Baby sleep supports still available on Amazon despite suffocation warning

Retail giant Amazon is continuing to sell baby sleep positioners despite fears they can cause babies to suffocate.

Several other firms, including John Lewis and Tesco, have removed the products from their websites after US authorities issued a fresh warning to parents saying they were unsafe. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has linked the products to at least 12 baby deaths in America which occurred when babies rolled from their side to their front and suffocated.

The positioners, sometimes called nests or wedges, are intended to keep the baby in one place on their back and are marketed as suitable for use up to six months of age.

Some parents use them hoping their baby will sleep longer due to the infant feeling cosy, while others believe they cut the symptoms of reflux.

While some retailers have taken action to remove the products from their websites, others, including Amazon and Jo Jo Maman Bebe, still have them for sale.

A spokeswoman for Jo Jo Maman Bebe said it was still selling the products but was “investigating the issue as a matter of urgency with our suppliers”.

A spokeswoman for Amazon, which still has a range of sleep positioner products for sale, said the firm would not be commenting on the issue.

John Lewis has removed the Cocoonababy Sleep Positioner from sale.

It still has a range of “nests” and “pods” for sale including the Cocoonababy nest and the Sleepyhead.

John Lewis told worried customers on Twitter that both of these products are not considered sleep positioners and are therefore still on sale.

A statement from John Lewis said: “We have one baby sleep positioner and as a precautionary measure we are removing it from sale.”

A Tesco spokesman said: “We have removed these products from our website as a precautionary measure.”

Several of the products were still available on ebay but a spokeswoman said it was planning to remove them.

She said: “Following recent recommendations by US authorities, items of this nature will now be prohibited from being sold on our platform. Our team will be informing sellers and removing any listings that contravene our policies.”

Mothercare has also removed some products from sale. Individual manufacturers are still selling the products via their websites.

A statement from the FDA said it was “reminding parents and caregivers not to put babies in sleep positioners”.

“These products - sometimes also called ‘nests’ or ‘anti-roll’ products – can cause suffocation that can lead to death,” it said. “The two most common types of sleep positioners feature raised supports or pillows (called ‘bolsters’) that are attached to each side of a mat, or a wedge to raise a baby’s head.

“The positioners are intended to keep a baby in a specific position while sleeping and are intended for infants under six months old.”

The FDA and the NHS recommend that infants sleep on their backs on a flat mattress in an empty crib.

newdeskts@scotsman.com