Outrage as company asks influencer for cot back after her baby died as they apologise for 'additional hurt'

Influencer Brooklyn Larsen unexpectedly lost her newborn baby boy Rocky in November. While she was pregnant, however, she had received a $1,700 (around £1,300) SNOO bassinet from a company called Happiest Baby.

It had supposedly been arranged that Larsen would post content on her page featuring the crib, but after she lost her baby boy the firm are said to have asked the grieving mum to send it back because she could not “deliver content” that had been agreed.

Dancer Brooklyn told her Instagram followers that her second son had died on Monday December 2. The reality TV star, who was a ballroom dancer on So You Think You Can Dance, and her husband Tanner Larsen wrote in a statement on the social media site that they are “completely shattered” after losing their first child together.

The 29-year-old dancer said that she went into labour at “40 weeks and 2 days” on Sunday November 24, but that “our best day became our worst” when they were told by medical professionals that they couldn't find the baby's heartbeat. The mum shared four black and white photos of herself and her husband saying goodbye to their stillborn son and cradling him in the hospital bed, with the distress and pain visible on their face.

Now, on the four month anniversary of Rocky’s death approaches, Brooklyn's sister, Kenna Bangerter, took to Instagram to say that she was “super disappointed” in the brand during the “unimaginable time” her sister is experiencing.

“Namely @happiest_baby - who sent my sister a baby bassinet after my sister said she would tag them in content with her newborn baby. After sending an email regarding the content she wasn't able to send - because her baby passed away - they demanded she send the bassinet back. the empty bassinet, still sitting next to her bed,” she wrote. Bangerter claimed the brand said they wanted bassinet back because she didn't “deliver the content”.

She went on: “I want you to think about why she couldn't deliver the content. I'm absolutely disgusted by a BABY brand who promotes support for moms & babies - that doesn't have the decency to give her the space to grieve the bassinet she never got to fill.” She added that she has “used and promoted this company for years and now feel[s]regretful [she] ever did.”

In response, the brand commented with the following statement: “We were devastated to learn of Rocky's passing. In December we sent flowers to Brooklyn's home, and shared our condolences in a note to her manager (with whom we communicated). Content was never a consideration, and at no time did we mention anything about content or obligations since her loss.

“We offered her team (not her directly, to respect her privacy) to set up a courier pickup to help alleviate a potentially painful trigger. In our experience, some grieving families prefer to have certain items removed from their homes. Our entire mission is to support families, and it pains us to know that Brooklyn's experience with us did not reflect that. We have apologised directly to Brookyln for any additional hurt we may have caused. The well-being of families is and always will be out utmost priority.”

But, Bangerter hit back and claimed: “SIX e-mails demanding the bassinet back isn't an offer...”

Brooklyn has not commented on the situation on her Instagram page. She last posted in February to mark the three month anniversary of Rocky’s death. She wrote: “I wake up every day, and for a few seconds, there’s a sense of bliss before it hits me — he’s gone. Rocky wasn’t just in my head. He was here; I birthed him, and now he’s gone. People’s worst nightmare is my everyday reality.

“Ordering my drink today, the worker asked for my name for the order, and I so naturally and quickly said ‘Rocky.’ She looked up at me with the biggest smile and said, ‘That’s the coolest name.’ I smiled and said thank you; it’s my son’s name. I might start using his name more like that — it felt nice. Cheers to small wins and getting through another painful day, without my boy. One day at a time.”

Brooklyn, who married Tanner in August, is also mum to four-year-old son Rome from a previous relationship.