Mothers Day Gift Guide: 10 Thoughtful Sympathy Gifts for Women Who've Lost a Child

Mother's Day. It can be one of the hardest and most complicated days of the year for grieving women. It's hard not to feel excluded on a day when others celebrate simple and straightforward Mother's Day stories. If you feel like it's extra hard this year, we see you.

And if you are supporting a grieving mother on Mother’s Day, it can make a huge difference for her if you remind her that you see her pain. Whether she has miscarried, lost a child, is experiencing infertility, or is missing her own mom, she deserves a place on Mother's Day. We are so amazed at how many brave and powerful women continue on, even when it feels like their story is the only one marked by difference. If you know a friend who is embodying all of this and you feel led to send her a gift to acknowledge her loss, we have put together a gift guide of the best 10 gifts for someone who has lost a child.

Best Gift for Someone Who Miscarried

Our I Carry You in My Heart Memorial Candle is one of my very favorite gifts for someone who miscarried. If you need a special gift for a grieving mother, this is an incredibly meaningful miscarriage and infant loss remembrance candle. The artwork was designed to reflect the love between a parent and child, and the empty space between the arms of the mother represents the void that parents feel after losing a child. We also offer the candle as part of a collection of gifts with similar artwork – the Held in Your Heart laurelbox is a special curated gift for a bereaved mother. 

The Most Special Infant Loss Gift

A personalized stuffed animal is an incredibly meaningful gift for someone who lost a baby. Molly’s Bears is an incredible organization that makes weighted bears that are personalized to the exact weight of the baby who passed away, and they become special keepsakes that parents can treasure. These special bears bring so much hope and healing and are a perfect gift for a grieving mother. 

Another special infant memorial gift is a personalized Birth Flower necklace, candle, or keychain. These gifts are customized with the baby’s name and birth flower, and are incredibly special grieving mother gifts. Lighting a candle in honor of a loved one is a beautiful ritual that many people find comforting and supportive after they have lost a child. 

Best Loss of Son Gift

It sometimes feels difficult to think of memorial gifts for the loss of a son, but we have some great ideas that are meaningful! If you know your friend well, you can take your friend to do her son’s favorite activity in his honor. If he loved hiking, take her to a nearby hiking trail to spend some time outdoors. If he was a huge movie buff, plan an evening to go see a movie he would have loved. If he enjoyed art, plan a day at his favorite museum. Whatever you choose to do, be sure to think of something that will help her feel her son’s spirit near. Pack a nutritious picnic or snack, and give her a photo book of him while you are together. It will mean so much to her that someone took the time to plan a meaningful day of activities that will help her feel close to her son. 

Best Memorial Gifts for Loss of Daughter

Did you know that butterflies are symbolic of the presence of a loved one at your side? The meaningful symbolism of the butterfly makes a butterfly themed gift one of the most special sympathy gifts for the loss of a child. Many women who have lost their daughters have shared that the presence of a butterfly feels like a sign from their daughters, which makes a butterfly themed gift so special.

We offer a few different butterfly gifts. Our Custom Butterfly Garden Seed Set contains seeds for flowers that attract butterflies to a memorial garden, which makes it a very meaningful way to create a memorial garden in honor of a loved one. We also have a Custom Butterfly Memorial Candle, which can be customized with the name of their daughter and lit in her honor. Our Custom Butterfly Necklace also features a personalized name. Many women have shared that wearing the symbol of the butterfly with their daughter’s name on it helps them feel close. 

You can also support your friend by bringing her symbolic flowers that will remind her of her daughter. There is a great list on Good Housekeeping of the meaning behind sixty five different flowers. It is a great resource to help you create a unique and thoughtful bouquet of flowers that would remind her of her daughter. Scroll through this exhaustive list and curate a bouquet for her of flowers that represent beauty, hope, grace, innocence, and love.

Best gifts for grieving parents

Although this list has been mostly focused on meaningful sympathy gifts for bereaved mothers, it is a very thoughtful gesture to also send a meaningful gift for both parents who lost a child. A matching keychain set that features the child’s footprints or handprints and their name makes a true treasure for any parent. Our shop offers a delicate tassel keychain which can help a grieving parent to have a tangible reminder of their child’s life to carry with them as they leave their home and travel throughout their everyday life. These personalized keychains are so special and one of our favorite gifts for a couple. 

You can also give the grieving parents a special book that features their child’s artwork. You can reach out to their teacher or a family member to help you locate artwork that would be special for the grieving parents. Once you have the artwork, there are many companies that will turn the pieces into a keepsake book that they can treasure forever. Mo