Deciding about a funeral

If your baby was stillborn after 24 completed weeks of pregnancy, or was born alive at any stage of pregnancy and then died, he or she must, by law, be formally buried or cremated. A baby who was born dead before 24 weeks can also have a funeral but this is not required by law.

Most hospitals in England, Wales and Scotland offer to arrange and pay for a funeral for a baby. Alternatively you can arrange the funeral yourself. Your midwife or nurse can explain what your options are, and what the hospital offers. You don’t have to decide what you want straightaway. However in some hospitals the staff will need to know what you have decided before you go home.

Whichever sort of funeral you decide on, there are choices you can make. You may want to have your baby dressed in a particular outfit or wrapped in a special shawl. You may also want to ask the funeral director to put special items into your baby’s coffin, such as a soft toy, a letter or a poem. Some parents keep an identical outfit, a shawl, a toy, a letter or a poem as a memento.

However, if your baby is going to be cremated, the crematorium staff may remove some items from the coffin before the cremation. This is to ensure that the emissions from the crematorium don’t break health and safety regulations. Any items that are removed should be returned to you. If you are concerned about this, you may want to contact the funeral director to find out what you can put in your baby's coffin.

If you want to hold your baby's funeral as soon as possible, please see Urgent funerals