Questions about CuddleCots?

What are CuddleCots? 

A CuddleCot is a cooling system that has been designed to fit within a moses basket and lies beneath their baby. When a baby dies, there is a short window of time for a family to create memories, say hello and goodbye to their child and the lifetime they had dreamed for them. These cuddle cots are such a gift for these families to access as they extend the brief time to be together and allow the family so many more opportunities to shower their child with their love.

Basically, they're just keeping the baby cool so that the baby's appearance doesn't change as quickly as it might do without a CuddleCot. 

When babies pass away in hospital, their bodies are normally taken to the hospital morgue straight away, but a cuddle cot – also known as a cold cot – allows the parents to spend time with their babies and bond with them as it slows down the natural changes in their body after death.

What is a cuddle cot used for?

If a mother has suffered a late miscarriage or stillbirth, or if a baby has passed away later on after the birth, the family may want to use a CuddleCot to spend more time with and get to know their baby before the body is taken away.

A CuddleCot is a gift of time, allowing bereaved parents the chance to make memories in hospital or at home after their baby has died. When a baby dies in hospital, whether it's a stillbirth or a neonatal death, parents are now offered choices as to what they can do with their baby. It enables parents to spend longer with their baby before the baby's appearance starts to change.

The things that may be offered could include: the choice to see and hold their baby, take photographs and hand and footprints and spend time with their baby. A lot of hospitals' maternity units in the UK now have designated bereavement rooms for parents that are away from crying babies and pregnant women so that they can spend time with their baby and not feel rushed. Many of the services offered will have been donated and fund raised for by parents who have previously lost babies, as there is not enough funding within the NHS. 

How much do cuddle cots cost?

A CuddleCot costs roughly around £1,500, they should be available through your hospital, if they have one (and if it is working!). It is worth asking your midwife or health professional about it if you have any questions at all, but you should be made aware of the option if it is available to you.

A lot of bereaved parents who have used a CuddleCot may choose to raise money for their local maternity unit. A lot of maternity units only have one and bereaved parents often come out of hospital and they want to raise money for another CuddleCot. They are expensive but then it is a one-off expense.

How long have cuddle cots been around for?

CuddleCots have become available in the last six years. Before that the time that bereaved parents could have with a baby was a very small window. They were invented to give the gift of time to families and allow them to hold and bond with their sleeping beauty. 

Do all hospitals have cuddle cots available?

Not all hospitals have CuddleCots available, but most hospitals will have at least one. According to Flexmort (the manufacturers), 92% of hospitals in the UK have at least one CuddleCot.

To give all families the opportunity it is estimated that every maternity unit would need to have access to three CuddleCots. 

Can you take a CuddleCot home?

Yes. If your hospital has a CuddleCot available, you are allowed to take the CuddleCot home so that you can take your baby home and let other members of the family see them and spend time with them too.

This will allows parents to spend longer with their baby without feeling rushed, as they may do whilst in hospital. They also might worry that the baby's appearance is going to change so they think they only have one or two days.

Parents don't have to keep the baby in the CuddleCot – you can take the baby out and take photos, maybe a lock of hair. It can also be an opportunity for other family members like other children or grandparents or even close friends to meet the baby as well.

A lot of parents like to take their baby home because that's what they would have done in other circumstances. It gives them a chance to nurture their baby as they would have done – they can dress their baby, cuddle their baby, put their baby back in the cot, meet other family members.

What are the benefits of using a CuddleCot?

Parents-to-be are expecting to have a baby to take care of for the rest of their lives. When this isn't the reality anymore, whether they suffer a stillbirth or a neonatal death, they can be left with nothing. The CuddleCot allows grieving parents to bond with their babies and make memories that they wouldn't otherwise have been able to do.

A CuddleCot gives parents in an uncontrollable situation some control – whether they want to spend time with their baby in hospital or want to take their baby home. 

Do bereaved parents have to use a CuddleCot?

Bereaved parents are not forced into using a CuddleCot by any means – it is just an available option if they would like it. Some parents do decide not to see their baby. It's all about choice, I must stress. Parents aren't encouraged – they're offered the choice sensitively.

It's about choice, even if they have declined even after being asked a couple of times, we know that parents can live much better with a choice that they've made rather than one that has been forced upon them.