Nine-month-old baby dies after falling from bed

A nine-month-old baby girl died after falling from a bed in an apartment in Tuen Mun, the New Territories on Wednesday evening.

Police were summoned by a 31-year-old man surnamed Liu after his daughter fell from a double bed in an apartment of Leung Shui House in Leung King Estate, Apple Daily reported.

When his domestic worker found the baby lying unconscious on the floor near the bed in an unconscious state, she immediately informed her employer.

Paramedics arrived and attempted to resuscitate the child, but after being rushed to Tuen Mun Hospital she was pronounced dead.

It was understood that the domestic worker put the baby on the double bed for a sleep at 7pm. She later went to the room and found the girl was on the floor, Oriental Daily reported.

According to a neighbour surnamed Choi, the domestic worker had told her before that the baby would cry whenever she was placed in her own cot.

Police investigating the case concluded that there were no suspicious circumstances, pending the results of an autopsy to confirm cause of death.

The Department of Health advises parents and carers not to leave a baby of any age unsupervised on a diaper changing mat, table, adult bed or sofa. If adults are not free to look after them, babies should only be left in a secure cot or playpen.

The health department also advises that babies should be placed on their backs to sleep. Studies have shown that sleeping on their back is six times safer than sleeping lying on their front, and twice as safe as sleeping lying on their side.

They also recommend against allowing a small child to share a bed with an adult due to the danger of suffocation.