A two-year-old girl died after choking on a single pea at a nursery, an inquest has heard. The heartbroken family of Lauren Boland said they are "tortured every day" after the horrific incident.

The toddler was at the Little Explorers centre in Greystones, County Wicklow in Ireland, on January 18, 2023 when she choked on the pea. CCTV footage showed her becoming visibly distressed shortly after midday while she was eating her lunch.

An inquest at Dublin District Coroner's Court heard a postmortem showed the pea - measuring 11x5mm - obstructed Lauren's airway at its narrowest point and caused her to choke. Her father, Matt Boland, rushed to the nursery to find everyone crying and in a "sense of panic".

He described his daughter as always happy and smiling. He said Lauren pointed at the moon and said "sun" when he dropped her off that morning, adding it was "the last thing she said to me".

Lauren's mother, Lisa, was called to the nursery at 12.17pm and arrived to find her daughter lying on the floor. She said she was a pale green colour with her skin cold to the touch.

She tried to give her daughter mouth-to-mouth resuscitation but was unsuccesful as something was blocking her airway. Lauren later suffered a cardiac arrest and died in her parents' arms.

Speaking after the inquest, Lauren's mother, Lisa, said: "We are tortured every day with the what ifs and how things might be and should have been different. The unfairness of Lauren not being with us weighs so heavily and we are still at a loss to comprehend how this happened to our little girl."

She added: "She brought a sense of magic to the everyday. Her warmth and love for life was simply contagious just like her big smile and hearty laugh."

She claimed the staff seemed frozen in shock and did not seem to know what to do when her daughter was choking. Coroner Clare Keane has called for a review of dietary guidelines on choking hazards for children and for consideration to be given to the mandatory availability of defibrillators at all childcare facilities. 

Karen Kinsella, the interim manager at the nursery, said Laurencoughed while eating her lunch before she pointed at her throat. The two-year-old was then quickly gasping for air.

Ms Kinsella said she gave Lauren a number of slaps on the back and called the other staff for help. Responding to questions from the coroner, the staff member added she found nothing when looking into Lauren's mouth.

Assistant manager at the nursery, Debbie Cassidy-Canavan, gave evidence of taking over attempts to resuscitate Lauren. However, she described feeling disbelief when she realised "this is not going the way we hoped".

Two other members of staff, Grace Kennedy and Amy Roberts, also gave CPR before paramedics arrived. A director of the company which operates the Little Explorers centre, Gina McGarry, said no issues had been identified following a full review of the nursery's policies and procedures.

She added defibrillators were now provided in all its centres. All managers will also require training in an advanced form of first aid response.

John O'Neill, a pathologist, confirmed Lauren died as a result of a lack of oxygen to the brain due to a prolonged cardiorespiratory arrest caused by a choking episode. A verdict of misadventure was concluded, with the counsel for Lauren's family saying the toddler had been in a controlled environment.

However, a number of issues were identified such as a Heimlich manoeuvre only being attempted after Lauren was assisted by the third first aid responder at the nursery. However, Veronica McInerney BL, the counsel for the nursery, argued that staff acted promptly and followed first aid training guidelines.

Asked for a comment after the inquest, the couple said: "We trusted Lauren would be safe. Every child in this country deserves to be safe and feel safe. For the safety of every child in this country, lessons must be learned."