THE family of a three-year-old who drowned when he fell into a canal while feeding ducks with his mum have paid tribute to their “rainbow baby”.
Dylan Milsom was swept downstream after toppling into the fast flowing water in Newbury, Berkshire, on Saturday.
Despite his mother Shelley Nardini, 36, diving into the canal to try to save him, he was later pronounced dead.
It was just hours before he was due to celebrate Mother’s Day with social worker Shelley.
An inquest was due to be opened into his death by the Berkshire Coroner in the next few days.
In a statement today, his parents said: “Dylan was our rainbow baby.
“We knew he was special from the moment he was born. He brought a ray of sunshine into our lives.
“Blossoming into a happy, brave and warm little boy, his brightness simply shone from him wherever he went, always saying hello with a smile to everyone he met.
“He had an infectious energy for life and poured his heart and soul into everything he did.
“Life was one big, exciting adventure and more than anything he loved being outdoors, so walks were part of our daily lives.”
They said it was rare to see Dylan without his scooter or his favourite bike, which Father Christmas had delivered in December.
And they said if he wasn’t on two wheels, he was on his dad’s shoulders.
They added: “On our walks, Dylan would splash in puddles, squelch through mud and climb any log he could find!
“We would pick up pooh sticks to throw into the river from the little bridge, feed the ducks, always keeping a look out for oval stones to add to his collection at home, and talk about ‘the sleeping hedgehog’ – better known to us as fir cones!
“Our walks would often have a park along the way where Dylan would often make a friend and he loved to play with others.
“Dylan was such a bright, clever and inquisitive boy who absorbed all that was around him.”
His mum and dad said he was “desperate to learn about everything” and he loved going to pre-school.
They said his favourite colours were yellow, orange, pink and purple – “a very bright mix, fitting for such a bright boy”.
They continued: “Dylan’s warmth didn’t stop with just a smile for those he met, he was generous and always wanted to be helpful whether this be tidying up his toys, grooming our dog, unpacking the shopping or helping with his little brother.
“He was great at encouraging his baby brother to learn new skills like rolling, walking and how to play games and when his brother needed comfort, Dylan would sing to him Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.”
He was “truly the best big brother anyone could wish for”, his parents said.
They continued: “Dylan was such a funny little boy, bursting with character, a cheeky laugh and just the right amount of mischief.
“We often called him a cheeky monkey and he would always respond by telling us he was a tiger, thinking this would get him out of being called cheeky!
“From then he became our ‘cheeky tiger’ and Dylan dubbed his little brother the ‘cheeky monkey’ of the family.”
The “freak accident” happened on Saturday just yards from Victoria Park in Newbury, which sits opposite to the canal, with dozens of children playing.
Passers-by dialled 999 before the child and mum were recovered from the water near Ash Bridge at around 2pm.
Both were immediately taken to a nearby hospital where hours later the boy died.
The couple praised the emergency services for being “at the forefront of our minds and working at capacity” over the past year.
“We want to thank them, not only for their immense response and unrelenting effort to do everything possible to save our little boy, but for the genuine emotion and care displayed through their efforts,” they said.
“Our thanks to those individuals who gave everything they could to our family.
“Dylan simply loved life and he made our lives richer every day. He had a beautiful smile, and we loved his cheeky happy go lucky zest for life.
“These words don’t even come close to describing what an amazing and special little boy Dylan was.
“Dylan touched the lives of so many people and brought so much light into the world of those who knew him and even those who didn’t.
“We will miss our beautiful boy forever and keep him close in our hearts always. He will forever be our hero, our world, our everything – our Dylan.”
On Mother’s Day mum-of-two Shelley posted a picture of her boy on Facebook with a heart emoji before hundreds of loved-ones added tributes.
Friends and family wrote of the handsome youngster touching hearts – and his infectious “cheeky” personality and smile.
Gran Jackie Arrowsmith posted a picture of her cuddling into the smiling lad and wrote on his mum’s profile: “Love him forever.”
She later posted a heartbroken emoji, adding: “My gorgeous grandson.”
Aunt Claire Arrowsmith posted: “Your beautiful, funny, cheeky little boy. We love you so much.”
A devastated family friend wrote: “Shelley you and Dylan will forever have all my love. No words.”
While a third shared: “I have no words. My heart breaks for you. Sending my love and thinking of you all.”
It’s every parent’s worst nightmare
A dad who witnessed the tragedy
A dad, who witnessed the tragedy, said: “We feel devastated for the mother, just before Mother’s Day. It’s every parent’s worst nightmare.
“It’s just a freak accident, he was just feeding the ducks with his mother and he just fell in. She went in to try and save him.”
Last year, Dylan’s aunt shared photos of a walk along a canal in Newbury.
The toddler’s mum Shelley wrote: “Dylan loves walking along the canal to see all the boats – lucky we have this waking distance from our house.”
Almost 4,000 people have signed an online petition calling for a “strong barrier in place to prevent accidents like this happening in the future”.
Dylan’s aunt Claire wrote on the page: “Thank you so much for starting this petition. We were talking about starting one this morning.
“The little boy who fell in was my beautiful nephew. He was the sweetest, little monkey you could ever wish to meet.
“My sister did everything she could to save him but the current was just too strong. Thank you you all for signing.
“I hope and pray that nobody else ever has to suffer this awful heartbreak. Thank you again.”
A Thames Valley Police spokesman said: “The death is being treated as unexplained but not suspicious and a file will be prepared for the coroner.”
