A mother and father have paid tribute to their "beautiful, happy little boy" who died suddenly in his cot aged just seven months. 

Harlo Biles died at his home in Southampton on April 21, 2022, having been found unresponsive by his parents. 

He was rushed to Southampton General Hospital and underwent CPR for a full hour with paramedics and doctors doing "everything they could" to save him. 

In a statement read out at an inquest into his death on Wednesday, his mother Siobhan Biles described him as a "beautiful, happy little boy with a funny personality starting to develop". 

She added: "We are struggling to process what has happened. As a family we will miss Harlo. We will never forget him."

The inquest at Winchester Coroners Court heard how Harlo had been to Romsey earlier that day with his parents and was "exhausted". 

Siobhan placed him in a Sleepyhead - a sleeping nest for small children - inside his cot at around 7pm and said he was "so tired that he was fighting falling asleep".

She went back in a couple of times to check on him but after crying for a period, Harlo fell silent and his parents believed he had fallen asleep. 

His mother then went to have a bath and later called on Harlo's father, Joe Biles to go in and check on him. 

Harlo was found face down on the cot and had stopped breathing. 

The panicked parents called for an ambulance with the phone operator instructing them how to do CPR. 

Harlo was pronounced dead just before 9.30pm that evening and was passed into the arms of Joe and Siobhan to hold. 

In a statement, his father said: "I wanted them to work a miracle in order to get my baby breathing again.

"Our life has changed so much. I know that nothing will ever ease the pain. I don’t know if this will ever leave us."

Siobhan told the Echo: "Our beautiful baby boy Harlo went to sleep on earth and woke up in heaven.

"There are just no words to explain or describe the impact and pain it had on our family individually and together and there is not a day that goes by where he is not missed and in our thoughts.

"Losing Harlo has made such a massive impact on so many people and no parent should ever have to go through the loss of a child in these devastating and heartbreaking circumstances.

"The precious 7 months we shared with Harlo was filled with so much happiness, laughter and joy and we feel so blessed to have had such beautiful and special memories with him that will last forever.

"We are still all struggling to come to terms with what has happened and I’m not sure we ever will but with the help of our friends, family and each other we continue to find strength and hope.  

"Harlo will always have such a special place in our hearts and will be missed and loved always and forever."

A post-mortem examination found there had been a period of reduced oxygen to Harlo's brain before his heart stopped. 

Area Coroner Christopher Wilkinson said: "It appears that while he was asleep he has been riggling and moving and has taken himself outside of his Sleepyhead.

"It is possible that Harlo perhaps had reduced oxygen from being face down.

"I suspect then that he was so asleep that his brain wasn't able to work out what was difficult."

The coroner returned a conclusion of sudden unexpected death in infancy. 

He added that he didn't think the Sleepyhead played a part in his death, adding: "They are widely available and they are equally used with great success by other parents."

Speaking to Harlo's mother, Mr Wilkinson said: "This was entirely unexpected in the circumstances. There is probably very little else you could have done as parents.

"This is just a desperately sad and tragic circumstance."