The sale of potentially lethal baby self-feeding pillows has been banned by the State’s consumer watchdog.
The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) said the product was banned with immediate effect due to the risk of serious harm or death to infants.
Businesses have been told to remove the product from the market and not to import it, as it does not comply with safety regulations.
“Baby self-feeding pillows present a risk of death or serious harm from choking or aspiration pneumonia,” according to Clara Thornton, CCPC director of product safety. “They are dangerous and go against HSE advice on safe bottle-feeding. If any consumer comes across these products they should report them to the CCPC.”
The self-feeding pillow is designed to hold a bottle, keep it in the baby’s mouth and free up the parent’s hands, allowing the baby to feed itself. The pillow is placed around the baby’s neck, the bottle is held in position by a piece of elastic or a pouch and the baby is positioned on its back to feed itself without the assistance of anyone holding the bottle and controlling the feed.
But the CCPC says the baby will not be able to control the flow of milk in this situation and the milk will continue to flow even if the baby is not swallowing. This can lead to choking.
“Choking can be silent and a baby will not have the dexterity or cognitive behaviour to otherwise raise the alarm,” Ms Thornton said.
Aspiration pneumonia occurs when milk goes into the lungs rather than the stomach. This can occur if the flow of milk is too fast and the baby is not able to keep up by swallowing.
“If feeding with a bottle, always hold your baby in your arms,” said Dr Abigail Collins, HSE national clinical lead for the child health public health programme. “Make the most of this time to bond with your baby. Look into your baby’s eyes – this helps them to feel safe and loved. Never leave your baby to drink a bottle on their own. Propping or leaning the bottle using a pillow, self-feeding pillow or any other support can be dangerous. Doing this could cause your baby to choke.”
Baby self-feeding pillows are not known to be on sale in Irish shops but the CCPC said it has identified the product for sale on non-EU websites targeted at Irish consumers.
