Warning to parents after 'happy' baby girl dies in bed between parents in Northampton

A baby girl aged less than a year old died in Northampton she slept between her parents in their king-sized bed.

The infant girl died after she turned over on her front while sleeping between her mum and dad in a Northampton flat.

The nine-month-old - who the Chronicle & Echo has chosen not to identify - was not discovered until her parents woke up the next morning. Despite immediately calling 999, nothing could be done to save her life.

Now a coroner has warned parents across the country about the dangers of 'co-sleeping' and the serious risks of letting infant children sleep in adult beds.

"She was a happy little girl who loved to play with others," said the girl's mother said at her daughter's inquest. "She was spoiled by all of us.

"She has left an irreplaceable hole in our lives we will never be able to fill."

The coroner heard how the nine-month-old was in a habit of sleeping between her mum and dad in their king sized bed because she refused to settle anywhere else.

Her mother said: "She wouldn't sleep in her cot and every time we put her down she screamed and whinged.

"She would only sleep properly when she was being held. We moved our pillows so she could sleep between us. This was normally how she slept."

However, in early 2020, the parents woke up at 5am and realised immediately something was wrong. Her mother lifted the covers on their bed to find the child face down and unresponsive.

Despite an immediate call to emergency services, nothing could be done to revive the nine-month-old.

At the inquest on May 19, HM Coroner Anne Pember set out a warning to parents everywhere about the dangers of co-sleeping.

"I have seen several inquests in recent weeks where young babies have died in relation to co-sleeping," said the senior coroner for Northamptonshire.

"Parents with young babies should be aware that co-sleeping is not a safe environment for them.

"I would want the public to know about the very real dangers of carrying babies to bed in this way."

The cause of death was recorded as an open verdict.