Page 2 | To warn you about baby self-feeding pillows/prop feeders? URGENT SAFETY ALERT

Original poster

UrgentSafetyAlert · 02/12/2022 16:42

Here are a few more images - all to be avoided like the plague.

To warn you about baby self-feeding pillows/prop feeders? URGENT SAFETY ALERT

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MrsCarson · 02/12/2022 16:47

What an awful product. Bottle propping used to be a thing when I had my first in 88 and the doctors office we used to go to had posters up warning against it. Such a choking hazard.

Sprogonthetyne · 02/12/2022 16:47

Besides the very obvious safty issues, it kind of puts me in mind of the jurassic park dinosaur, who's only positive association was to the feeding hook. Leaving your baby to feed themselves must be terrible for their social development.

riotlady · 02/12/2022 16:52

BertieBotts · 02/12/2022 16:38

It's "allowed" to be manufactured and sold because there is no pre-vetting of everything that is manufactured and sold - that would be impossible, wouldn't it?

However people do have an erroneous belief that if something is for sale, especially if it is marketed/designed for babies, that it must have been through some kind of safety panel and deemed to be safe.

Unfortunately the warning is necessary because some people won't see the issue.

Interestingly I also remember warnings about this kind of thing going back years to when my teenager was a baby, so it must be one of those things that pops up every now and again, somebody thinks "That would be a great idea, I wonder why nobody else has done it!" and creates a shoddy product, starts marketing it all over the place and it's only when it actually starts to cause harm that anybody official gets involved and puts out a warning about it.

The problem is worse now, I think, because cheap shipping methods from overseas combined with selling platforms like amazon have made it totally easy for dubious products to come over from abroad where there might be less care for safety than is taken for granted in countries like the UK.

If you were going to launch a new product on the UK market as a business you'd probably seek legal advice first to make sure it was all OK and unlikely to end up in you being sued - whoever has made and designed this obviously hasn't done that, and that's probably because it's easier than ever to get a product out into the world via online sales.

The point of the link is that they are no longer allowed to be sold, products in the UK are vetted for minimum safety standards-

“Businesses selling these products must immediately remove them from the market as they cannot comply with the safety requirements under the General Product Safety Regulations 2005.”

RudolphTheGreat · 02/12/2022 16:53

Why are these even a thing?!

Original poster

UrgentSafetyAlert · 02/12/2022 16:55

I've known parents of multiples who've propped a bottle for one baby (while watching it like a hawk!) so they can feed the other. But otherwise, yes, it's worrying some people don't realise these are dangerous.

When used as intended, even whilst under the supervision of a caregiver, it could lead to immediate, serious harm or death from choking or aspiration pneumonia.

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BertieBotts · 02/12/2022 17:04

I know, but if they have been designed and sold direct from abroad then whoever is making them may not know or care about UK safety regulations.

Although it is better that we have a general regulation as I believe the USA just lets it go to legislation

BertieBotts · 02/12/2022 17:05

I mean legal action. Sorry trying to do 3 things at once.

Original poster

UrgentSafetyAlert · 02/12/2022 17:11

I know, but if they have been designed and sold direct from abroad then whoever is making them may not know or care about UK safety regulations.

Yes, and they are available via online sales, bought whilst abroad and are also cropping up in markets, small local shops, car boot sales and so on.

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SarahAndQuack · 02/12/2022 17:24

UrgentSafetyAlert · 02/12/2022 16:55

I've known parents of multiples who've propped a bottle for one baby (while watching it like a hawk!) so they can feed the other. But otherwise, yes, it's worrying some people don't realise these are dangerous.

When used as intended, even whilst under the supervision of a caregiver, it could lead to immediate, serious harm or death from choking or aspiration pneumonia.

I'm aware. I do see why people make their own decisions when juggling multiple babies, though.

Original poster

UrgentSafetyAlert · 02/12/2022 17:46

This ships to the UK via Amazon - do not buy, gift or sell this. It comes with a warning not to feed the baby flat because of the risk of vomiting, but is sold separately without anything actually to raise the baby's head. It doesn't mention the risk of serious harm or death, funnily enough. The risks remain, even with a raised head.

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Original poster

UrgentSafetyAlert · 02/12/2022 17:48

Apologies - the second image hasn't worked properly.

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JesusInTheCabbageVan · 02/12/2022 17:54

MrsTerryPratchett · 02/12/2022 16:10

Feeding is an essential bonding time. Biologically that would have been BFing, now it's BFing or HOLDING your baby while they feed.

