The consumer protection regulator has banned baby self-feeding pillows due to the "risk of death or serious harm" to infants.
Self-feeding pillows are designed to hold a bottle and keep it in a baby's mouth to free up their 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 a caregiver holding the bottle and controlling the feed.
However, in this situation the baby will not be able to control the flow of milk and the milk will continue to flow even if the baby is not swallowing which can lead to choking.
The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) warned that choking can be silent and a baby will not have the dexterity or cognitive behaviour to otherwise raise the alarm.
The CCPC has announced an immediate ban on sale of self-feeding pillows for babies.
"Baby self-feeding pillows present a risk of death or serious harm from choking or aspiration pneumonia," CCPC director of product safety Clara Thornton said.
Aspiration pneumonia occurs when milk goes into the lungs rather than the stomach.
This could occur if the flow of milk is too fast and the baby is not able to keep up by swallowing the milk.
The CCPC identified baby self-feeding pillows on sale on non-EU websites targeted at Irish consumers but has not yet identified any for sale in retail stores in Ireland.
Businesses must immediately remove these products from the market and are instructed to not import them.
Consumers are also told they should not buy the products and dispose of them safely so they cannot be used by anyone else.
Consumers who find baby self-feeding pillows for sale in Ireland, either online or in retail stores, are urged to report them to the CCPC immediately.
The pillows go against HSE advice on safe bottle feeding.
It states that a caregiver should always hold the baby in their arms when bottle feeding, always hold the bottle in their hand, never lean or prop the bottle against a self-feeding pillow or any other support, and never leave the baby to drink a bottle on their own.
