Bereavement Card for parents of toddler who died

[Quitplayinggameswithmyart]

What can I put? Their three year old passed away unexpectedly. They are acquaintances not family or good friends. Everything I think of sounds trite or condescending or insufficient. I want them to know I feel pain for them and am truly sorry.

Sorry, I should say I do feel pain, but don’t feel I can say that without sounding weird as I can’t claim pain in comparison to them

That's so horrible, I'd just put I'm so unbelievably sorry and offer help and support and just be there for them.
Don't think there's any 'right' thing to say in such tragic circumstances.

I think just saying that they are in your thoughts is enough. I had some cards when my baby was stillborn, and I've kept them all. One really stood out from another mum whose baby had died, and she wrote very little other than to say I know your pain.

It can be quite hard to read cards that people write a lot in..... and lets be honest, there is absolutely nothing you can say at the moment that is going to bring them any comfort

What a terrible thing to have happened. Do you have a memory of the child that you could share with the parents? When I write a condolence cards, I always try to include a little thing about the person that I found wonderful, or some kindness they showed me, or something. I think (but perhaps i’m wrong) that makes it more meaningful. And remember, nothing you write is going to make them feel any better. And a lot of people avoid a tragedy out of embarrassment or whatever. So your acknowledgment of their pain will be appreciated in the long run. Don’t be put off writing because you’re not sure what to say.

The one I appreciated the most simply said, " We are so sorry".
It just seemed so simple and heartfelt.
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I think a lot of people don’t say anything as they can’t think what sounds right — nothing does, but if you say something rather than nothing at least they know they are in your thoughts.

That’s very hard, you don’t feel their pain, you could say you that you are sorry to hear their news.

Sadly many things do sound trite or condescending or insufficient as it hard to describe such a loss, the worst thing is when people say nothing at all so as long as you avoid saying “I know you feel” (as no one does know they feel) just say what feels right.

How about 'i can't begin to imagine what you're going through. I'm so sorry, and I'm sending love'

My toddler died recently. We got so many cards. The things that meant the most were people saying how sorry they were, sharing memories of him, saying how unfair it was and how sad they were for our family.

Things that were unhelpful were ‘there are no words’ and signing the card from the children as well, which just made it feel even sadder that I couldn’t do this. Religious sentiments were unhelpful as we are not religious. I really appreciated people who took time to write a heartfelt message, rather than a brief one that could be for anyone. Don’t be afraid to share your emotions and sadness. Some of the kindest messages came from people we didn’t know well.

We had some lovely gestures like leaving food and meals out, sending little presents for our other child, vouchers for a takeaway, asking where they could donate to in his memory.

@acquiescence I am so sorry. Absolutely heartbreaking and devastating.

I think just acknowledging the pain and hurt that the parents will be going through, letting them know you are thinking of them is enough.