A mother whose baby suffocated to death at a Kent nursery school was concerned that her baby's food was not pureed by staff, a coroner's report has revealed.
Oliver Steeper, 9 months old, died on September 23, 2021, six days after he suffocated at Ashford's Jelly Beans Nursery School.
Zoe Steeper said her son became extremely ill on September 16 and found chunks of pineapple in his vomit.
Mrs Stieper was asked at the inquest whether anyone at the nursery had asked permission to start giving Oliver food other than purees. she said no.
They also asked if Oliver had a history of choking. Her answer was still “no”.
Oliver Steeper's fathers Zoe and Lewis say they want to keep their son's memory alive. [BBC]
The inquest heard how Ms Stieper considered talking to nursery school staff after finding chunks of pineapple in her son's vomit, but did not do so because she “didn't want to destabilize the situation”. .
Oliver then missed nursery school for a short period of time due to tonsillitis.
Ms Stieper said she took Oliver to Jelly Beans on September 23, but received a call from the nursery at around 11.30 BST to say her son had choked on his lunch and was with paramedics. He said he had been contacted.
“[The paramedic] He started running with Ori in his arms and doing chest compressions. She abandoned her car and fled,” she said.
Oliver was taken to William Harvey Hospital in Willsboro. He was then taken to Evelina Children's Hospital in London, where he died.
The inquest in Maidstone continues.