There is so much equipment available when you have a baby and it’s hard to know what will prove useful or what will prove the biggest waste of money.
But most parents agree on a baby monitor being a sound investment. The peace of mind it offers new parents while their children sleep is invaluable.
But for one U.K. mother this piece of equipment would lead to a tragic accident in her home that would leave her and her husband dealing with the biggest heartbreak.
Mom Danielle Duggan and her husband Jason put their 18-month-old daughter Jessica Lacey down for a nap one afternoon.
Later they returned to check on her and found their daughter wasn’t breathing.
The lead on their baby monitor had got caught around their baby’s neck, The Sun newspaper reported.
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Air ambulance alerted
“The wire was always out of reach — it was a corner shelf above her cot and the camera was at the back of the shelf, and the wire was tucked behind the shelf and tacked all the way down the wall and it was plugged into an extension lead underneath her cot,” Danielle said.
The parents called emergency services, untangled the wire, and performed CPR – but it was too late.
Emergency services and an air ambulance attended the scene and she was taken to hospital where the toddler was pronounced dead.
”All of the crews were amazing and they done all they could save our baby however sadly they couldn’t”, Danielle Duggan said.
Now the parents from Shipdham want to warn others of the dangers in the hope of preventing such a tragedy happening again.
“I would urge that parents are really careful when setting up their monitors,” Danielle told The Sun. “A few years ago people were worried about blinds near cots, but we never had that.”
An inquest into Jessica’s death heard the cause of death was compression of the neck by ligature.
Monitors 3 feet away from crib
The couple created a GoFundMe page after Jessica’s death to raise money for the air ambulance crew that worked so hard to save their daughter.
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued a warning, in 2012 saying monitors should be at least 3 feet away from your baby’s crib.
“We began warning you about baby monitor cord dangers. CPSC knows of seven deaths and three near strangulations since 2002 involving video and audio baby monitors. The monitors and cords were placed within a child’s reach. You need to know about cord hazards, so you can prevent your baby from strangling in a cord,” the agency wrote.
It called on parents to “take a look” around the crib and note the location of the monitor cord.
Experts added there have been seven known deaths and three near strangulations since 2002 involving video and audio baby monitors.
The monitors and cords were placed within a child’s reach.
According to Danielle Duggan, she would “get a wireless” baby monitor if she were to have another child.
“If we were to have another baby we would get a wireless one. But it’s not just wires that you have to be careful about — it’s phone changers and other cords around the house,” she said.
Our hearts go out to the family of Jessica Lacey ❤️
Just think outside the box when it comes to your toddler’s safety. They will get into anything, even things you wouldn’t think of, as in this tragic story.
Please share this warning with other parents to help prevent such a terrible accident happening again.
