A disturbing trend has emerged in UK online marketplaces, with consumer watchdog Which? uncovering over 150 potentially hazardous baby products still available for sale. These include self-feeding devices, sleeping bags, and pillows designed for infant sleep, many of which have been subject to safety warnings or product recalls.
The investigation, which focused on three categories of products previously flagged by the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), found these items across eight online platforms. These platforms included Amazon, eBay, TikTok, Alibaba, AliExpress, Etsy, OnBuy, and Wish. Most of the marketplaces contacted have since removed the identified products.
Notably, more than a third of the unsafe products were self-feeding devices that allowed minimal or no assistance, including 33 items with long straw designs and 21 pillow bottle-holders intended to be worn around a baby's neck. These present an obvious choking risk and were found despite an OPSS alert in 2022 warning businesses against selling them. The investigation also uncovered 59 sleeping bags with hoods or without armholes, and 37 sleep pillows marketed for newborns, raising concerns about suffocation and overheating, contrary to NHS safe sleep guidelines.
Sue Davies, Head of Consumer Protection Policy at Which?, highlighted the ease with which these dangerous items could be found, stressing that babies' lives are at risk. She called on the government to use its new powers under the Product Regulation and Metrology Act to impose a clear legal duty on online marketplaces to ensure the safety of products sold by their third-party sellers, backed by robust enforcement.
Health visitor Ruth Watts noted that parents, often desperate for sleep, may be tempted by products promising quick fixes. Which? advises against buying self-feeding aids and reiterates that babies under one year old do not require a pillow. For sleep-related products, checking recommendations from the Lullaby Trust is crucial.
The safest place for a baby to sleep remains on a firm, flat mattress, on their back, in a clear cot free from toys, according to the Lullaby Trust's safe sleep guidance. This latest investigation serves as a stark reminder for parents to exercise extreme caution and verify the safety of all baby products, particularly those purchased online from third-party sellers.