DEVASTATED parents have spoken of their heartbreak after losing their 14- week-old son to cot death.

Little Riley Heaton was laughing and smiling when his loving mum and dad dropped him off at his grandma’s house on the afternoon of Monday, November 15.

But just hours later, his father Bernard Heaton was trying to resuscitate him as his distraught mum Natalie anxiously waited for an ambulance.

Mrs Heaton, aged 26, of Edditch Grove, Tonge Fold, said: “He was happy and laughing when we dropped him off around 3pm.

“I rang my mum at 9.30pm to make sure she’d put him upstairs then I rang back at 10.15pm and she said I needed to get up there immediately.

“He’d not even been in bed 40 minutes when it happened.”

Mr and Mrs Heaton rushed over to the house in Breightmet where a 999 telephone operator gave Mr Heaton detailed instructions on giving his son CPR.

Mrs Heaton added: “I was hysterical. The ambulance only took 10 minutes but it seemed like forever.

“Bernard went with him in the ambulance to the hospital.

“When we got to the hospital they just said he’d been gone too long.

“We are heartbroken, we miss him every minute of every day.”

When Riley was born, it was one of the happiest days of the young family’s life.

He was a big, healthy baby, weighing 9lb 9oz, and his sister, Lea- Anne, aged four, was delighted.

Mrs Heaton said: “He was a big baby but everything was fine with him, there were no complications.

“We only wanted two children and when we got a girl and a boy, we couldn’t have asked for much more.

“There are no boys in my family, it’s all girls.

“I couldn’t stop crying when I had the scan and found out we were having a little boy.

“It was a very happy day, Lea-Anne couldn’t wait to meet him.

“She was brilliant with him, she doted on him.

“I think she’s a bit young to properly understand, but she took it very hard when we told her.

“I don’t think we would have been able to get through it all without our friends and family.

“The mornings are the worst because I’d be getting him up and feeding him and getting him ready for the day.”

Mr Heaton added: “He was our little man, he was a good lad, never any trouble.

“He used to talk all the time, or try to, and he never stopped smiling and laughing.

“He had his own little personality.

“We’re just so grateful for that little time we had him.”

Riley’s funeral was held last week at St Osmund’s RC Church, in Breightmet.

His family asked for any donations to be made to the Special Care Baby Unit at the Royal Bolton Hospital.