Baby device still on sale despite fear over safety
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) 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 still had them for sale yesterday.
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”.
Amazon, which also still had a range of sleep positioner products for sale yesterday, declined to comment on the issue.
Department store John Lewis removed the Cocoonababy Sleep Positioner from sale, but was selling a range of “nests” and “pods” including the Cocoonababy nest and the Sleepyhead.
It told worried customers on Twitter that neither of these products were considered sleep positioners.
Tesco, Mothercare and Boots hadallremovedsleeppositioners from sale, with the latter saying it would investigate with suppliers.
Several of the products were still available on eBay but a spokeswoman said it was planning to prohibit their sale following the recommendations from US authorities.
She said: “Our team will be informing sellers and removing any listings that contravene our policies.”
Meanwhile, individual manufacturers are still selling the products via their websites.
Both the FDA and the NHS recommend that infants sleep on their backs on a flat mattress in an empty crib.
The Lullaby Trust baby charity, which raises awareness of sudden infant death syndrome, said parents assumed baby sleep products were safe because they were available to buy.
It said in a statement: “We recommend that, while evidence on individual products is not widely available, parents do not take any chances and stick to scientifically proven safer sleep guidelines.”