Public warning on sanbrook latex happy baby dummies

Hi all,

I just received a press release from the ACC about the Happy Baby dummies. I don't know how to upload them, so I'll just cut and past the content. (I got a bit of a shock when it arrived in my inbox because I just asked my dad to send over a box of these.)

The release is available on the ACCC website: ACCC home

PUBLIC WARNING ON SANBROOK LATEX HAPPY BABY DUMMIES

Parents and carers should take extreme care if they are using any Sanbrook
Happy Baby Soft Feel Natural Latex Cherry Soothers or Happy Baby Soft Feel
Nite Glo Natural Latex Cherry Soothers.
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission deputy chair Peter Kell today
announced a public warning notice has today been issued about the risks of
choking for infants due to potential teat separation.
"Although tests on Sanbrook dummies involved in an initial four reports we
received this July proved inconclusive, in the past week we have received
reports that another 25 instances of teat separation have occurred since late
January this year," Mr Kell said.
"As a result the ACCC recognises this as a matter of significant public safety and
are urgently conducting further investigations.
"To avoid the threat of choking caused when a teat comes off one of these
dummies, parents and carers should take extreme care if they are using any
Sanbrook Happy Baby Soft Feel Natural Latex Cherry Soothers or Happy Baby
Soft Feel Nite Glo Natural Latex Cherry Soothers," Mr Kell said.
An independent expert engaged by the ACCC has found that in almost all
incidents where dummies were available for examination, the teat had separated
in a neat cross section immediately above or below the bead that attaches the
teat to the shield.
"The ACCC's investigations into the cause of this problem and any additional
actions we will take to protect consumers using Sanbrook and other brands of
dummies that are found to be unsafe are continuing urgently," Mr Kell said.
"In the meantime, parents and carers should watch infants closely whenever they
are using dummies to ensure that the teat does not come off and block the
infant’s airway.
"If a teat lodges in an infant’s throat, choking can happen very quickly", he said.
"As recently as last month, a Queensland mother heard her six week old son
gagging on the teat that had come off his dummy and had lodged in his throat.
"Fortunately she was close enough and fast enough to remove the teat from his
throat with her finger, enabling him to breathe before it was too late.
Mr Kell recommended several other steps to take when using and caring for
dummies to minimise the risk of teats coming off:
• Check the dummy before each use by pulling hard on the teat and tugging on the
handle and ring to make sure the teat will not give way under pressure.
• Never leave a child with a dummy in their mouth if they cannot remove it on their
own.
• Throw dummies away as soon as they show signs of wear and tear.
• Never leave a dummy in direct sunlight.
• Always have two to three dummies available.
• Sterilise or wash dummies as recommended by the manufacturer—usually
involves placing the baby dummy in a baby-bottle sterilising solution or boiling
water.
• Be particularly vigilant when your child is teething as the dummy teat may be
especially subject to damage through biting.
• Never attach dummies to children’s clothes or their cot or pram with a ribbon or
string. These ties can wrap around a child’s neck and cause strangulation.
Anyone who has experienced teats coming off dummies should immediately contact
the ACCC on 1300 302 502.
For further safety information visit productsafety.gov.au and follow us on Twitter
@ProductSafetyAU