CHILD DIES AT TRINITY CRECHE ; Creche Staff Make Desperate Efforts to Resuscitate Infant Who Failed to Wake TCD Creche Closed After Suspected Cot Death

THE creche at Trinity College Dublin has been shut down after a baby boy died a sudden and mysterious death.

It is understood that the child never woke up after childminders on the city centre campus put him down for a nap. Frantic staff and medics at the university made several desperate efforts to resuscitate the infant, but he was later pronounced dead at Dublin’s Temple Street Children’s Hospital.

The boy’s devastated mother, who is thought to work at the Botany Department in TCD, had dropped him off at the creche just hours earlier on Tuesday of this week.

The exact cause of death is yet to be determined but it is suspected the baby may have died from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, more commonly known as cot death.

However a post mortem is being carried out and the results will not be known for some days.

The creche, which cares for children aged three months to four and a half years, has been shut for a week after the tragedy.

A university spokesman last night confirmed the death and said that counselling services were being made available to the mother and to staff and other parents who use the facility.

The spokesman said: ‘All at Trinity College are deeply saddened by the death on Tuesday, May 29 last of an infant who was being cared for at the College Day Nursery.

‘Support such as the counselling service and chaplaincy are in place to help the family, the day nursery staff and parents of other children cope with their grief.’ The spokesman insisted that she had been instructed by theowners of the creche not to discuss the matter with the media. She could only say that the owner had taken the child, whose age is not known, to the nearby hospital where he was certified dead.

‘The child was pronounced dead after continued unsuccessful attempts at resuscitation by medical personnel at the College and at Temple Street Children’s Hospital.’ A university source said: ‘It’s understood the baby was a little boy. It is such a sensitive time for the tragic child’s family. They are deeply saddened by this and do not want to talk about it. It’s believed he may have died as a result of cot death.

‘What we have heard is that the baby fell asleep but never woke up.

The next thing he was being rushed to hospital.’ A university representative admitted the creche had remained closed since the incident on Tuesday.

A sign on the door of the four storey building that houses the creche simply said: ‘The Day Nursery will open at 10am on 5 June.’ A lone rocking horse, a children’s climbing frame and a doll’s house lay inside the creche.

A spokesman for the hospital remained tight- lipped when probed on the circumstances of the death last night.

‘We cannot say anything as this would violate our code on patient confidentiality,’ she said.

University chaplain Fr Paddy Gleeson also declined to comment on the matter last night, as did the Health Service Executive.

SIDS or cot death is a term used for the sudden or unexplained death of an apparently healthy infant aged one month to one year.

While no direct cause has ever been identified, it is associated with the position in which babies lie while they are sleeping. In recent years parents have been strongly encouraged to lie children on their backs in their cots.

The Trinity Day Nursery was set up in 1969 to provide care for children of students and staff of Trinity College. It has 55 full time places.

It is managed on a day to day basis by the nursery supervisor and deputy supervisor.

It is run by a committee consisting of chairman, secretary, nursery supervisor and representatives of staff members of the nursery, student parents, staff parents, students’ union, treasurer’s office and a graduate student representative.

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