EDMONTON — A judge is recommending Alberta keep cribs on hand for families who need one after a baby was smothered to death in his sleep.

Provincial court Justice Marilena Carminati says in a fatality report the mother found the five-month-old unresponsive in a bed in 2017, with his body almost completely covered by a sleeping sibling.

The report says the Edmonton family’s case worker had requested a proper crib for the baby, but there was a delay of almost a week in getting one.

The judge says Children and Family Services offices should keep a few cribs available and consider standards for how long it should take to supply one to a family in need.

The report says there’s evidence families in the system often need cribs.

It also says the government should review its restrictive office credit card policy, as a social worker might be expected to buy a crib on their personal card to be reimbursed later.

“In any event, the evidence revealed that it is common for Children’s Services to keep some items on hand to avoid having to run out to the store to provide them to families, such as diapers or formula,” Carminati says in the report issued Tuesday.

“No reason was identified for why a few cribs could not be stored at the Children’s Services office space, in order to shorten the time an infant is without a safe sleep surface.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 23, 2025.

Aaron Sousa, The Canadian Press