The devastated parents of a baby who died after choking at the nursery have paid tribute to the ‘best baby’, after welcoming their second son last month.
Zoe and Lewis Steeper’s nine-month-old baby Oliver died six days after he choked at Jelly Beans Day Nursery in Ashford, Kent, in September 2021.
Swimming teacher Zoe, 32, and surveyor Lewis, 37, had a second son, called Jake Oliver Steeper, last month.
Mr. Steeper said recently that the couple was so happy to have been given a second chance at parenthood.
‘Oliver was our first, and honestly the best baby you could ever have wished for…he was just perfect,’ he said.
‘It’s a strange feeling, knowing the new baby will probably look and sound the same as Oli.
‘We are just happy we have been given another chance,’ said Lewis.
The couple says they are determined to appeal a decision by the CPS not to bring criminal charges, while Kent Police have also shelved their investigation.
The Streepers have also since been campaigning against government suggestions to decrease the ratio of nursery carers to children to make childcare cheaper, with a petition gathering more than 100,000 signatures.
Speaking of their bid to prevent changes that would see nursery staff looking after more kids, Lewis added: ‘After losing Oliver in an early years setting, we feel it’s our duty now to protect other children from people who are trying to overhaul the sector.
The couple was told that the CPS has decided not to bring charges and Kent Police have also shelved their investigation.
His parents announced the decision on the Oliver Steeper Foundation website yesterday but have vowed to fight to overturn the decision.
The statement said: ‘Whilst the initial investigation concluded that the nursery’s policies and procedures were ‘of poor quality and inconsistent’ no accountability for our son’s tragic and avoidable death will prevail at this moment in time.
Oliver Steeper Age
Oliver was only a nine-month-old baby.
Oliver Steeper Parents: Meet Zoey and Lewis Steeper
Zoe and Lewis Steeper’s nine-month-old baby Oliver died six days after he choked at Jelly Beans Day Nursery in Ashford, Kent, in September 2021.
Swimming teacher Zoe, 32, and surveyor Lewis, 37, had a second son, called Jake Oliver Steeper, last month.