care Package Partnership Began
Jennifer and Chris Reid founded Teddy’s Wish after their son, Edward Louis Reid, died from SIDS in April 2014. Jennifer has said that a care package from an old school friend helped her feel remembered and informed her approach to supporting other bereaved parents.
Don’t Buy Her Flowers began in 2014 after founder Steph Douglas received eight bouquets following the birth of her first child and questioned whether flowers were always the most useful way to show care. The company later began making packages for people facing difficult life events. It has worked with Teddy’s Wish since 2020 on packages specifically for bereaved parents.
Baby Loss Awareness Week brings together people affected by pregnancy and baby loss and organisations that support them. It ends with the global Wave of Light at 7 p.m. on 15 October, when families around the world light candles in memory of babies who have died.
““Sometimes simply showing that you remember and care can mean an enormous amount.””
— Jennifer Reid, co-founder of Teddy’s Wish
Eligibility and Individual Needs
The supplied information does not give the total number of packages available, how quickly requests are fulfilled or whether the charity’s eligibility criteria may change. Parents considering a request should check the current details directly with Teddy’s Wish. The source also does not describe how the contents are adapted for different families; a package should not be assumed to suit everyone’s needs or preferences.
There is no single response that will feel right to every bereaved parent. The advice to acknowledge the loss comes from the charity and company representatives, and individual families may want different kinds of contact, practical help or space. The report provides no independent evaluation of the packages’ effects on grief.
Week Ends With the Wave of Light
Baby Loss Awareness Week concludes on 15 October with the Wave of Light at 7 p.m. People who wish to take part can light a candle in memory of a baby who has died. The event is described as global; the source does not provide additional participation arrangements.
People seeking a free package can contact Teddy’s Wish to check eligibility and request one. Those wanting to send a package to someone they know can purchase one through Don’t Buy Her Flowers. The charity and company also urge friends, relatives and colleagues to keep offering support after the awareness week ends, including by remembering important dates and checking in over time.
Key Questions
When is Baby Loss Awareness Week?
It runs from 9 to 15 October. The week ends with the Wave of Light at 7 p.m. on 15 October.
Who can request a free Teddy’s Wish care package?
Teddy’s Wish says its free packages are for eligible recently bereaved parents living in the UK. The stated criteria include stillbirth or termination for medical reasons from 24 weeks’ gestation, neonatal death and SIDS. Check with the charity for current eligibility and request details.
What is included in the care packages?
The packages may include books about grief and baby loss, tea, biscuits, candles and other thoughtful items. Wherever possible, the baby’s name is included.
What can I say to someone who has lost a baby?
The people behind Teddy’s Wish and Don’t Buy Her Flowers say there is no need to find perfect words. A sincere message that acknowledges the baby and the parent’s loss, alongside continued offers of support, may help show that the family has not been forgotten. Parents differ in what they want, so listen to their preferences.
How can I support a bereaved parent after the first days?
Keep checking in, remember significant dates and offer practical help or a listening ear without assuming what the parent needs. Teddy’s Wish says support can matter in the weeks, months and years after a loss, not only when the first messages arrive.
Source: rss
