One of the key questions for parents who have opted for a cremation is whether they will receive ashes of their baby. This could depend on:
- Whether or not you have opted for an individual or joint cremation: Ashes are available for individual cremations only. For shared cremations, all the ashes will be buried or scattered together in a special place in the crematorium grounds.
- The size of your baby: If your baby is very small, the amount of ashes might be very little. Some ashes usually get absorbed in the cremation chamber. This means that there might be no ashes left.
- The facilities at the crematorium: Some crematoria have special facilities to protect ashes even for babies who are very small. You can enquire in advance to help you choose the right crematorium.
The ashes will contain remains of any items that are cremated with your baby inside the coffin. Any items that are placed on top of the coffin may be removed before the coffin is placed in the cremation chamber.
You may choose to scatter your baby’s ashes somewhere special to you, a favourite walk or woodland. If you choose to scatter your baby’s ashes in a crematorium, they may have regulations about what you can place near the area where the ashes are buried or scattered. You may, however, be able to have a plaque placed somewhere else in the crematorium gardens.