I was left with second-degree burns after a baby bottle exploded on my chest

A young mother has claimed a baby bottle ‘exploded’ on her chest – drenching her with scalding formula that ‘peeled half her nipple off’.

Leona Downie, from Blackpool, Lancashire, says she was preparing five-month-old Arlo Minles’s milk formula on April 30 with the same MAM Baby bottle she’d used since he was born.

The 18-year-old claims she waited 15 minutes for the boiling water to cool down in the kettle before pouring it into the bottle and adding milk formula.

But she says when she shook the bottle to mix the milk it burst open at both ends and ‘exploded’ over her chest.

‘I then remember hearing a bang and both the top and the bottom [of the bottle] blew off’, Leona said.  ‘It exploded. All the hot milk went all over me. My whole body started burning and I thought I was going to die.

‘The burn was on the whole of my left boob. All the skin started peeling off straight away. It was red and very sore. I screamed and burst out crying.

Leona says she immediately began to scream and jumped into a cold shower to ease the burning sensation, feeling like she was ‘being stabbed’.

She added: ‘I was in a lot of pain and couldn’t stop thinking about it. It was horrible and felt like I was continuously being stabbed. It was a second-degree burn. I was worried it was going to scar for life.’

But MAM – the brand behind the bottle – recommend cooling the water for 20 minutes or longer

The mother rushed to Blackpool Victoria Hospital’s A&E unit where she was told she had suffered second-degree burns from the hot milk solution. 

Horrifying photos show the teenager’s left breast bright red where the hot milk formula had burnt off her skin.

After having the dead skin removed from her 11cm-long burn site, a nurse dressed her wound and discharged her from hospital.

‘It peeled half of my nipple off so I haven’t really got a nipple. This was from the burn.

‘The burn site was 11cm long and 5cm wide and this covered my nipple. I won’t wear low cut tops anymore due to my scar as it’s quite ugly.’

The full-time carer hopes to warn other parents about what happened to her while using a MAM Baby product.

MAM Baby say they’re ‘very concerned’ by Leona’s injuries and are currently investigating. 

‘I boiled the kettle and left the water in for a little bit. The kettle was only half full,’ Leona said.

Leona said the burning sensation felt like being repeatedly stabbed, and she ran into a cold shower screaming

Leona Downie (pictured) says she was left with second-degree burns after her baby bottle ‘exploded’ over her left breast

The Blackpool native has been using the MAM baby bottle since her son Arlo’s birth five months ago, she says

The full-time carer says she avoids revealing or low-cut tops as she feels conscious of her ‘ugly’ scar

The MAM Baby instruction manual says ‘cooling time of at least 20 minutes is suggested by MAM for the boiled water to cool enough to be used for making up a bottle.

‘However, depending on the volume, the water still may be very hot after this time and you must be careful to avoid scalding’.

Leona said she had prepared Arlo’s feeds in this bottle since he was born on December 6 last year.

‘It’s not a new bottle. I have had them for five months and used them since Arlo’s birth. I use bottles like this every night and it’s the first time it has happened.

‘I use this bottle up to three times a day and I always make sure the top and bottom are screwed on properly as they both come off.’

Following her scalding, Leona says she has emailed a complaint to MAM Baby and is now using a different bottle brand to feed Arlo with.

She is speaking out about her experience to warn other parents about what happened to her.

‘The pain only stopped a couple of days ago,’ Leona continued. ‘My skin is really tight so I can hardly move my arm and it’s just scarred. 

Leona (pictured with Arlo) said she let the boiling water cool down for 15 minutes before shaking it

MAM have said they are investigating the incident, and have arranged for Leona’s bottle to be picked up

‘This bottle is meant for hot milk to go in. Your kettle water has to be 70 degrees to kill the bacteria in the formula.

‘I let the kettle water cool down for 15 minutes before putting it in the bottle to make sure it was safe for my baby and safe to shake as well.’

A spokesperson for MAM said: ‘The safety of our customers and their babies is at the forefront of everything we do and MAM is committed to ensuring the highest quality standards.

‘All of our products are rigorously tested and meet applicable safety standards. The bottle type in question is certified to EN standard 14350:2020.

‘We are very concerned about Leona’s injury and are currently arranging for her bottle to be collected to enable us to thoroughly test it and investigate the circumstances around the accident.

‘Clear instructions on safe use are supplied with every bottle.

‘These include never pouring boiling water into the bottle and allowing boiled water to cool for at least 20 minutes before introducing it to a bottle to reduce the risk of scalding.

‘While preparing a bottle, we recommend that you should never do it with a baby close by and always shake gently with the base facing away over a sink while wrapped in a towel or cloth.’

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