South Florida Babies

Talking to a 3 yo about death

Hi, I know I don't post much and I know this is kind of sad but here goes... My 3 year old has just had his world rocked by in six weeks time having a sister born and his beloved grandmother die. He's really struggling to cope and I find myself a little lost when trying to talk to him about death. We aren't very religious so the sudden God talk is confusing him. Has anyone had to deal with talking to a very young child about death? Do you have any advice? Thank you.

Re: Talking to a 3 yo about death

  • AlbahAlbah member
    I am so sorry to hear about the passing of your little one's grandma. I don't have much advice on what to tell him. Not sure how much they really understand at that age. Perhaps telling him that grandma is no longer with us and is resting in peace. I hope things get easier for him soon; it's not easy when we lose a loved one. 
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  • Not much advice here either.  I'm so sorry for the passing of his grandmother.  I'm sure that it must be hard on him with the new baby.  Just make sure to give him lots of hugs and kisses!
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  • Does he know about angels? We went through a death a few years ago and some of my close friend's kids were younger and affected by it. What the kids were told is that their loved one was an angel now and always with us but is living up in heaven now where they can see us all the time. The death wasn't of someone they interacted with regularly but still it affected them.

    The idea of my daughter having to cope with the death of someone close to her now, at such a sensitive age just wounds me and I am so sorry that your family is dealing with this. I think the idea of his grandma as an angel who will always protect and watch over him should provide some comfort but it will probably take a lot of time before he stops asking for her which may make it hard on you and your hubby. Comfort him, let him talk. Ask him to tell you how he feels and certain things make him feel. Sometimes letting them express themselves is much easier on them then us trying to explain to them what they are feeling.

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  • I'm sorry for your families lost. It's never easy to explain to a child about the passing of a loved one.

    We took the same approach as MelB did with angels. When my daughter was older and asked where my brother and her grandfather were, we told her they were now guardian angels watching over all of us. She was 6 months when my brother passed and 17 months when my father inlaw passed.  As hard as it was for us to explain it to her- she found comfort in knowing she has two angels always protecting her and watching her.

    A friend of mind suggested this   book. Its a series of childrens book in any situation; passing of a grandparent, family pet, etc.

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