A four-month-old baby boy died while sleeping in a pod on his parents’ bed, an inquest has heard. Leonidas Ramsden was found unresponsive at his home in Buckfastleigh, Devon, on April 28, 2022, after he was fed and “placed in a sleeping pod upstairs on his parents”. His devastated mother, Akita Ramsden, 21, told how she lost her son “in the middle of the night” as she and her partner slept.
Posting on a GoFundMe fundraiser for her son that has raised £1,486 towards his funeral, she said Leonidas was four months and three days old “when he rolled over in the middle of the night”.
She said he “didn’t cry” and “didn’t wake up” as he “just slipped away in his sleep with a small sweet smile on his face”.
Ms Ramsden and her partner woke from a nap to the “most reality-shattering and horrific realisation” that her son had died.
The hearing was told there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the infant’s death, and a post-mortem could not provide a cause of death.
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The inquest did not hear which brand of sleeping pod young Leonidas’ parents had bought.
The pods, along with sleep nests, have become the subject of safety warnings from childcare professionals.
Organisations have warned that, while they are popular, the beds do not comply with safer sleep guidelines.
In 2018, the Lullaby Trust said they “pose a risk to babies under 12 months”.
The charity said evidence shows that placing a young baby on “anything but a firm, flat surface” or using soft bedding can “increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)”.
SIDS, otherwise known as cot death, refers to the sudden and unexplained death of a child otherwise thought healthy.
According to the NHS, approximately 200 babies die due to the condition, with most deaths occurring within the first six months of a baby’s life.
Most of the time, the child dies in their sleep, and SIDS has no known cause.
Ms Ramsden remembered her son’s “beautiful” low-toned voice and told how he was “always showing off his lovely cooing sounds but most of all he loved to roar”.
She added: “When you held his hands he would hold on and lift himself into the air… Always smiling and holding his head high.
“He was such a beautiful sight… four months and three days of showering him in love and kisses was the best moments of my life.”
A full inquest into the infant’s death will be held at a later date.
