Celebrating Our Babies

There are many ways loss moms celebrate and memorialize their children.  Here are the ones that resonated most with me:

Memorializing your baby

• Name a star after your baby (Tinsley’s star is in the constellation Orion)
• Buy a photo of the exact night sky of your baby’s heavenly birthday
• Plant a tree (Tinsley has two trees, one in Israel and one at our daycare)
• Get a weighted memory pillow with your baby’s name
• Order a personalized “The Story Of….” book
• Get a tattoo (some people mix their babies ashes with the ink)
• Wear a Roman Numeral ring with your baby’s heavenly birthday date
• Create ‘kindness cards’ in your baby’s name 
• Have a watercolor picture of your family created–those on earth and in heaven
• Write an angel book
• Order custom artwork and portraits of your baby
• Buy a Molly Bear (usually a wait time!)
• Add your baby’s name to the Star Legacy Foundation’s Stars
• Make a special blanket for your baby’s name
• Make a cuddle animal (eg teddy bear, elephant) from your baby’s hospital blanket
• Donate flowers to a spiritual service in your baby’s honor
• Buy a tender keepsake from the Orange Midnight
• Create a keychain with a photo (a good option for dads)
• Make a mousepad with special photos
• Participate in the annual Wave of Light  #WOL2018 #WaveOfLight #NeverBeStill
• Support October’s National Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Month
• Have your town proclaim Oct 15 as Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Day (contact me for sample forms to send to town officials)
• Participate in the Holiday Ornament Swap
• Light a Virtual Candle in First Candle’s Gallery
• Willow Tree figurines 
• Create a shadow box
• Get a special Christmas ornament
• Donate your breastmilk (definitely not for everyone.  I did not do this)
• Ask friends donate to a local Children’s Hospital in your baby’s name
• Create a candle made from the flower arrangements from your baby’s funeral
• Many other ideas on the Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Foundation
• Join a Star Legacy Foundation Chapter and participate in fundraising events.  Our family walked a 5K in April and meeting other loss families was incredible.
• Participate in the Remembering Together Swap during the holidays

Personalized jewelry and keepsakes:

• LaBelle Dame
• My Forever Child
• Make It With Words 
• Etsy.com
• MEND keepsakes
• The Vintage Pearl
• Everlasting Memories (cremation jewelry)

On their heavenly birthdays:

• Raise funds for a Cuddle Cot
  
• Ask for donations to a local Children’s Hospital
• Donate ‘loss baskets’ to your local hospital
• Donate comfort bags for siblings to your local hospital
• Donate baskets to support premature babies to your local hospital.  We did this for Tinsley’s first birthday and started “Tinsley’s Library” for the families to read to their babies.  We plan on adding to it every year.
• Release balloons
• Donate to the Star Legacy Foundation in your baby’s honor.
• Donate flowers to your religious organization’s weekly service.