Sharing a bed alert after baby tragedy

AN Oldham coroner has warned parents of the dangers of sharing a bed with infants following the death of a two-month-old baby.

Lewis Wheatcroft-Tomlin was found in bed next to his dad, John Wheatcroft, by his 11-year-old sister at the family home in Nelson Way Chadderton, on April 26.

Mr Wheatcroft was asleep when the girl found Lewis and started screaming prompting mum, Tracey Tomlin, who was using a computer downstairs, to call an ambulance.

Lewis, who was born five weeks prematurely, was taken to the Royal Oldham Hospital but doctors failed to revive him. A post-mortem examination showed no obvious reason for Lewis’s death.

A report stated that Lewis’s death was most likely due to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, the risk of which can be increased by babies sharing a bed with their parents and is more common in premature babies.

Miss Tomlin told the inquest that Lewis usually slept in a Moses basket next to their bed and the night he died was the first time he had slept in the bed.

Coroner Simon Nelson, who recorded an open verdict, said: “Lewis was a thriving baby and there were certainly no criminally suspicious circumstances.

“The only aspect of concern is the sleeping arrangements. Statistics show higher incidences of SIDS when infants sleep in bed with other people.

“I hope this inquest will warn other parents of the dangers and prevent and avoid deaths in these circumstances in the future.”