Safety officials are warning parents and caregivers about the deadly suffocation and choking hazards of infant self-feeding pillows, which includes thousands of products sold on Amazon.
The self-feeding pillows, also called “baby bottle holders,” are advertised as a way for young infants to bottle-feed independently.
The pillows are designed to wrap around the infant’s neck, with a pouch or strap to secure the bottle in the infant’s mouth at an angle.
Now, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is strongly warning parents not to use infant self-feeding pillows.
The problem is that young infants are not able to easily pull away from the bottle, and the liquid may continue to flow even when the infant is not swallowing milk or formula. This poses a risk of choking, suffocation, and aspiration of milk or formula, according to the CPSC:
“The pillows secure the bottle at an unsafe angle while keeping it fixed in place, preventing the infant from pulling away. This can lead to aspiration of milk or formula, posing a risk of serious injury or death from suffocation.”
Thousands of these hazardous infant self-feeding pillows have been linked to suffocations hazards in recent months, but the manufacturers have refused to issue recalls or provide refunds to consumers.
CPSC Acting Chairman Peter A. Feldman said: “Far too many of these dangerous products come from China. Stopping these products from flooding our country remains a top CPSC priority.”
The warnings include self-feeding pillows sold on Amazon, a major retailer in the U.S. for products made in China, South Korea, and other counties. The products include the Miocololy Self-Feeding Pillow, Yiiektily Self-Feeding Pillow, Ourkiss Self-Feeding Pillow, and MyBebe Self-Feeding Pillow.
U.S. safety officials are urging parents and caregivers to throw these hazardous infant self-feeding pillows away, and when feeding babies:
- Never leave a bottle propped in an infant’s mouth using a pillow, a self-feeding pillow, blanket, or other support, even if the product is marketed as safe or is used under the supervision of a caregiver. Bottle propping could cause your baby to choke or aspirate and result in immediate serious injury or death.
- Always hold and closely watch your baby when feeding with a bottle. Keep the baby semi-inclined. Never allow infants to feed unattended.
- Seek guidance and recommendations from a medical professional when feeding multiple babies, and avoid the temptation to bottle prop.
- Visit https://www.cdc.gov/infant-toddler-nutrition/bottle-feeding/index.html for more information about safe bottle feeding.