Parents are claiming that a Tommee Tippee formula milk machine is making their babies sick because it is ‘riddled with mold’.
23-year-old Daniella McNeil, said she found black grime lining the tubes of the Tommee Tippee Perfect Prep, which she uses to give bottles to her baby daughter Casey.She says that she regularly changes the filter and runs cleaning cycles of the machine – as advised on the instructions but says it is still filled with a dirty-looking substance.
McNeil is among several parents who have complained about the machine, with a number of them claiming it has made their children ill.
Ms McNeil, from Glenrothes in Fife, said she tested out the machine after seeing other parents complain about ‘mold’ inside the tubes of the machine
She said: ‘I decided to take mine apart and was disgusted to see the mould that was inside. I have been feeding my baby her bottle from this machine since she was six weeks old.I felt like crying to know that I had been feeding her from mouldy tubes when I put my trust in such a well known top name brand.’
Ms McNeil believes the hidden “mold’ residue has contributed to her daughter being frequently ill.
She said: ‘Casey was a healthy baby until she was around seven weeks old. She constantly has a cold and a cough and is just generally unwell a lot.Since seeing the mould in the tubes I think personally that this has played a massive part in why she is so poorly a lot.No parent or baby should have to go through that. I am now kettle feeding my daughter and I hope to see a massive difference in her.’
The device works by dispensing a shot of hot water, followed by a measured amount of cool water. It basically allows parents to accurately prepare their baby’s bottle at the right temperature in less than two minutes.
In a statement, Tommee Tippee said the black substance is believed to be carbon residue – and not mould.
Another concerned parent Leanne Soulsby, 26, also raised concerns about the machine.
She wrote on Facebook, claiming her daughter Erin, five months, had suffered from flu-like symptoms and had to be treated in hospital as she refused to feed while she was using the machine. However, Erin has been back on six bottles a day since she stopped using the equipment.
She also shared a video showing her doing a ‘regular clean’ of the machine and finding what she says was mould under the water hopper.
She wrote: ‘I’m absolutely disgusted and wondered what the inside of the machine was like, the bits we cant see. And every single pipe is riddled with mould. My baby has been ill for almost as long as ive used the machine and its been put down to viral infections, teething, reflux, now I’m not so sure (sic)!’
She added: ‘Sort it out tommee tippee! (sic)
In a statement, Tommee Tippee said they were concerned with the claims and urged parents to contact them should they have any issues.
“We were very concerned by these findings and started an immediate investigation. Until they’ve been examined, it’s impossible to determine the exact cause.However, our preliminary investigation has found two things. Firstly, the build-up we’ve seen so far we suspect is carbon residue and not mould. Carbon is a harmless, inert bi-product of the filtration process. Secondly, some parents have told us they’ve used ordinary water jug filters instead of the Tommee Tippee filters.Standard filters do not contain the ultra-filtration membrane needed to remove bacteria, plus are more likely to release carbon into the system.Although we can’t be certain until we’ve received back and examined more machines, it is possible these factors are linked to what people are seeing. However, the investigation will continue until we’ve found answers.Anyone with any questions or concerns about Perfect Prep can contact us via our Careline on 0500 97 98 99 or our Facebook page.”