Helpful information for/about bereaved siblings & childhood grief

• Talking to children about stillbirth
• Developmental responses to grief for children
• Information and advice on supporting children when their sibling has been stillborn from Tommys (UK)Information and advice on supporting children when their sibling has been stillborn from Tommys (UK)
• National Centre for Childhood Grief (NSW based)
• Understanding children’s grief
• How Children Grieve — Persistent myths may stand in the way of appropriate care and support for children.

‘Resources’ for bereaved siblings

• Seeds for siblings- A beautiful organisation who provide children who have experienced the loss of a sibling with a handmade bag filled with Sunflower seeds that can be planted in memory of their brother or sister.
• Remembering Me Baby Memorial Sibling Book  “A sibling bond is unbreakable. They may be no longer with them on earth but they are forever part of their lives. This book gives them their own space to grieve, to create memories of their own and to spend time thinking and honouring the memory of their precious Brother or Sister that lives in their heart x ” (publisher) 

Books for bereaved children-

• These Precious Little People A truly beautifully illustrated picture book for children to help explain the death of a baby in pregnancy or soon after death. I’d highly recommend this. My children have cried reading this but also love this book so much and they draw so much comfort from it. They often go to this book when they are missing their baby brother. It also has some great info in the back to help parents in understanding childhood grief.

• The Memory Tree A children’s picture book about the death of a loved older fox and how his friends remember him, explaining love lives forever. While it isn’t about the death of a baby it is lovely book that can be helpful for any grief.
• My Yellow Balloon. “Honest, unflinching, and ultimately reassuring, this book will resonate with anyone who has endured the darkness of grief, while offering hope for brighter days ahead.” (from their website). This book doesn’t mention death specifically but addresses loss and grief in a symbolic way. A favourite of ours.
• WATER BUGS AND DRAGONFLIES Based on the book written by Doris Stickney This story can be used to help explain the concept of death, with a list of related activities to engage in.
• Yesterday You Were Here a picture book to help children make sense of grief and loss. The book talks about a child not a baby but can still be used to apply their own experience of their baby sibling (eg instead of riding bikes, talking to mummy’s belly).

• I have a worry. A picture book designed to help children deal with and understand anxieties and worries, something very common for children after the loss of a sibling.

• BORN TO FLY is a compassionate and beautifully written story for bereaved parents, families and siblings after pregnancy and baby loss.