Inquest concludes death of nine-month-old baby Oliver Steeper was 'misadventure'
An inquest into the death of a nine-month-old baby boy who died after suffering a choking episode at nursery has concluded it was 'misadventure'.
Oliver Steeper died in a London hospital on 29 September 2021, six days after the incident at the Jelly Beans Day Nursery in Ashford, Kent.
The inquest had previously been told that Oliver choked on a mixture of finely chopped mince and pasta at the day nursery.
He was one of four children being looked after by one nursery worker when he got into difficulty, the hearing was told.
The coroner said the conclusion does not just mean this was an accident, but a "planned event with unexpected consequences."
Oli's parents spoke after the inquest
Zoe Steeper said: "On 23 September, I dropped Oli off at nursery. He never came home again. “Oli was only 9 months old. He was just a little baby. Why did this happen? We believe thatOli’s death was entirely preventable. "Oli was still on milk, and we had started to move him on to puréed and appropriate fingerfoods at home, always under our watchful eyes.
"He had only just started teething, and only had two little bottom teeth that had started to grow."
"We feel he wasn’t ready for the type of meal he was given, and we maintain that we never gave the nursery permission to unilaterally make that decision. "We entrusted Jelly Beans nursery with our most prized possession - our beautiful babyboy.
"We have waited more than two and half years for Oli’s voice to be heard. We now want to see meaningful change to ensure that no other family has to go through the heartbreak of losing a baby in this way whilst in the care of others."
Oli's parents spoke to ITV News Meridian's Tony Green following the conclusion
The coroner will also send two recommendations for the Prevention of Future Deaths report to the Department for Education.
The first is around how many members of staff should be required to have a child’s first aid certificate, as currently only one person needs to be qualified.
The second recommendation will be about the validity of the certificate, as they say knowledge learned during the training might not be retained after three years.
The family’s solicitor, Leigh Day partner Jill Paterson said: “Oli’s death was an unimaginable tragedy and one that no parent should have to endure.
"Despite the devastating grief our clients have had to go through, they are fully committed to ensuring that important lessons are learned from this terrible incident and that nurseries and other early childhood settings become safer places in future. “Urgent action must be taken by all those involved in the early years sector, includingregulators, legislators and childcare providers, to ensure that this appalling tragedy that cost the life of a baby boy never happens again.”
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...