Kent nursery worker was feeding four babies at once when Oliver Steeper choked to death, inquest told

An inquest into the tragic death of a baby at a nursery has heard that it was 'not usual' for one person to be feeding four babies at the same time. The incident occurred when a nursery worker was feeding pasta Bolognese to four children, one of whom choked and later died in hospital.

The incident took place just a month after nine-month-old Oliver Steeper started attending Jelly Beans Day Nursery in Ashford, Kent, in September 2021.

During the inquest, nursery worker Loetta Collins testified that it wasn't typically the norm for one person to feed four babies simultaneously.

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Although she wasn't feeding Oliver when he began to choke, she had prepared his food by finely chopping it and was the primary carer responsible for him, the jury inquest at Oakwood House in Maidstone was told. Mrs Collins, 31, started her role at the nursery around the same time as Oliver's arrival.

The inquest previously heard that Oliver had been consuming pureed meals at home and his parents believed he was not yet capable of chewing properly.

Oliver spent two half-days a week in the nursery's 'Panda Room', which caters to babies aged three months to two years old, the jury was informed.

The staff-to-baby ratio at the nursery was one staff member for every three children, and lunch was usually served at 11am, according to the inquest.

Mrs Collins revealed to the inquest that she had discussed with Oliver's mother, Zoe Steeper, how her son's food should be prepared before he joined the nursery. She asked her: "I asked her: 'How would you like it? '". She said: 'Finely chopped,'".

It's standard practice for food prepared by nursery cooks to be further cut to meet individual babies' needs, according to proceedings at the inquest.

Oliver's parents had been under the "assumption" that nursery staff would blend his food, his mother had stated before the inquest. But when asked if there was a plan to puree Oliver's food, Mrs Collins said: "No."

On the day when Oliver choked on his penne pasta and Bolognese, Mrs Collins revealed she had sliced up the meal before another nursery worker fed him.

Describing the lunchtime pressures, Mrs Collins said: "Lunch was running late because of how busy we were." She recalled her preparations: "I spent a lot of time cutting his food and mixing it until I was satisfied." She added: "I do worry about things like that."

Questioned about whether it was commonplace for employees to feed four children simultaneously, she clarified: "Not really."

Recollecting the moment, the nursery employee said that she first understood something was awry with Oliver when he "made a sound as if he was going to cry, but didn't start crying".

Being trained in first aid, Mrs Collins said she instantly recognised Oliver was choking and began giving him back slaps in an attempt to clear his throat, she informed the jury. With the nursery manager also arriving to assist, emergency call handlers instructed them to initiate CPR.

Fellow nursery worker Hagia Harris told the inquest she “was told” that Oliver’s food was supposed to be pureed. Mrs Harris was feeding other children in the Panda Room when Oliver began to choke, jurors heard.

Asked if it was a concern to see the baby being fed chopped up solid foods, she said: “It was, but I never talked about it much because I was not Oliver’s key worker”. Mrs Harris told the inquest Oliver had started “turning blue” as staff tried to help him breathe.

Baby Oliver was immediately taken to hospital, but subsequent brain scans determined he was not going to survive. He passed away six days later.

In the wake of this incident, Ofsted has confirmed that The Jelly Beans Day Nursery has since closed. The inquest is projected to last for a fortnight.