Support for bereaved families and professionals
If Gigi's death has affected you, we are here to support you. No matter how you knew a baby or young child who died, we're with you in grief.
Death of Genevieve ‘Gigi’ Meehan sparks urgent call for better safer sleep training
The tragic killing of Genevieve Meehan, known as Gigi by her loved ones, saddened and shocked us all. Gigi died whilst at nursery. Her cause of death was determined as a combination of asphyxia (where the body is deprived of oxygen), and pathophysiological stress which arose by an unsafe sleep environment.
The BBC One documentary, ‘How safe are our nurseries’, has sparked national conversation. Conversations about baby safety in nurseries, safer sleep awareness and training for Early Years Practitioners.
Our hearts go out to Gigi’s family who are so bravely and selflessly speaking out to save other babies’ lives.
Safer sleep awareness saves lives
The circumstances surrounding Gigi’s death highlight the importance of safer sleep practices. In particular, the need for safer sleep training and education in early years settings and for those regulating these settings to properly review safer sleep.
This life-saving guidance reduces the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), and accidents. It includes placing babies on their back for every sleep, day and night, on a firm, flat, separate sleep surface. We also have clear guidance on swaddling, including the material that should be used to swaddle, and how you can do so securely, but not tightly.
Pushing for safer sleep to be practiced everywhere
Our CEO, Jenny Ward, says, “Gigi’s death has encouraged national conversations about the need for baby safety and safer sleep knowledge amongst anyone who is responsible for caring for a baby. Of those who booked onto our safer sleep training courses in 2024, 76% were Early Years Practitioners.”
Jenny continued, “But we won’t rest until there are no such tragedies in the future. We won’t stop until everyone who works with babies has the knowledge they need to care for them, and sleep them as safely as possible. This is the least we can all expect when trusting others with the safety of our babies and young children.”
Safer sleep is core to every nursery's care
We know that safer sleep saves lives. Since our Back to Sleep campaign in 1991, over 30,000 babies’ lives have been saved. Though we don’t know what causes SIDS, we know that safer sleep greatly reduces that risk.
Jenny said, “Safer sleep practices should be ingrained into the core of every nursery’s care. This knowledge should be a non-negotiable part of every Early Years Practitioner’s training. To anyone managing a nursery, working in early years, or responsible for putting babies down to sleep – please reach out. We are here to help.”
How we can help you keep every baby safe:
Further support and resources
Baby safety resources
We're here to keep babies safe by empowering families and professionals with trusted advice. That advice has been developed after decades of research, that still continues today.
SIDS and safer sleep training
Safer sleep advice saves babies lives. Reduce the risk of SIDS by giving our evidence-based safer sleep advice in your practice, and help us empower families.
Promoting safer baby care
We're here to empower families with baby safety advice. But keeping babies safe and empowering families starts with you.