Mum of Waikato toddler who died suddenly in shock at losing her 'blue-eyed' baby boy

Sabrina Sturgess says her oldest son Blake,5 (right), is struggling to understand his little brother Braxton (left) has died. Photo / Supplied

The mother of a Waikato toddler who died in his sleep can't believe her healthy, cheeky, blue-eyed boy is gone.

Braxton Garnett-Sturgess, 2, died suddenly in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

His mother Sabrina Sturgess had been having tonsil surgery and had left him with a close family friend who had looked after Braxton and his 5-year-old brother Blake many times before.

"He woke up at 1am, she put him back in bed," Sturgess told the Herald.

"Sometime between 1am and 6.45 he just never woke up again."

Braxton had no underlying health problems and hadn't seemed sick in the days before he died.

The family would know more when they received the coroner's report, but until then his death was a mystery.

"He was a perfect, healthy, happy, strong kid," Sturgess said.

"He had the bluest eyes I'd ever seen. Just the most incredible shade of blue."

Braxton had his older brother wrapped around his little finger and would bully him into getting his own way all the time - but with babies he was a total softie.

"When it came to babies he just cuddled and kissed them, he wanted to show him that they loved him," his mum said.

"He had a lot of love to give in the two years he was here."

Sturgess said Blake couldn't wrap his head around the fact his baby brother was gone.

"He knows what's happened, but from a kid's point of view, the innocence, he says things like: 'Mummy I'm the only one left now' or when he kisses him [in his casket] 'Mummy why is he so cold'.

"Trying to explain those things to him is so hard."

Sturgess recently split from her partner of nine years and father to both her boys, moving to Waihi about five months ago.

Sabrina Sturgess with her sons Braxton (top) and Blake. Photo/ supplied

Braxton's father was extremely emotional at having lost his baby boy and was finding it very hard to process the news, Sturgess said.

She's now taken Braxton back to Otahuhu to her father's house where he will stay until the funeral in West Auckland next week.

"He was my dad's best friend. Anyone who met him, he really did affect them," Sturgess said.

Struggling on a single income, Sturgess has worried how she would cover the funeral costs.

When she discovered a friend had set up a Givealittle page to help, she burst into tears.

The page had nearly $4000 in donations at the time of writing.

"I just thought ... I'm speechless. There's no words to describe how much love and support I'm getting.

"Even people who haven't met me are helping. And for someone who is ... who doesn't have that sort of money for a funeral it's so nice."

Sturgess said organising everything was her way of coping, but she never thought she would be burying a child.

"You do everything the right way because you think bad things don't happen to good people," she said.

"Hold your loved ones close. I never thought in a million years my kids would go before me."

To help Sabrina cover the costs of Braxton's funeral you can make a donation here: https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/smilingangelbraxton