Memory Boxes can help you capture the short time that you had with your baby. The box is a special place for keepsakes to remember your baby by that you want to keep safe. It could include photos, a special baby-grow, a blanket your baby was wrapped in, cards that you might receive, a lock of hair, or a hand or foot print perhaps. There is space in Sands Memory boxes for you to place items of your own in the box, both immediately and over the years on anniversaries and other significant occasions.
In addition to the opportunity to add your own items to the box, Sands Memory Boxes already contain a handmade blanket, two teddy bears, and other items that you might like to read or use. Parents often give their baby one of the teddy bears and take the other home as part of the memory box.
Hospital staff often offer parents opportunities to create memories of their baby by collecting keepsakes. Although you may feel unsure about doing this, many parents have told us how precious and important this can be, especially in the years to come. Having items to show and share with family members and friends may also help them to understand how much your baby means to you and help you start conversations about your baby.
Sands Memory Boxes are created specifically for those whose babies are stillborn or have died soon after birth; for younger babies it may not always be possible to take hand and foot prints or to have a lock of hair, but you may still like to have a box for other memories.
Memory boxes can help you acknowledge your grief and talk about your baby with other people. If you are not given a memory box in hospital, please ask staff for one, or contact us and we can send you one. Some hospitals also stock memory boxes from other charities.