Anyone doing this is an idiot. I mean would you like to have an unremovable bottle shoved in your gob? It's like baby-waterboarding.

Waterboarding for babies - absolutely hit the nail on the head.

TooHotToRamble · 02/12/2022 18:29

Lorrymum · 02/12/2022 16:28

The world has gone mad.
Read a post on here yesterday about the safety issues of using a 35 year old cot. Yet this piece of nonsense has been allowed to be manufactured and sold!

Can you link to this post? I'd be interested to read it.

InTheFutilityRoomEatingBiscuits · 02/12/2022 18:37

I saw one of these on a strap which was attached to the bar over the front of the pushchair, with the baby in a fully reclined position under a raincover. Just the other day. It made me uncomfortable.

Original poster

UrgentSafetyAlert · 02/12/2022 19:00

Report from Which:

Leaving a baby to feed unattended is a danger in itself, but these pillows present extra dangers due to their specific design. The dangers are twofold, according to the OPSS.

The first is that the baby can choke on the milk if the flow of the bottle is too fast, as babies do not have the ability to control the flow of the liquid, know when to stop feeding or take action if they gag or choke. As the bottle is fixed to the cushion so that it remains in an active feeding position, the baby may struggle to remove the teat from their mouth when they want to stop feeding, leading to choking.
Choking is characterised by silence, rather than audible gagging, so given the product is intended to allow a baby to be fed while the parent is not paying full attention, this danger is significant.

The second danger is related to the first, and it is that the baby becomes infected with pneumonia because they have breathed in milk. Instead of choking, the milk is breathed in and the presence of it in the lungs can cause aspiration pneumonia.
As the product is intended to keep the bottle in the baby’s mouth, there is no way to safely use this product to avoid such an event occurring.

The OPSS said:

'The risks from choking and aspiration pneumonia are entirely related to the design and intended use of the product – these risks cannot be mitigated by instructions.'

www.which.co.uk/news/article/safety-alert-avoid-baby-self-feeding-pillows-due-to-choking-and-pneumonia-risk-axAdJ7e9V9Hb

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Bubbles222 · 02/12/2022 19:18

UrgentSafetyAlert · 02/12/2022 14:31

News story:
Urgent Safety Alert issued for baby self-feeding pillows/prop feeders.
'Self-feeding pillows/prop feeders present a risk of serious harm or death from choking or aspiration pneumonia.'

www.gov.uk/government/news/urgent-safety-alert-issued-for-baby-self-feeding-pillows

They can seriously harm or even kill babies due to choking or aspiration pneumonia. They must not be used or sold.

Please read the attached urgent safety alert and help to spread the word.

Thank you

Whoever has created that clearly hasn't had kids what a terrible idea! Even looking at it you can see how dangerous it could be

Magentax · 02/12/2022 19:25

I can’t imagine why anyone would do this to their baby it looks like a torture device. Really upsetting.

Original poster

UrgentSafetyAlert · 02/12/2022 20:08

Unfortunately, there are videos online of parents reviewing and recommending them. Here are just four examples. Please do not try this at home:
www.amazon.com/vdp/0b2a87828bfa436ba611b2d4cdce11ab

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Original poster

UrgentSafetyAlert · 02/12/2022 22:35

Bumping

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endofthelinefinally · 02/12/2022 22:40

I was taught about this in my midwifery training in the 1970s. TBH you would think it would be common sense.

nildesparandum · 02/12/2022 23:12

I can remember my mother going crazy with a relative who did this with one of my sisters.I was one of a large family, and one day my sister born in 1950 had been left in the care of a relative for an hour. My mother returned to find her feeding herself from her bottle propped up on a pillow, she was only a few months old.The relative was in the same room but busy doing housework, no other adult available.This relative was renowned for being extremely house proud.
It was clear she thought that an always immaculate house was the most important thing.

Original poster

UrgentSafetyAlert · 03/12/2022 00:15

Bumping

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magma32 · 03/12/2022 00:31

Where is this sold? Is this an American thing - I say this as I remember briefly watching the American dragon’s den (don’t ask) and someone pitched this and Ashton kutcher was saying how he preferred to feed his child himself bla bla but then went on to invest in it. I know it’s probably all fake but I switched it off at that moment.

Original poster

UrgentSafetyAlert · 03/12/2022 11:18

They are also being imported and sold in the UK, which is why the safety alert has been issued here in the last few days.

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