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Special Needs - Infant Loss
Providing bereavement layettes is a very sensitive issue. It is very important to provide ‘only the best’ for these babies - the best quality, the best craftsmanship, etc.
Remember, this is the only time families who have suffered the death of their child will have to spend with that son or daughter. The items included in the layette are often kept for a lifetime as keepsakes.
Very small bereavement items (for less that 15 weeks) should be generic in color - white is always good. Prints should have equal amounts of pink and blue so as not to be gender specific or
may be pale yellow or very pale green. The Cozy Layette, the Burial Wrapper and the Knit Bunting are good patterns for this size baby.
Babies as small as 7 or 8 ounces are dressed if at all possible in a gown and a bonnet or in a sleeper and hat and then wrapped in a small soft bunting, afghan or quilt. Dressing a baby and
wrapping it in a blanket helps the family to bond with the baby and often helps to overcome the fear of holding a baby that size.
Very soft, snuggly, touchable fabrics, like flannel or robe velour, are important. It’s also very important for an outfit to be very feminine for girls and very boyish for boys. While
lace is not appropriate around the neckline, lace is a nice touch (if it’s very soft) around the sleeve or gown hems. Boys’ clothing should NOT have lace or flowers on them. The type, width and size of
trim should be appropriate for the size of garment being made. Remember these garments are very tiny and when dressed on the baby, the trims should not take the focus away from the baby. Any decorative embellishment
that will help make an outfit girlish or boyish is good. Just remember that these babies are very delicate so nothing can be scratchy or stiff.
Soft baby colors are best. Girls’ outfits should be in pink, peach or white. Boys’ outfits should be in blue or white. Please avoid the off white color referred to as taupe or
ecru or antique white. Prints are nice but keep in mind that the scale of the print should be suitable for the size item you’re making and please make sure it’s an appropriate theme print - tiny hand
prints or foot prints, florals for girls, stuffed bunnies and bears, etc. Avoid prints that are more appropriate for well babies -- circus themes, playground themes, stick figures running and jumping, etc.
Key points to remember when constructing clothing:
- the outfit should be very roomy to facilitate dressing and undressing the baby.
- gowns should open all the way down the back.
- Sleeves should be of sufficient width to easily slip on the baby. Some hospitals prefer short sleeves; other hospitals prefer long sleeves as long sleeves will cover up any bruising
caused by IV needles.
- Necklines can be gathered with a drawstring ribbon, neatly hemmed or finished with binding (but no lace). These finishes offer some options to the family as well as offer the nurses
options for best presenting babies.
- Hats or bonnets should be easily put on and removed. The kind that have a drawstring in the front and in the back making the bonnet completely adjustable are perfect.
Memory envelopes, tri-fold folders, bi-fold folders and boxes (fabric or decorated paper mache) are wonderful for
storing all the items that have touched the baby or have significance regarding the baby. The memory envelopes can be large (9 by 14 inches) or small (4 by 6 inches). Large envelopes should be obviously for a boy or
for a girl. Small envelopes should be white. Either size envelope may be decorated with embellishments. There should be a closure of some type - a couple of ribbon ties, buttons or velcro.
Jewelry such as crosses, angel pins, and baby bracelets are nice.
Matching or coordinating sets - a bonnet, a gown or outfit, a blanket and a memory envelope - are nice for twins, triplets, etc. It’s very helpful if they are all neatly folded in a zip lock bag. .
The bag should then have a label indicating the size of the clothing inside. This will make it easier for nurses searching for the right size garment for a baby. We’ll use the
approximate weight of the baby’s size to indicate the size of the garments. A size chart is available on the Newborns in Need website.
While a variety of sizes are needed, from tiny enough to fit an 8 ounce baby to large enough for a ten-pound baby, most needed are the sizes for 1 to 2 pound babies.
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