The Korea Consumer Agency has urged consumers to exercise caution when using "baby self-feeding products," which hold bottles in place so infants can drink formula without a caregiver's help.
According to the agency on Tuesday, advanced economies including the United States and the United Kingdom have issued a series of warnings against the use of such products. In January, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recommended that consumers immediately stop using and dispose of products that hold bottles in a fixed position, citing the risk that infants could choke while drinking milk or formula.
The U.K. Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) also warned in December 2022 that all products designed to allow infants to feed themselves without a caregiver's assistance pose a risk of death from aspiration pneumonia and suffocation, recommending that the products be discontinued and discarded. As similar products continued to be distributed in the market, the OPSS issued another warning against their use in October last year.
In Korea, the Mother and Child Health Act prohibits leaving infants alone with a bottle during feeding. Infants who require bottle feeding have underdeveloped gross motor control, making it difficult for them to turn their head to the side or remove the bottle from their mouth when they choke or gag during feeding.
Additionally, if more liquid flows from the bottle than the infant can swallow and enters the airway, it can cause aspiration pneumonia or, in severe cases, lead to suffocation.
The Consumer Agency advised, "For safe feeding, do not fix or prop up the bottle; tilt the bottle at an angle so that the nipple is filled with feeding liquid; adjust or stop the feeding amount when the baby signals fullness or discomfort; and a caregiver must remain beside the baby at all times during feeding."
