Online marketplaces still selling dozens of unsafe baby products, Which? finds
Registered health visitor Ruth Watts, who has been giving advice on social media, told the BBC she was not surprised that a number of unsafe baby products were still on the market.
“Parents are the most vulnerable consumers,” he said. “We want the best for our babies, we are desperate for sleep, and if a product promises to help you or make your baby sleep better… that is of course appealing.”
Which one when shopping for baby products? He advises parents not to buy any products that help self-feeding, and that babies under 1 year old do not need a pillow to sleep at night.
It is also stated that you should never buy a baby sleeping bag with a hood, without armrests, or with excess material or attachments, and that you should make sure you buy a sleeping bag of the right size.
Watts’ advice to parents trying to figure out whether a sleep-related product is safe for babies is to check if it’s recommended by the baby sleep safety charity Lullaby Trust.
“If something seems too good to be true, if someone promises you a quick fix to a problem, then it probably is too good to be true,” he said.
According to the Lullaby Trust, the safest place for a baby to sleep is on their back on a firm, flat mattress in a clear cot with no toys inside.
Seven of the online marketplaces issued statements in response to the findings.
An Amazon spokesperson said, Which? He stated that he removed the products highlighted by and said that he constantly monitors the products offered for sale on his site and takes action quickly when warned about possible problems.
“Parents trust Amazon because we take our customers’ safety extremely seriously, especially when it comes to babies,” they said.
Alibaba said it removed “incompatible products” and “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”, that the relevant products have been removed from the UK market and that it will make “the necessary improvements to our existing control measures” to ensure these products do not re-emerge.
EBay said it uses “technology, artificial intelligence and expert teams” to keep unsafe items off its platform, removing some flagged items and running broader checks to remove similar items.
An Etsy spokesperson said, Which? All listings flagged by have been removed, he said, adding: “Keeping our users safe is paramount.”
TikTok said it removed products flagged by the investigation and notified customers.
OnBuy said that all relevant products have been removed and that it is working closely with OPSS to ensure that unsafe and non-compliant products are removed from the market as quickly as possible.
The BBC has contacted Wish and the Department of Commerce and Trade for comment.
