‘Potentially life-threatening’ baby sleeping bags for sale by online giants
Baby sleeping bags sold on online marketplaces and by trusted retailers such as Jojo Maman Bébé pose serious safety risks that could cause a child to choke, suffocate or overheat, a new investigation from Which? has found.
The consumer watchdog found that 12 out of 15 baby sleeping bags bought from online marketplaces, as well as high street stores and online from leading brands, failed its safety tests.
All nine sleeping bags from online marketplaces Aliex - press, Amazon Marketplace, ebay, Etsy and Wish failed at least one of Which?’ s tests, with some posing major safety risks to babies’ lives.
Baby sleeping bags can be a safer alternative to traditional cot blankets as they prevent babies’ faces from accidentally getting covered during the night, which can lead to suffo cation. Yet Which? found sleeping bags sold by thirdparty sellers on online marketplace sand even some popular retailers could be putting infants’ lives at risk.
The watchdog’s tests include checking the neck opening is the right size, ensuring fasteners and buttons are secure and that the sleeping bag is free from loose threads and strangulation hazards.
Each bag is also checked to ensure it states accurate tog levels–so babies do not overheat–and includes all key safety instructions. If a product does not pass all tests, it is deemed unsafe.
Which? found that seven of the 12 sleeping bags that failed, were deemed to be serious failures meaning that they could cause a baby harm or endanger its life. A further five had less serious safety concerns but failed to meet British safety standards.
Raising the most concerns, Which? found that three sleeping bags–purchased from Ali Express, one from Wish and one from boutique retailer Jojo Maman Bébé – had wide neck openings that were too big for the age they were advertised for, which could lead to a baby slipping down into the bag and suffo - cating.
Natalie Hitch ins, Which? head of home products and services, said :“Parents must be able to trust that if they buy a pro duct in the UK from a well-known retailer or online marketplace that it will be safe and meet the safety standards required in this country.”
All of the online retailers involved have been contacted for comment.
A spokesman for Amazon said :“Safety is important to Amazon and we want customers to shop with confidence.” And a spokesman for Alibaba said: “After we were made aware of these unsafe items, we took prompt action and removed them.”