Baby swim floats sold on Amazon, eBay and Vinted may put children at risk of drowning, Which? warns

Which? researchers launched a snapshot investigation into potentially lethal pool floats being sold on popular online marketplaces. The consumer champion found examples on Amazon, AliExpress, eBay, OnBuy, Shein and Vinted.

Every one of these sites allowed multiple products to be sold that could lead to an infant’s death, and Amazon’s own AI chatbot even recognised that a baby swim float we asked about had serious safety concerns and warned against buying it.

Many of the swim floats found by Which? included canopies designed for shade. The problem is that canopies and overhead structures on pool floats can increase wind resistance, which affects the stability of the float and creates a risk of it overturning. In windy conditions, floats with canopies risk lifting or tipping over and trapping or drowning babies.

Which? found 115 floats with canopies for sale across AliExpress, Amazon, eBay, OnBuy and Shein. These included products that appeared to be identical or pose the same risks to those in safety alerts issued by the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS).

There are at least 14 alerts for swim floats with canopies on the UK government’s recall site, plus another voluntary recall notice from TikTok Shop for the entire product category.

Another float for sale on Amazon featured a shark design and canopy. Which? researchers asked Rufus, Amazon’s AI chatbot, if it was safe to use this on a windy day. The chatbot said that there would be a ‘significant safety concern’ on windy days as the canopy acts as a sail, making it difficult to control.

Which? then questioned if the float was similar to any recalled products, and Rufus said that shoppers needed to be aware of an ‘important safety concern’ as multiple similar baby pool floats with canopies have been recalled by UK and US safety authorities, due to ‘serious drowning and injury risks’. It listed recent recalls, including the ‘Relaxing Baby’ float linked to a child’s death in the US. The chatbot concluded that it could not recommend the product because of these risks.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) warned consumers in April to stop using ‘Relaxing Baby’ Swim Floats - sold on marketplaces including Amazon US and eBay - immediately following the death of a two-year-old child. These floats can flip over or submerge the occupant underwater, posing a risk of drowning to infants and toddlers.

Separately, two safety alerts were issued in the UK by Trading Standards for an almost identical-looking float sold on Amazon in 2024, although the concern cited in that instance was the dangerous detachable canopy.

Which? found 14 floats with the brand name ‘Relaxing Baby’ that appear identical to the CPSC alert - 1 on OnBuy and 13 on Vinted. A further 11 (1 on AliExpress and 10 on Vinted) appeared identical but carried a different brand name or no brand name.

A further concern is that the toy-like design of these products could encourage complacency by parents around water. For instance, a listing on eBay for a shark design float depicts a baby alone in the water in the float while the parents sit on sun loungers by the side of the pool.

There is not currently a UK alert for the Relaxing Baby-branded float, but Which? believes that if online marketplaces really consider safety to be a priority, they should be on top of safety alerts for other sites and countries and actively taking down dangerous products.

Another variation of dangerous baby floats involves inflatable rings that fasten around a baby’s neck. A voluntary recall notice issued by Tiktok Shop, which was subsequently published on the Office for Product Safety and Standards’ (OPSS) recall site, states that baby neck floats present a risk of drowning as they may place too much pressure on the infant’s neck and restrict normal movement or airway positioning.

International consumer organisations such as Which? and ANEC (The European consumer voice in standardisation), working with ergonomists, pediatricians and product safety experts found that baby neck floats present a risk of drowning and suffocation, strain, and neck injury.

Despite expert consensus that these products should not be sold, Which? found 33 examples for sale across OnBuy (5) and Vinted (28). Several listings included images that matched the images in the category recall issued by TikTok Shop. Some of the neck floats for sale via OnBuy have been taken down, but they had been live since at least October 2025 according to user reviews.

This is just the latest in what feels like an endless string of failures from online marketplaces to keep unsafe products from being sold through their sites. In spite of clear evidence that they could have put babies’ lives at risk by allowing the sale of these products, Which? believes online marketplaces will not take meaningful action to protect their customers unless they are compelled to do so by law. This means clear responsibilities for ensuring the safety of products that they list on their sites and these rules must be backed up by heavy fines if they fall short.

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 has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to stop the sale of dangerous products on these platforms, but it must 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:

“Babies’ lives are potentially at risk because online marketplaces continue to operate what we see as an irresponsible business model that allows anonymous third-party sellers to list almost anything and face no consequences. We’ve seen time and again that they will not do enough to prevent the sale of unsafe products unless they are forced to.

“The government must stand firm against Big Tech lobbying and do what is needed to keep children safe. It must urgently use its new powers under the Product Regulation and Metrology Act to 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.”

-ENDS-

Notes to Editors

TikTok Shop issued a voluntary recall notice for four different types of floats which were subsequently published on the Office for Product Safety and Standards’ (OPSS) recall site.

