Baby products that risk serious injury or death for sale on online marketplaces
Hannah is an investigative journalist covering retail issues from fake reviews and unsafe products to supermarket pricing practices. She's been at Which? for 12 years.
A snapshot investigation has uncovered 150 products designed for infants for sale by third party sellers on online marketplaces that could be deadly.
We found:
- 59 baby sleeping bags that don’t meet safety standards and pose a risk of suffocation.
- 54 products designed for self-feeding that pose a risk of choking or aspiration pneumonia.
- 37 baby sleep pillows that risk overheating or suffocation (both associated with SIDS).
All of these product categories have been subject to alerts or product safety notices by the Office for Product Safety and Security (OPSS) and we believe they should not be found for sale.
We uncovered the products using a combination of keyword searching, including phrases published in safety alerts by the OPSS, and reverse image searching.
These concerning findings, and the ease with which we found these clearly unsafe items, show that many online marketplaces simply aren’t doing enough when it comes to safety – even when infant lives are being put at risk.
Find out how to avoid dangerous products online with our guide.
Baby self-feeding products that risk choking and aspiration
Baby self-feeding products are designed to enable babies to bottle feed with little to no assistance from a caregiver. According to an OPSS safety alert this creates a risk of serious harm or death from choking on the feed or aspiration pneumonia (when the feed gets into the baby’s lungs), as the baby doesn’t have the dexterity or cognitive ability to control the flow of the feed or to know when to stop. The process of choking is silent, as the airway is blocked, so even a nearby parent may not realise it’s happening.
The OPSS safety alert, first issued in 2022, says that businesses must immediately remove these products from the market as they cannot comply with the safety requirements under the General Product Safety Regulations 2005. It includes baby self-feeding pillows and ‘prop-feeders’. In June 2026 a safety alert was issued for a self-feeding bottle for sale on OnBuy due to the same risks.
Despite the warnings and obvious risks associated, we were able to find 54 baby self-feeders for sale across Alibaba, Amazon, eBay, OnBuy and Tiktok Shop. 21 of these were pillow bottle holders that are fastened around a baby’s neck, and 33 had the long straw design.
When we checked ahead of contacting the marketplaces, all of the pillow-style self-feeders that we'd found during the investigation had been removed from Amazon, but two further listings were found.
Alibaba, eBay and Tiktok Shop show the numbers of products sold via each listing. At least 140 had been sold across those marketplaces, and one bottle holder pillow on Tiktok Shop had sold 92 times.
- Find out more: I'm a first-time parent, here's what I'm buying
Baby sleep pillows that risk overheating or suffocation
Baby sleep pillows have been linked to child fatalities in the UK and overseas. The OPSS issued a product safety alert in December 2025 stating significant concerns about ‘baby sleep pillows’ marketed for babies under 12 months old. The main harms are suffocation and overheating, which can lead to serious injury or death in babies, and have been associated with sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). These products promote sleep or care practices, including being placed into a sleep space or used unattended, that contravene NHS Safe Sleep guidance and can give rise to significant harm or death.
Despite this we found 37 pillows marketed as products for infants under 12 months old, many including the words ‘newborn’ or ‘infant’ in the name or description or showing a child obviously under 12 months old using the product. We found them for sale on Aliexpress, Amazon, Etsy, OnBuy, Tiktok Shop and Wish. Product listings often mentioned using the pillows to improve nighttime sleep, or using in a crib or cot.
A report was issued in December for a giraffe shaped baby pillow with patting function that was for sale on Amazon. Despite this we found several similar looking products that we believe pose the same risks for sale on the platform, including one shaped like a giraffe and showing an infant using the product.
Many of the listings on Aliexpress stated that the products shouldn’t be used with children under 1, but clearly stated ‘baby’, ‘infant’ or ‘newborn’ in the product name and included images of the product in use with infants including in cots and cribs. One even showed a young baby lying on its stomach on top of the product - this goes against NHS safe sleep guidance that says a baby should be placed on its back for sleep.
One reviewer of a baby pillow on Aliexpress said that it was ‘way too heavy for a newborn or child under 1’. At least 1,200 baby pillows had been sold via the listings we looked at just on Aliexpress.
- Find out more: help your baby sleep safely in the heat.
Unsafe baby sleeping bags posing suffocation risk repeatedly found for sale
We found 59 baby sleeping bags for sale on online marketplaces including Alibaba, Aliexpress, Amazon, eBay, Etsy and Wish that we believe to be unsafe as they present a serious risk of suffocation. The sleeping bags have hoods that could cover a baby’s head and face or lack arm holes, or both, meaning a sleeping infant could slip down inside. We believe they don’t meet the required safety standards set out by the British Standards Institution (BSI), and simply shouldn’t be for sale.
We found 38 products on Etsy that we were concerned about, including one knitted sleeping bag with a hood and no arm holes that was shown covering a baby’s mouth and nose. Many were bunny-style sleeping bags.
We found six baby sleeping bags on Amazon that we have concerns about, some of which actually dispatch from Amazon (as opposed to direct from third party sellers). A novelty shark shaped swaddle wrap has a hood with a shark face and teeth on, and the listing states that the sleeping bag can be used for multiple settings including sleeping. One reviewer posted a photo of their grandson using the sleeping bag, in which the hood appears large enough to cover his face.
