Health Canada: Banned Infant Self-feeding Devices Risk Illness or Death

Photo by Oleg Sergeichik on Unsplash

Health Canada has issued a warning against using banned infant self-feeding devices that were sold online in Canada.

Health Canada has warned that a number of banned infant self-feeding devices were recently on AliExpress.ca pose a risk of illness or death. Health Canada and Canadian medical associations discourage unattended feeding practices.

The alert names four products:

            •           300ml Baby Bottle Kids Cup Silicone Sippy Children Training Cute Baby Drinking Water Straw Feeding Bottle Hands-free Bottle

            •           330ml Baby Cups Can Be Rotated Magic Cup Kids Leak-proof Drinking Water Bottle Hand Free Cup BPA Free

            •           Baby Feeding Bottle Long Straw Hands-free Bottle Nipple Multifunctional Baby Bottle Kids Cup Silicone Sippy Mouth NO BPA

            •           Erduo Newborn Baby Water Feeding Bottles Gourdes Drinking Bottle Children with Straw Hands Free Silicone Baby Item Newborn Set

60 of the self-feeding devices were sold in Canada by the commercial website.

Health Canada cautioned that, when feeding, infants regurgitate small amounts of liquid food and must be monitored at all times whilst feeding to prevent choking and aspiration to ensure the caregiver can intervene if any concerning fluid intake or behaviours appear whilst the infant is feeding. Self-feeding devices “allow an infant to either hold the bottle and feed before developing the needed muscles to do this independently, or the bottles are situated in a way that makes it difficult for the infant to stop feeding. As a result, these products pose a choking or aspiration hazard to the infants using them, which can end in illness or death from aspirating the feeding liquid.”

Health Canada warns that consumers who have these affected products should immediately stop using them and dispose of the items.