Tips to Planning a Child’s Funeral Properly

No parent wants to go through the emotional turmoil of losing their child to the cold arms of death. More so, the burden of planning the child’s funeral may be too difficult to bear, especially when you don’t know what to do.

It is not so comforting to find out that children die every day as adults do for various reasons. But it’s essential to know how to go about planning their funeral. Thankfully, we provide a comprehensive guide here.

But first things first:

Planning your child’s funeral depends on several factors:

• Circumstances surrounding the child’s death
• Your religious background
• Time
• The child’s age

A child’s funeral typically comes shortly – a couple of days after their death. During this short period, you need to decide if you’re going to organize a formal burial service, get a funeral program, and make other necessary arrangements.

Most of these tasks are exhausting. That’s why you need the support of friends or a professional funeral director to make these arrangements.

Contact a Funeral Home

As soon as a child’s death is announced, you should select a funeral home to house the body pending the funeral. Most parents choose a funeral home they had previously used. In most cases, you’d have to select a funeral home closer to the hospital or family residence.

Most funeral homes are always available to assist families in the following areas:

• Transfer the body from the place of death to the funeral home
• Provide extensive care such as cleaning, embalming, and dressing the body
• Discuss with family about funeral arrangements
• Help the family in picking a casket
• Handle all paperwork
• Make further arrangements with the cemetery and other places of burial.
• Make arrangements with pallbearers
• Make suggestions for death-related insurance and other claims.

Obtain a Death Certificate

Death certificates typically list the death of birth and death and other details about how or why the child died. The funeral director may fill up those details and other paperwork. It is important to note that if the child is stillborn, they will not receive a Social Security Number or a death certificate.

However, you can still receive a Certificate of Stillbirth. You can check with your funeral director to see if this option is available.

Choose a Location for the Funeral Service.

For religious families, most funeral services are held in places of worship or chapels. In this case, it can be a private affair with close family members and friends in attendance. If the child is relatively older or a teenager, the attendees can include their teachers, classmates, and friends.

Some families can choose to use a community center, residence, or any other place that may include a public or private gathering.

Create a Funeral Program

The next thing you need to do is create a funeral program that details the order of the service. You can contact DisciplePress for your printing needs – as we are capable of providing services for slideshows, posters, keepsakes, prayer cards, and many more.

You can also count on our turnaround time to deliver these items before the funeral service.

Decide on the Burial

This is perhaps the most essential part of the burial. You have to decide on the casket, the burial plot, and the headstone to choose. Inquire about the children’s section of the cemetery and pick a spot where the decedent will be buried.

Planning a child’s funeral is often a demanding process. However, implementing the tips mentioned above will help you in the long run.

Whether you’re looking for a funeral program, memorial card, prayer card, memorial posters, or anything in between, DisciplePress has you covered.