Baby dies in her sleep at daycare in Netherlands

A three-month old baby girl died in her sleep during nap time at a daycare in the Overijssel town of Balkburg on Thursday morning. According to the police, the baby died a natural death so no investigation was launched. The baby’s parents can decide whether the child must be further examined, De Stentor reports.

Both childminders at the daycare on Bovenkruier were very upset by the death of the child entrusted to their care. They’ve run the daycare for years and have a good reputation. The baby girl’s three-year-old brother also attends the daycare. “We asked a friend to take him, she had him watch a DVD with horses at a different address”, one childminder said to the newspaper.

All the young children are put down for a mid-morning nap every day. The baby’s death was completely unexpected. “The girl had no medical indication”, one childminder said. “She’s been with us often.” One of the childminders tried to resuscitate the baby while the other called the emergency services. Paramedics took over while an air ambulance landed in a pasture just behind the daycare. But it was to no avail.

“We are devastated”, the childminder said to the newspaper after the commotion was over, adding that they know the family. “We have their son here in daycare, the parents both work, we were there for the pregnancy, and then tish. Very hard to talk about with the coupe, my legs are shaking.”