Consumer watchdog Which? has identified 150 baby products for sale on major online platforms that it believes fail to meet safety standards, posing risks of choking, suffocation, and overheating. The items include self-feeding products, baby sleep pillows, and baby sleeping bags, found on websites such as Alibaba, AliExpress, Amazon, eBay, Etsy, OnBuy, TikTok Shop, and Wish.
Self-Feeding Products Pose Choking Risk
Which? highlighted that the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) issued a safety alert in 2022 warning that self-feeding products create a serious risk of choking or aspiration pneumonia. Despite the OPSS stating these products should be removed, Which? found 54 baby self-feeders still for sale.
Baby Sleep Pillows Linked to Fatalities
Baby sleep pillows have been associated with child fatalities in the UK and abroad. In 2025, the OPSS issued a separate warning deeming them unsafe for infants under 12 months due to risks of suffocation and overheating. Which? discovered 37 pillows marketed for infants under 12 months, many using terms like "newborn" or "infant" in their names or descriptions.
Unsafe Baby Sleeping Bags Found
Researchers also found 59 baby sleeping bags they consider unsafe due to serious suffocation risks. These bags often include hoods that could cover a baby’s head and face, or lack arm holes, causing a sleeping infant to slip down inside.
Which? Calls for Stronger Regulation
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.”
Platform Responses
Alibaba.com 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 stated: "AliExpress 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." An Amazon spokesperson commented: "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 said: "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: "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: "Our Risk Team works 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 Shop said: "The products flagged by Which? have been removed from TikTok Shop and notices issued to customers. TikTok has policies and processes in place to protect customers, including policies on what can and can't be sold." Wish did not respond to Which? when it requested comment.
