A 10-week-old baby girl died after being left in a car seat on a hotel bunk bed overnight in Wigan in July 2016, a serious case review has revealed. The infant, referred to as Child M, was found unresponsive the following morning at the accommodation.
The parents had placed the twins in upright car seats on the bottom bunk at around 19:00 BST before going to the hotel bar. They returned to the room at 01:00, and the mother fed the baby at 02:30. At about 10:00, the baby was found unresponsive and later pronounced dead in hospital despite resuscitation attempts.
The review, published by Wigan Safeguarding Children Board, noted that the parents checked on the children every 30 minutes via hotel CCTV. Forensic tests showed their blood alcohol levels were within an acceptable range, and no criminal charges were brought. The coroner was unable to ascertain the cause of death.
Child M was born prematurely with low birth weight and was at high risk of sudden and unexpected death. The report stated that placing the baby in a car seat was one of the most significant risk factors for sudden infant death. It also found that the baby had only three feeds in the 24 hours prior to death, not in line with expert advice.
The review concluded that while there were areas for improvement in professional practice, no serious omission contributed to the death. It recommended that the government regulate safety warnings on car seats to prevent similar tragedies.
