Nanny 'probably sedated baby', coroner rules

A baby died after being given an antihistamine by a nanny who probably wanted to sedate him, a coroner has ruled.

An inquest found failures by the Metropolitan Police when investigating what happened to the eight-week-old boy, including a failure to look in bathroom cabinets for medication or to seize feeding bottles, meaning "forensic opportunities were missed".

Prof Fiona Wilcox, coroner for Inner West London, said in her prevention of future deaths report she was also concerned there was "no national regulation system for nannies".

Recording an open verdict, the coroner also conveyed her concern that the person who looked after the baby was still working as a nanny.

At an inquest in February, the coroner heard evidence about the death of the boy on 15 January, at his home address.

She said he had been found unresponsive in a bassinet at about 06:15 GMT by the night nanny.

Resuscitation was attempted and an ambulance called, but the baby was pronounced dead at 07:00.

The antihistamine chlorpheniramine was present in the baby's blood at the time of death, with the coroner saying "this was probably administered to [the baby] by the night nanny".

"The baby had been described as unsettled and fussy and a baby who woke frequently in the night," Wilcox said.

"The chlorpheniramine was probably administered to sedate the baby to sleep.

"Expert opinion accepted by the court was that this drug could possibly have caused or contributed to the baby's death, but it could not be found that it probably did."

The coroner said toxicology findings only became apparent when the post-mortem report was sent to the court, police and the family.

The report said the nanny had been responsible for the care of the baby through the night, on the second floor of the family home.

On the day of the death, police attended and "made an initial assessment", the report said, but "missed forensic opportunities" including seizing feeding bottles.

"The night nanny was not arrested and interviewed nor their property searched until October 2024. By then, of course, all forensic opportunities had been lost," the coroner said.

"In this case it appears that they were reassured by the home environment and did not consider matters further," she added.

The night nanny told the inquest she regularly attended training and was still working as a nanny and was registered with two agencies.

Concluding her findings in the prevention of future death report, Wilcox said police training needed to be updated, as well as guidance to nannies on the administration of drugs such as antihistamines.

The coroner also advised that warning information on products containing chlorpheniramine may need to be updated.

The medical cause of death of the baby was listed as sudden unexpected death in infancy – unexplained.

A spokeswoman for the National Nanny Association said: "Parents are placing trust in individuals using professional titles, often assuming a level of training and oversight that simply isn't required. That has to change.

"We have been calling for mandatory registration, clear standards and proper safeguarding checks for some time. This report reinforces just how urgent that need now is."

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: "Our thoughts remain with the family of the baby following the conclusion of the inquest into their death.

"We will consider the concerns raised by the coroner before providing a written response."

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