Oliver Steeper: Parents welcome new safety rules for nurseries

The parents of a baby who died after choking on his food at nursery have welcomed new safer-eating measures issued by central government for early years childcare.

Oliver Steeper died aged nine months old, six days after he choked at Jelly Beans Day Nursery in Ashford, Kent, in 2021.

His parents, Lewis and Zoe, have been campaigning for three years for better safety measures around weaning babies onto solid food and emergency first aid provision for nurseries.

Mr Steeper said they were “embracing these changes” which would “improve the safety of childcare settings for everyone”.

The inquest into Oliver’s death heard he had been eating chopped pasta bolognese at nursery when he choked.

His parents said he had been eating only pureed and finger food at home.

The Department for Education’s new safeguarding measures will come into effect in September 2025.

They include a section on safer eating which states that early years childcare providers must:

• Talk to parents about the stage of weaning their child is at without making assumptions about age
• Obtain information about special dietary requirements, preferences, food allergies and intolerances
• Prepare food in a way to prevent choking
• Ensure children are always within sight and hearing of a member of staff whilst eating
• Make sure there is always a member of staff in the room with a valid paediatric first aid certificate while children are eating

Mr Steeper said: “The investigations conducted after Oliver’s death revealed certain issues that needed to be addressed.

“This update from the Department of Education will rectify those issues and improve the safety of childcare settings for everyone.”