Planning Funerals for Young Children, Infants and Stillborns

Planning Funerals for Young Children, Infants and Stillborns

Working With a Funeral Director? 3 Terms to Better Understand for Better Communication

by Sophie Barnes

Whether pre-planning your own funeral or planning final arrangements for someone else, you want to ensure you choose the right funeral director and funeral home. The director will be in charge of ensuring that the funeral is carried out properly and that the loved ones who are gathered have an experience that is as stress-free as possible.

Since planning a funeral is often difficult, you'll want a funeral director that you can work with easily and will want to understand everything involved. Note a few terms you may encounter during the process of planning a funeral so you better understand how to work with funeral directors like Lee Adam Funeral Services.

1. Arrangement conference

This term is often used to describe your first meeting with the funeral director, so you can review your needs for the funeral and your options, as well as the costs involved. Some funeral directors may come to your home for this, but it might be good to have this at the funeral home instead, so that you can see the actual location and its overall appearance.

Be sure you choose a funeral home that fits your personality or that of the deceased; you may not want one that seems very religious, or you may want one that is more ornate than what you see when you visit for your arrangement conference.

2. Custodial care

A funeral home may store the remains of the deceased for several days before the funeral actually takes place, and if so, they may charge you for custodial care. This refers to their process of gathering the remains from the hospital or city morgue and bringing those remains to the funeral home, and keeping them stored until the day of the funeral. When deciding on the date of the funeral, you may want to keep in mind the cost of this custodial care, as you're often charged by day for this service.

3. Burial

When planning a funeral for which you do not have a gravesite already purchased, you may be able to purchase the grave through the funeral home. They may charge you burial fees which include the purchase of the gravesite, and the opening and closing of the site. Be sure you note all charges that are listed under the term burial, as you may pay the cemetery for opening and closing the grave and then also be paying the funeral home for the same service. Be sure you cover this with your funeral director so you don't pay twice for the same service.


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About Me

Planning Funerals for Young Children, Infants and Stillborns

Losing a child is the hardest thing anyone could ever go through – I know because it happened to me. Through the grief, I had to find new ways to breathe, to function and to live. Of course, I also had to plan a funeral and memorial service for my child. If you have lost a child or a baby or had a stillborn, you have probably shared many of these feelings. If this has just happened to you, you may be wondering what to do next. First, I extend my sympathy, and secondly, I offer you this blog to help you grieve and help you understand the basics of funeral planning. Take care.