Source: Australian Ministers for Regional Development
A permanent ban on baby bottle self-feeding devices, due to the risk of injury or death, is now in effect.
The ban applies to products that position a baby bottle, or bottle teat, so an infant can self-feed without another person holding the bottle or without adult supervision. Key safety risks include injury or death from choking, aspiration or suffocation.
As a result of the ban, it is illegal to supply or offer to supply these devices in Australia. It is also illegal to manufacture, possess, or have control of a banned product.
The Assistant Minister has announced the ban on these devices. This follows a Safety Warning Notice issued in August 2024 and a subsequent ACCC investigation into the safety of these devices, which included consultation with a paediatric health expert and healthcare stakeholders.
Businesses must not manufacture, advertise or sell baby bottle self-feeding devices. Significant penalties may apply for non-compliance.
“Each year, we set our product safety priorities to target and increase awareness of high-risk unsafe consumer goods. This year, our focus has been on unsafe products sold in digital markets and product safety issues for young children,” ACCC Deputy Chair Catriona Lowe said.
“Baby bottle self-feeding devices pose an unacceptable risk of injury or death to infants as a result of choking, suffocation and aspiration, as babies do not have the ability to regulate the flow of milk or remove the bottle from their mouth themselves.”
“This permanent ban makes clear that products which undermine safe infant feeding practices will not be tolerated in the Australian market. Suppliers should be aware that it is now illegal to supply these products in Australia, and penalties may apply for businesses that do not comply.”
“We urge consumers to stop using these devices immediately and to always actively supervise babies during feeding,” Ms Lowe said.
Products covered by the ban
The ban applies to products that are designed to allow a baby to feed from a bottle without another person holding the bottle, and which are designed to do so by supporting the position of the bottle or by means of a straw, tube or similar device. This includes:
- products that position a bottle in an infant’s mouth (bottle propping)
- products worn on a person’s body that hold a bottle used for feeding a baby
- straw-style feeding devices where the teat is connected to the bottle via a flexible straw
The ban does not extend to supplemental nursing systems used to support breastfeeding, or to ‘sippy’ cups, trainer cups and straw cups intended for drinking rather than as a baby’s sole source of nutrition.
Images of items captured by the ban, sourced from products identified as for sale online
Baby self-feeding pillows
Flexible arm device
Advice for consumers
- If you have purchased or own a baby bottle self-feeding device, you should immediately stop using it and dispose of it safely so that it cannot be used by anyone else.
Information for suppliers
- It is against the law to supply or offer to supply these devices to Australian consumers.
- It is also against the law to manufacture, possess or have control of a banned product.
- If you become aware that you are supplying a banned product, you must immediately stop supplying the product. You should conduct a product recall and let consumers know, and notify the ACCC within two days of taking recall action.
- Suppliers who fail to comply with permanent bans under the Australian Consumer Law may face enforcement action that may attract significant fines and pecuniary penalties.
- You can find more information about the permanent ban on the ACCC Product Safety website.