SINGAPORE: Parents and caregivers who have bought a type of pillow that enables a baby to self-feed from a bottle should stop using the product immediately, said Singapore’s consumer safety watchdog.
In a safety alert on April 7, the Consumer Product Safety Office (CPSO) said these self-feeding pillows pose serious risks of choking and suffocation to babies.
In photos of the products included in the alert, a baby can be seen lying on a pillow that wraps around the neck.
The front portion of the pillow, laid on the baby’s chest, has a pouch to which a bottle can be attached, allowing the baby to feed from the bottle without help from a caregiver.
“Babies do not have the dexterity or cognitive ability to control the flow of bottle feed, know when to stop feeding, take action if they gag or choke, or raise the alarm if something is going wrong,” the office said.
“Babies also risk being smothered by the pillow when they move.”
It added that using the product could lead to serious harm, death, lung infection, suffocation and ear infection from choking on the feed.
A check by The Straits Times on April 20 found that listings of the product were available on e-commerce platform Lazada.
On Shopee, the listings appear to have been removed, though links to items matching the product description continue to turn up in search results.
According to CPSO’s alert, jurisdictions in Australia, Britain and the US have issued similar warnings about the product.
The CPSO reminded parents and caregivers that they should never leave a bottle propped in a baby’s mouth using a pillow, a self-feeding pillow, blanket or other support, even if these are marketed as safe or are used under supervision.
They should also watch a baby closely when feeding with a bottle and keep the baby semi-inclined, it added.
ST has contacted Lazada and Shopee for more information. - The Straits Times/ANN
