A 17-month baby girl has died after drowning in a blow-up spa while her mum was at work.
Tahlia Brown said that her daughter Taidyn Murphy, known as Totty, fell and drowned in the inflatable spa on September 19.
Tahlia's partner Cecil Murphy, Totty's six-year-old brother and two other children were in the family home in Gracemere, north-eastern Australia.
It has been reported that the little girl's brother discovered her lifeless body before she was rushed to Brisbane Children's Hospital, where she was put into a medically induced coma before dying in her mother's arms a few days later.
Family friend Alyce Pocock said Ms Brown was wracked with guilt and personally blamed herself for the death because she was out of the house at the time.
Ms Pocock said she had never seen Ms Brown "more broken" about her baby girl, despite already losing her dad, stepdad and grandad as a child.
Ms Pocock said Totty was a confident toddler and was always so excited to meet new people.
"No parent should live to see their own child die … the pain is indescribable", she told the Courier Mail.
Ms Pocock started a GoFundMe to help raise money for the funeral, saying that the family have suffered "the most unthinkable, unimaginable, unnatural, unfair, and tragic loss."
The page continued: "Baby Totty Girl, the shining light of Leah and Cecil's life, she truly was the happiest, sweetest, most loving baby girl to ever enter our lives.
"I'm here to ask you all to help Leah & Cecil in the darkest days of their lives, find some peace and comfort in being able to send our sweet baby girl off in the way she deserves. A send-off fit for a princess!"
Police will prepare a report for the coroner.
Last year, Australian parents were urged to remain vigilant as a new study revealed more than 500 children aged up to four years have drowned in the past 19 years.
Royal Life Saving said the risk of drowning triples as soon as a child starts to crawl, peaking shortly after a child’s first birthday.
Of the 532 children who died, 40 per cent were aged one, with 77 per cent of drownings happening after a fall into the water.
Royal Life Saving recommends four simple safety tips to prevent child drowning:
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Supervise. Actively supervise children around water.
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Restrict. Restrict children’s access to water.
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Teach. Teach children water safety skills.
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Respond. Learn how to respond in the case of an emergency.
