The British consumer protection organization Which? has warned that baby products sold through major online shopping platforms may expose infants to the risk of suffocation or overheating.
Which? said it found 150 products it described as potentially dangerous and potentially fatal, being sold on platforms such as Amazon, eBay, Etsy, and TikTok, as well as other online shopping sites.
The organization explained that the products of concern include self-feeding devices that allow the child to breastfeed from a bottle without direct assistance, noting that these products may expose the infant to the risk of choking on milk or formula, or developing aspiration pneumonia as a result of fluids entering the lungs.
She added that infants do not have the physical and cognitive ability to control the flow of food or stop when needed, which makes these devices dangerous, especially since suffocation may occur silently as a result of airway obstruction, and parents may not notice it even if they are close to the child.
The organization also identified dozens of sleeping bags intended for children, saying they may be unsafe due to their design, as some have hoods that can cover the child's face, while others lack sufficient armholes, which could lead to the infant slipping inside while sleeping.
Which? reported finding 59 such sleeping bags offered on platforms such as Alibaba, AliExpress, Amazon, eBay and Etsy, noting that one of the products offered on Etsy was a knitted sleeping bag with a hood and no armholes, and the product image showed that the hood could cover the baby's mouth and nose.
The products identified by the organization also included 37 pillows marketed to children under 12 months old, offered across several platforms, including AliExpress, Amazon, Etsy, OnPay and TikTok.
The organization confirmed that children's sleeping pillows are associated with serious health risks, most notably suffocation and high body temperature, and their use has been linked to infant deaths and sudden infant death syndrome.
In December 2025, the UK's Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) issued an alert regarding the safety of certain products intended for children under 12 months old, following concerns about the use of sleeping pillows in cribs or their promotion as helping to improve infant sleep.
Sue Davies, head of consumer protection policy at Which?, said that children's lives are at risk because unsafe products continue to reach consumers, despite online platforms being aware of the potential dangers.
She added that the organization's studies showed how easily these products could be found through simple searches, noting that this raises questions about the effectiveness of the safety procedures followed by major companies.
Which? noted that about a quarter of the products it found were offered on Amazon, which presents itself as a leader in combating unsafe products.
The organization called for clearer legal responsibilities to be imposed on e-commerce platforms, requiring them to take stricter measures to ensure the safety of the products offered, and imposing fines for non-compliance with the rules.
For their part, e-commerce platforms affirmed their commitment to product safety standards, stating that they had removed the products identified by Which? and taken action against some non-compliant listings.
The companies added that they have monitoring systems and policies in place for vendors to prevent the display of unsafe products, and stressed that they continue to develop review and follow-up procedures.
