If there is a blue box of gripe water in your nursery cabinet, it is worth checking now. A baby sleep gripe water recall is underway after testing found three kinds of alcohol that the label never mentioned. Pacific Health Sciences is pulling one lot of Babies’ Magic Tea Baby Sleep Gripe Water, a dietary supplement sold online. The company announced the recall on Oct. 6, and the FDA posted the notice the next day, according to Fox Business.
If you have this bottle at home, here is what to check first.
Which lot does the baby sleep gripe water recall cover?
Only one lot is part of the recall: Lot 25122bw, with a best-by date of 12/2028. The product comes in a 4 fl oz amber bottle inside a blue cardboard box, with an oral syringe included. To find it, look for the lot number on the bottom of the box and on a side panel of the bottle, per WCNC.
The lot went to a distributor called Secrets of Tea. According to Yahoo News, the company sold it through secretsoftea.com and Amazon. Pacific Health Sciences calls Oxnard, California, home.
What testing found behind the gripe water recall
The company’s announcement says FDA testing found ethanol, methanol and isopropanol that were not declared on the label. Quartz reported measured levels of roughly 8.3% ethanol, 0.35% methanol and 0.48% isopropanol.
The ethanol number is the one that stands out. NewsNation, citing the NIH, notes that the FDA allows only up to 0.5% ethanol as an inactive ingredient in over-the-counter products for children under 6. This bottle reportedly came in far above that.
Why alcohol in a baby supplement is a problem
The recall notice is direct about the risk. It says organic alcohols such as these “are known to impair normal functioning of the central nervous system,” and it links infant ethanol exposure to long-term developmental consequences.
It also says that amounts recommended on the packaging can cause drowsiness, incoordination, behavioral changes, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. Meanwhile, ABC News reports that higher amounts can raise the risk of respiratory depression and other serious problems.
The packaging markets the product for “better sleep,” as well as gas, bloating, constipation and acid reflux. For a tired parent hoping for rest, that is hard to read: the very thing you hoped to get may be the warning sign.
What parents should do after the baby sleep gripe water recall
Stop using Lot 25122bw. The company says to discard it or return it to the place of purchase for a refund. It also says it has received no reports of adverse events tied to this lot.
If your baby has taken it and seems unusually sleepy, uncoordinated, or sick to the stomach, call your pediatrician or poison control. Do not wait for a recall update to ask.
Here’s the thing about “natural” labels on baby products
Dietary supplements reach shelves without FDA pre-approval. The agency posts company recall notices as a public service and does not endorse the product or the company. That means a label is mostly a promise, and this baby supplement recall shows what happens when the bottle does not match it. For another example of fine print that deserves a closer read, see our look at a smart ring’s FDA clearance.
Gripe water is also not one standard product. Cleveland Clinic says brands use different ingredients, so a tip that applies to one bottle may not apply to another.
Plenty is still unknown. No one has said how many bottles are in the lot or how many sold. Reporters have not learned the FDA recall classification, and no one has explained how the alcohols got into the product. We also do not know whether Amazon or Secrets of Tea has pulled the listing. Slow regulatory timelines are nothing new, as our piece on FDA tobacco review delays shows.
Watch the FDA’s recall page for an expanded lot list or any illness reports. The next question is simple: if this lot slipped through, what else did?
