Coroner Issues Open Verdict in Death of Eight-Week-Old Baby After Antihistamine Found in System

A coroner has concluded that a night nanny with 20 years of experience probably gave an eight-week-old boy chlorpheniramine to sedate him to sleep in the hours before the infant was found unresponsive and later pronounced dead. Sandra Davidson cared for the boy on the night of January 14-15 2024 at the family home in London. 15am on January 15 2024 she found him unresponsive in his bassinet.

CPR was administered and the London Ambulance Service attended, but the boy was pronounced dead at 7am that morning, according to evidence presented at Inner West London coroner’s court. A toxicology report found chlorpheniramine in the boy’s bloodstream. The baby had been described as unsettled, fussy and a baby who woke frequently in the night.

Professor Fiona Wilcox, senior coroner for Inner West London, said the court was satisfied on the balance of probabilities that the night nanny had administered chlorpheniramine to sedate the baby to sleep. Wilcox returned an open conclusion at the inquest held in February 2026.

Expert opinion accepted by the court was that chlorpheniramine could have caused or contributed to the baby’s death but it could not be found that it probably did.

Chlorpheniramine has sedative effects and has been associated with child deaths. A half-filled bottle of liquid Piriton was found in a kitchen cabinet at Sandra Davidson’s home during a police search on October 23 2024. Davidson was not arrested or interviewed and her property was not searched until that date, by which time all forensic opportunities had been lost, the court heard.

The detective inspector in charge of the investigation told the inquest that the home environment did not raise any obvious concerns but accepted it would have been reasonable to assess medicine within the home or in the possession of people caring for the child.

Sandra Davidson told paramedics she had fed the baby milk that night. Davidson told the inquest she regularly attended training in relation to her role.

She was introduced to the baby’s family by Night Nannies agency in January 2024. As a night nanny she was responsible for the baby’s care from 9pm to 7am. The boy slept in a bassinet in a bedroom on the second floor of the family home and the nanny stayed in the room with him.

Night Nannies does not employ nannies directly; they are self-employed and engaged by the parents. The agency no longer works with Sandra Davidson. Night Nannies prohibits nannies on its books from administering medication themselves and requires prospective nannies to show ten references, an up-to-date DBS check and have paediatric first aid training.

The Times reported that Night Nannies said it was at no stage involved in the events leading to the baby’s death and acted properly and responsibly at all material times. The agency extended its deepest sympathy to the family and endorsed the coroner’s recommendation for a national register of nannies.

The Metropolitan Police said its thoughts remain with the family following the conclusion of the inquest and that it is in the process of formally responding to the concerns raised by the coroner.