Consumer watchdog Which? has identified 150 potentially lethal baby products being sold to UK consumers on major online marketplaces, including Amazon, TikTok Shop, and Etsy. The items include self-feeding props that risk choking and sleep pillows that risk suffocation, according to a report from PA News Agency.
Dangerous Products Found Across Multiple Platforms
Which? researchers found the items on Alibaba, AliExpress, Amazon, eBay, Etsy, OnBuy, TikTok Shop, and Wish. All platforms except Wish removed the flagged items after being notified. The watchdog focused on self-feeding products, baby sleep pillows, and baby sleeping bags, categories that had been subject to safety alerts from the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS).
Self-feeding products are designed to allow babies to bottle-feed with minimal caregiver assistance. According to a 2022 OPSS safety alert, these products create a risk of serious harm or death from choking or aspiration pneumonia, as babies lack the dexterity and cognitive ability to control feed flow or stop when full.
54 Self-Feeding Props Found
Which? found 54 baby self-feeders for sale on Alibaba, Amazon, eBay, OnBuy, and TikTok Shop. Of these, 21 were pillow bottle holders that fasten around a baby's neck. The OPSS issued a product safety alert in December 2025 about baby sleep pillows, warning of suffocation and overheating risks for infants under 12 months.
Which? identified 37 pillows marketed for infants under 12 months, many including words like “newborn” or “infant” in the name or description, or showing a child under 12 months using the product. Listings on AliExpress, Amazon, Etsy, OnBuy, TikTok Shop, and Wish claimed the pillows improved sleep or were suitable for cribs or cots.
One AliExpress reviewer noted a baby pillow was “way too heavy for a newborn or child under one,” yet the listing indicated at least 1,200 had been sold.
59 Unsafe Sleeping Bags
Which? found 59 baby sleeping bags on Alibaba, AliExpress, Amazon, eBay, Etsy, and Wish that posed serious suffocation risks. The bags included hoods that could cover a baby's face, lacked arm holes, or both, causing a risk of the baby slipping down inside. On Etsy, 38 sleeping bags raised concerns, including a knitted bag with a hood and no arm holes shown covering a baby's mouth and nose. On Amazon, six dangerous sleeping bags were found, some fulfilled by Amazon itself.
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.”
Marketplace Responses
Alibaba.com said it “swiftly removed the non-compliant products” upon notification and will continue to educate sellers. AliExpress stated the flagged products were removed from the UK market and enhancements to control measures are underway. An Amazon spokesman said the products were removed while they investigate, encouraging customers to contact Customer Service with concerns. eBay said two items had already been removed before Which? contacted them, and the remaining four were removed with a wider check conducted. An Etsy spokeswoman confirmed all policy-violating listings were removed. OnBuy said all products were removed before any sales were taken. TikTok Shop confirmed removal and issuance of notices to customers. Wish did not respond.