Another baby swaddle blanket dispatched by Amazon is for infants aged 0-6 months and has a hood featuring teddy ears but no arm holes. The listing states that it can be used in the nursery and as a sleeping sack. Frustratingly we flagged this exact sleeping bag, although in brown rather than pink, to Amazon in January this year. The listing we shared with the marketplace no longer exists, but the page selling the pink version does.
This shark baby sleeping bag with no arm holes was for sale via Wish.com. On Aliexpress nearly 1,000 unsafe baby sleeping bags had been sold across five listings.
It’s not the first time we’ve uncovered dangerous baby sleeping bags on online marketplaces. In the last year alone we’ve alerted platforms to 79 products that don’t meet safety requirements, and we’ve been raising concerns about dangerous issues with baby sleeping bags since 2020. It begs the question - why are marketplaces still sleeping on the job of infant safety?
- Find out more: dangerous baby sleeping bags for sale on online marketplaces
Marketplaces risking infant safety
Once again marketplaces have failed to prevent the sale of dangerous products to consumers, suggesting they aren’t doing enough to stay on top of the issue and continuing to put online shoppers in harm’s way.
Which? believes that online marketplaces will not take meaningful action to protect their customers unless they are compelled to do so by law and face significant fines for breaking the rules. This means that online marketplaces must be given clear responsibilities for ensuring the safety of products that they list on their sites.
The Product Regulation and Metrology Act, adopted in July last year, enables the Secretary of State to impose product safety requirements on online marketplaces through secondary legislation, but these have been delayed and the government has only recently consulted on possible changes. The government urgently needs to use these powers to ensure that products such as these are prevented from reaching UK consumers.
Sue Davies, Which? Head of Consumer Protection Policy, said: 'The lives of babies are at risk because these platforms won’t stop dangerous products from reaching their customers - even though they are well aware that these products can be deadly.
'Which? has shown how easy it is to find these unsafe products with simple tools, so it's impossible for us to take companies as powerful as Amazon or eBay at their word when they claim safety is a top priority. Lives will be at risk until online marketplaces are finally forced to clean up their act.
'The government must urgently use the new powers it has under the Product Regulation and Metrology Act to update product safety legislation and impose a clear legal duty on online marketplaces for ensuring the safety of products sold through their third-party sellers, with tough enforcement for those that fall short.'
How to shop safely for baby products
When buying products for babies or children, particularly those were safety is crucial such as sleeping bags and toys with magnets or batteries, avoid buying from thirty party sellers on online marketplaces. Buy products from recognisable brands.
- Baby sleeping bags – never buy a baby sleeping bag with a hood or without armholes, or one with excess material e.g. bows or novelty attachments. Baby sleeping bags have to conform to strict criteria, so avoid products marketed for multiple uses. Buy the right size sleeping bag for your baby, and if it looks as though they could slip inside it then don't use it.
- Baby sleep pillows – do not use a baby sleep pillow for infants under 1 year old, especially at night in a cot or crib.
- Baby self-feeding aids – do not use a self-feeding aid.
- Always follow safe sleep guidance as set out by the NHS and Lullaby Trust.
Support our campaign to protect online shoppers – sign the petition today.
What the marketplaces told us
We shared our findings with the marketplaces.
Alibaba.com said it is a business-to-business marketplace that allows merchants to list their products online, and requires all merchants to comply with applicable local laws and regulations as well as a Product Listings Policy. It said ‘upon notification of the third-party listings, we swiftly removed the non-compliant products on our platform. We will continue to educate sellers, and take action against those who violate our terms of use’.
AliExpress said 'it takes customer safety and product compliance extremely seriously. All third-party sellers on our platform are required to comply with applicable laws as well as AliExpress's policies and standards. The products flagged by Which? have been removed from the UK market, and we will be making necessary enhancements to our existing control measures to further reduce the risk of non-compliant product listings reappearing on our UK platform. We appreciate your attention to this important issue and remain committed to fostering a safe and secure environment on our platform.'
An Amazon spokesperson said: 'Parents trust Amazon because we take customers safety incredibly seriously, particularly when it comes to babies and infants. It’s why we prohibit certain products from our store and have strict proactive controls on this category, which can include requiring independent third party lab testing and certification documents. We continuously monitor our store and we take swift action when we’re alerted of potential issues.
'We’ve removed the products highlighted by Which? while we investigate. If customers have concerns about any item they've purchased, we encourage them to contact our Customer Service directly so we can investigate and help resolve their issue.'
eBay told us: 'At eBay, we use technology, AI and expert teams to help keep unsafe items off the site. We also work closely with regulators as part of our commitment to maintaining a safe and trusted marketplace. Two of the items identified by Which? had already been removed before they contacted us. We have now removed the remaining four items and carried out a wider check to find and remove any similar listings.'
An Etsy spokesperson said: 'Keeping our users safe is paramount, and Etsy prohibits the sale of unsafe items on our marketplace. Our Trust & Safety team works constantly to remove items that violate our policies, using a combination of automated controls, human review, and community flags. We removed all the flagged policy-violating listings as soon as it was brought to our attention.'
OnBuy said: 'Product safety remains one of our highest priorities. Our Risk Team work closely with the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) to ensure that our monitors and controls effectively remove unsafe and non-compliant products from our marketplace as quickly as possible. We can confirm that all of these products were removed before any sales were taken.'
TikTok said the products flagged have been removed and that it has notified customers. It said it has policies in place to protect customers and provide a trustworthy shopping experience.