According to TikTok, the company has been engaging with the OPSS on this product category and takes action when product safety concerns are identified. Its Product Safety & Recall Policy covers concerns flagged by users and by regulatory government bodies in the UK and other countries. Listings for any products recalled by the manufacturer or a government agency are not permitted, and recall notices are sent to any customers affected.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) published the following in April: CPSC Warns Consumers to Stop Using “Relaxing Baby” Swim Floats Immediately Due to Risk of Serious Injury or Death from Drowning; One Child Death Reported

Methodology:

Which? identified three types of pool floats that had been subject to safety alerts in the UK and/or internationally. Which? researchers used reverse image searching from safety alerts to identify matching floats for sale online. The consumer champion also used the search function on online marketplaces, using key terms such as ‘infant float with canopy’ or ‘swimming neck float’, to identify products that posed the same risks as those in safety alerts due to their design.

Results summary:

AliExpress - 40 floats with canopies
Amazon - 22 floats with canopies
eBay - 37 floats with canopies
OnBuy - 16 floats, including five neck rings and 11 floats with canopies (including a relaxing baby float)
Shein - 4 floats with canopies
Vinted - 52 floats, including 28 neck rings and 24 that match the CPSC recall

Advice for consumers:

Kaylë Brightwell, Director of Education for the Swimming Teachers’ Association, offers the following advice to parents:

“STA, as a national governing body for swimming and an educational charity, does not endorse or recommend the use of baby neck floats. In 2017, STA and Birthlight jointly published a report raising concerns about their use and the potential risks they pose to babies, and we continue to strongly advise parents and carers against using them.

“Baby swimming should be about creating safe, positive experiences in the water that encourage natural movement, confidence and, importantly, interaction and bonding between baby and parent or carer. Babies should be closely supported in the water at all times, with constant and active adult supervision.

“Devices that support a baby by the neck do not align with this approach, and no flotation device should ever be considered a substitute for close adult supervision and physical support in the water.”

Imagery:

Right of replies:

A spokesperson for Amazon said: "Nothing is more important to us than safety, 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 require independent third party lab testing and certification documents. We've removed the products in question and are investigating how these came to be available. We continuously monitor our store and we take swift action when we're alerted of potential issues. 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."

A spokesperson for AliExpress said: “Product safety is a top priority for AliExpress. Following notification from Which?, we immediately removed the flagged listings from sale in the UK and are rolling out additional category-level safety measures for baby swimming floats. We are committed to working with UK regulators and consumer organisations to ensure a safe shopping environment.”

A spokesperson for eBay said: “We’ve removed the listings identified by Which? and carried out further checks to identify and remove similar items. We'll be using learnings from these listings will be used to improve enforcement and detection to make filters stronger going forward. eBay uses technology, AI-supported monitoring and specialist teams, working closely with regulators, to help prevent unsafe products from being sold. Together, these proactive measures prevent millions of potentially unsafe items from being sold each year.”

A spokesperson for OnBuy said: Product safety is a top priority for OnBuy, and our Risk Team works closely with Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) to identify and remove unsafe and non-compliant products. The products identified have been removed from our marketplace, and we have initiated and are overseeing a recall to ensure affected customers are contacted and offered full refunds. We have also undertaken a wider review to identify and remove similar products. We continue to strengthen our product safety controls, including the adoption of new technology designed to identify and block potentially non-compliant products as they are created.

A spokesperson for Shein said: "We take product safety extremely seriously and are committed to providing a safe and reliable shopping experience for all our customers. As soon as we were informed of the findings, we initiated our established product safety protocols and immediately removed the products identified from sale as a precaution while we investigate. We have also initiated a site-wide review of similar products. All sellers on SHEIN Marketplace are required to comply with applicable laws and regulations, as well as our product safety standards. We have robust measures in place to prevent non-compliant products from being listed on our platform, and continuously strengthen these safeguards. These controls begin before sellers are permitted to join SHEIN Marketplace, and products remain subject to ongoing monitoring and post-listing reviews. Where sellers are found to be in breach of our requirements, we take appropriate enforcement action."

A spokesperson for Vinted said: “Under our Catalogue Rules, items prohibited by law or regulation are not allowed to be sold on Vinted. We take action as soon as we become aware of potentially prohibited listings, whether through our own detection tools or through reports from members. If a listing or a member’s behaviour goes against our rules, we take action. Depending on the case, this may include removing listings or suspending accounts. We care about the safety of our members, and are constantly working on our processes and policies to respond to emerging safety risks. We also collaborate closely with the relevant authorities when appropriate to help us maintain effective detection and compliance efforts.”

About Which?

Which? is the UK’s consumer champion, empowering people to make confident choices and demand better. Through our research, investigations and product testing, we provide trusted insight and expert recommendations on the issues that matter most to consumers.

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