By Meghan Holohan—
TODAY
Families who use neck floats for their babies in swimming lessons or hydrotherapy may want to throw them away.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) urged families not to use them after receiving a report that one baby died and another was hospitalized.
“The risks of using baby neck floats include death from drowning and suffocation, strain and injury to the baby's neck.
Babies with special needs, such as spina bifida or Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 1 (SMA), may be at higher risk for serious injury,” he wrote in a statement.
"The FDA believes that death or serious injury from neck floaters is rare," he added, but "health care providers, parents and caregivers should be aware that they can and do occur.
It is also possible that some cases have not been reported to the FDA."
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The statement notes that no one was monitoring the baby who died or was injured.
Babies with developmental delays or conditions such as spina bifida, spinal muscular atrophy type 1, Down syndrome or cerebral palsy sometimes use these floats during hydrotherapy, the agency said.
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Neck floats resemble life preservers that are placed around a baby's neck, allowing the baby to glide through the water without being restrained.
"Some neck floats are marketed for babies up to two weeks of age or premature and are designed to support a baby's head while their body moves freely in the water," the agency said.
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Several manufacturers of baby neck floats say their products help increase muscle tone, greater flexibility and range of motion, increased lung capacity, better quality of sleep, and a better nervous system, the FDA said, which ensures that these claims are unproven.
"The safety and efficacy of neck floats for building strength, stimulating motor development, or as a physical therapy tool have not been established," the health authority said.
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The FDA has warned that neck floats for babies with developmental delays and disabilities may cause "an increased risk of neck strain and injury."
The agency has not evaluated its usefulness in medical or therapeutic situations.
The agency alerts parents to report any injuries or deaths that may have occurred after their child used a neck float.
The FDA also encourages health care providers to discontinue the use of neck floats for hydrotherapy.
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