POLICE will investigate whether a baby boy was left inside the family car for an entire day before his devastated father found him lifeless in the backseat.

Detectives are still piecing together the circumstances around the 11-month-old boy’s tragic death after he was discovered in the car outside a daycare centre in Helena Valley, east of Perth.

It’s understood the father may have gone to work on Wednesday morning and parked his vehicle for the day - unaware his son was in the backseat.

Fatal distraction: The tragedy of babies left in cars

When he went to collect the boy from Ladybugs Early Learning Centre at about 4pm that afternoon, he was told the child was never dropped off in the morning.

That’s when he returned to his vehicle and found the baby unresponsive in the backseat.

Daycare centre staff performed CPR on the boy but their desperate attempts to revive him were unsuccessful.

Police are not treating the death as suspicious but will continue interviews with the parents this afternoon and review results of a post-mortem examination.

It’s understood the boy was the couple’s only child.

“Major crime squad detectives are continuing their investigation into the sudden death of the child,” a police spokesman said.

“At this time the child’s death is not being treated as a homicide, however inquiries into the circumstances leading up to the child’s death are continuing.”

The temperature in Perth yesterday reached 25.7C - the hottest day in several weeks.

Staff members at the daycare centre have been offered counseling following the tragedy.

General manager Kim Beange praised the workers for their efforts in trying to save the boy’s life and assured parents that no children witnessed the incident.

“Our staff’s professionalism came to the fore and they remained vigilant throughout this time, and at no point were other children in attendance aware of the circumstances occurring,” Ms Beange said.

“The child was enrolled at our facility in Helena Valley, however was not in attendance yesterday. When the staff were alerted to the fact that child needed first aid assistance they immediately commenced CPR and attempts to revive the child were unsuccessful.

“Our thoughts and condolences are with the parents of the child and their family through this tragic time.”

Earlier, a police spokesman said: “It is a tragic time for their family and it’s also hard for the daycare centre staff, who were also present.”

This morning, parents at the centre said they were devastated to learn of the boy’s death.

“I’m still a bit shocked; it's a bit emotional because it’s a baby. I don't know who it is, it's a very sad story,” one mother said.

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