Products marketed as “hands-free” solutions for exhausted parents have been permanently banned in Australia, after safety authorities warned they pose an unacceptable risk of injury and death to infants.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) announced that baby bottle self-feeding devices can no longer be manufactured, supplied or advertised in Australia under a permanent national ban that came into effect this week. The move follows years of safety warnings and investigations into products linked to infant fatalities overseas.
The devices are designed to allow babies to feed without a caregiver actively holding a bottle. Products covered by the ban include bottle-propping devices that position a bottle directly in an infant’s mouth, wearable bottle holders attached to a person’s body, and flexible, straw-style systems that connect a teat to a bottle.
The ACCC said the products create serious risks because infants cannot regulate the flow of milk or remove feeding devices themselves.
ACCC Deputy Chair Catriona Lowe said the products “pose an unacceptable risk of injury or death” due to choking, aspiration and suffocation hazards.
Health concerns extend beyond immediate choking risks. Regulators have warned that self-feeding systems can also increase the chance of aspiration pneumonia and ear infections if milk continues flowing while a child is unable to swallow properly.
While no infant deaths associated with the products have been recorded in Australia, overseas incidents played a major role in driving regulatory action. The ACCC has previously identified several infant fatalities linked to self-feeding products in the United States and the United Kingdom, prompting similar restrictions in countries including Canada and Ireland.
The decision follows a regulatory process that began with a safety warning notice issued in August 2024. Authorities later moved to a proposed permanent ban earlier this year before implementing the nationwide restriction.
Assistant Treasurer Andrew Leigh said the government had acted following expert advice to protect infants from preventable harm.
The ACCC has urged parents who already own such devices to stop using them immediately and dispose of them in a way that prevents them from being reused or resold. Retailers and suppliers that continue selling banned products may face substantial penalties under Australian consumer law.
The ban also highlights a growing challenge for regulators dealing with products sold through online marketplaces and third-party platforms, where safety enforcement has become increasingly difficult as niche products continue to enter the Australian market from overseas sellers.
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