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Siblings and other children

Resources to help you explain miscarriage, stillbirth or the death of a newborn baby to children and young people.

If you have other children, you may be worried about how to tell them your baby has died.

Children are all individuals, and how they react to the news their baby brother or sister has died will depend on their age and understanding of death.

Useful videos

The videos below from Child Bereavement UK discuss how to explain death to children and children’s understanding of death at different ages:

Understanding of death at different ages video – Child Bereavement UK
Telling a child that someone has died video – Child Bereavement UK

Useful books

Here at James Cook, we have a small supply of books which can be used to explain death and grief to children, your midwife will offer you a book(s) to take home for any siblings.

If you would like to buy your own book, below is a list of books specific to baby loss:

  • A Star for Bobby, by Helen Keenor
  • Ethan’s Butterflies, by Christine Jonas-Simpson
  • I Will Always Remember Our Baby, by Elizabeth Hutton
  • My Brother Lives in Heaven, by Allie Sheehan
  • My Sibling Still, by Megan Lacourrege
  • The Fairy Caretaker, by Mel Scott
  • These Precious Little People, by Frankie Brunker
  • We Had To Say Goodbye Before We Even Met, by Irene Teague
  • Where Are You Lydie? By Emma Poore

SANDS have produced a series of Supporting Children workbooks. These can be used to explain the loss of a baby to children.

The workbooks are available for ages three to seven years, seven to eleven years, and teens and young people. They can be downloaded for FREE from the SANDS website.

Charities and voluntary groups

There are many charities and voluntary groups offering support to bereaved children. We have included some trusted resources below:

Child Bereavement UK 

CBUK support children and young people (up to 25 years) who have been bereaved. They have many resources on their website which you might find helpful such as the leaflet -Explaining miscarriage, stillbirth or the death of a newborn baby to young children

Child Bereavement UK Leaflet

Hope Again

Hope Again is a youth website of Cruse Bereavement Support, providing information about our services, a listening ear from other young people and advice for any young person dealing with the loss of a loved one.

The Miscarriage Association

The leaflet “Talking to Children About Miscarriage” is available to download from their website:

Talking to Children about Miscarriage leaflet

Winston’s Wish

Winston’s Wish offer practical support, information and guidance to bereaved children and their families. Free helpline, online chat facility and online resources.

Sibling Support

A UK charity designed by bereaved siblings, for bereaved siblings. Their website contains lots of information for siblings and adults, real-life stories and memory making ideas. They also offer a series of downloadable activity booklets and leaflets to support siblings of all ages.