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Toddler suffocates after being trapped underneath bean bag

A toddler who crawled under a bean bag that was later sat on by an adult has died, just days out from his second birthday.

Leonardo Sanchez was at a child care centre in Utah, in the US, on September 8 when he crawled under the bean bag chair to hide as part of a game with other children.

A child care worker at the centre then sat down on the bean bag to read the other children a book, unaware Leonardo was trapped underneath.

The centre's CCTV vision shows the almost two-year-old was smothered for an estimated 15 minutes before he was found unconscious and not breathing.

Little Leonardo Sanchez.
Little Leonardo Sanchez.

Despite centre staff administering CPR, little Leonardo died at the Salt Lake City's Primary Children's Hospital.

Leonardo's mother Danielle told the NBC she had been left devastated by her son's death.

"I'm supposed to be planning his birthday party for next week and now I'm planning his funeral," she said.

The West Jordan child care centre where the accident happened.
The West Jordan child care centre where the accident happened.

Ms Sanchez said she is still waiting for answers as to how the apparent tragic accident happened.

"I'm just confused. I'm so confused on how you don't know where my kid is. How do you not feel him? How do you not hear him scream?" she said.

"All I know right now, is my baby suffocated under a bean bag."

The Sanchez family is now campaigning for better beanbag safety, and a review of whether they are appropriate seats for a child care centre.

"This can't happen to anyone else," Leonardo's dad Dan Sanchez told media. "This can't be okay. The realisation of it is these specific kind of chairs that we're calling beanbags are not safe."

Leonardo Sanchez. Source: GoFundMe
Leonardo Sanchez. Source: GoFundMe

The West Jordon Child Centre, where Leonardo's tragic death occurred, remains open.

"We regret deeply the tragic death of a young toddler at our day care facility," the centre said in a statement.

"And, of course, we do not pretend to understand how devastating this is for the family. We know the family well, we grieve with them, and we pray that God will provide them the comfort and peace they inevitably will need."

The investigation into Leonardo's death is continuing, but police believe it was just a tragic accident.

The Sanchez family are now preparing to farewell little Leo on Saturday.