What is the ruling on a woman who sleeps with her child and then finds him dead in the morning beside her?

Question : A woman’s daughter was ill, and one night she placed her on her stomach and fell asleep. In the morning, she found the girl dead from suffocation due to the pillow that was under her head, and her father was sleeping with them in the room. Is there anything required of the parents in this matter?

Answer : Yes, the mother who put her to sleep face down owes two things. The first is the expiation, which is freeing a slave; if she cannot find one, she must fast for two consecutive months, because she is the cause of her death. The second is the blood money, which is due from her family’s estate to the heirs of this girl. As for the blood money, it is a right belonging to a human being, so if the girl’s father forgives it, it is dropped. As for the expiation, it is a right belonging to Allah, so this woman must fulfill it. On this occasion, it is obligatory for the guardians of children to take care of them, not to be negligent in protecting them, and to watch over them so that they do not fall into something forbidden.