Silicone baby bowls: the hidden danger

There have been reports both on social media and in the press about a recent incident involving silicone feeding bowls: a baby feeding themself placed a silicone bowl, like the one pictured here, over their face, and the bowl formed an airtight seal across their mouth and nose.

When a vacuum is formed in this way, it can be difficult for an adult to remove the bowl, which can in turn cause panic. Although no fatalities have been reported, incidents such as this are potentially dangerous and extremely frightening for all involved.

Durable, long-lasting and made of tactile material for little hands, silicone feeding products are increasingly popular. Feeding bowls made of flexible silicone are often a size and shape that’s a perfect fit for a baby’s face. The smooth, rounded shape and shallow depth to the bowl act like a sink plunger, forming an airtight seal across a surface. Babies and toddlers naturally explore by bringing objects to their mouths; when they breathe in, the bowl can create an airtight vacuum seal.

Never leave a child unsupervised: The most important safety measure that can be taken is adequate supervision at mealtimes – babies and toddlers should never be left alone while feeding themselves.

Choose your product carefully: First of all, there are many different products available on the market and not all of them are made equal. Some have suction cups on the bottom to secure the bowl to a surface and while these are a safer option, they can still come loose from the table surface and prove dangerous. Other styles of silicone feeding bowl have a lip on one side that would make it difficult for a seal to form – but, though this may well be safer, there’s currently no evidence to support this. Another possibility would be to choose bowls that are wide – wider than the baby or toddler’s face – and shallow.

Raise awareness: Forewarned is forearmed. Perhaps you could sit down with your child(ren) to help decorate an eye-catching poster as a safety reminder. There are currently no official warnings issued about the potential dangers of silicone feeding bowls. The Alliance has, however, contacted the Child Accident Prevention Trust to raise awareness, requesting that further investigations be made and, if necessary, advice issued to families.

“We are aware of two cases involving silicone feeding bowls. The recent case in the US appears to be the result of poor design of the bowl.

“We are looking into product safety issues for silicone bowls on the UK market and will advise as soon as we have more information. In the meantime, we echo the advice given here about the need for constant supervision when babies and young children are eating.”