As Nur Misha had stopped crying, the mother went to bed after making sure the baby was breathing.

She said she awoke to the noise of her older children to find Nur Misha lying face down, her face and lips blue.

The mother then called Mr. Mustaqim, who started stroking the child and calling her.

But in Mr Mustaqim’s version of events, he decided to place her on her stomach when the baby was crying because he felt she was tired of sleeping face up.

He then patted her on the back to make her burp and told his wife to make sure she was breathing before going to bed.

He woke up when he heard his sons playing and saw Nur Misha with a pale face.

State Coroner Nakhoda said, according to the reconstruction photographs provided to the court, when Mr Mustaqim placed her in a lying position, he rested her forehead on a small pillow.

At this point, there was space between the baby’s nose and mouth and the surface of the crib. Mrs. Siti had also noticed that her daughter was still breathing.

However, because of the baby’s movements, the possibility that her nose was pressed against the mattress and she was suffocated was very real, the coroner was told.

“Unless there is a medical reason, infants at this age should not be placed in a prone position for sleep,” he said, noting that babies should always be placed on their backs when sleeping.

State Coroner Nakhoda noted that the exact time when Nur Misha was found unresponsive could not be determined, but that it was not essential because she had already died when her parents found her in a prone position.

He offered his condolences to Nur Misha’s family and her grandparents, who were in court for the verdict.

Speaking to The Straits Times after the hearing, the child’s grandfather, Mr Abdul Kadir, 55, said he would remember her as a happy child who was always smiling.

Choking up as he scrolled through photos of her on his mobile phone, the logistics manager said: “She was the first granddaughter in the family. At first, we only had boys. Then came Misha. You can imagine how happy we all were.”

Mr Abdul, who has eight grandchildren including Nur Misha, said: “I miss her very much and my heart hurts very much. I still remember holding her when she was born.”

Following the verdict, Mr Abdul said he was relieved to finally close this chapter after her death almost two years ago.

“I will visit my grave every month and think about her. Sometimes I even look at her photos and cry. But I know that one day, we will meet again,” he said.