Amazon, Aldi and eBay slammed for selling 'dangerous' sleeping bags for babies

Amazon, Aldi, and eBay are among 12 brands that have failed safety tests for baby sleeping bags sold on their websites.

They failed at least one test run by consumer group Which? or didn’t meet British safety standards.

Which? selected 15 sellers of baby sleeping bags – chosen from those that ranked top on search results.

The consumer watch group found that the sleeping bags sold could cause tots to choke, suffocate, or overheat.

Also tested were major childcare brands JoJo Maman Bébé and Grobag, as well as third-party sellers on some of the biggest online retailers including Etsy, Wish, and AliExpress.

Sleeping bags were accused of having incorrect or missing labels. In Aldi’s case, the sleeping bags had a zip that Which? said could cause scratches.

Only three bags – from Asda, John Lewis, and Mamas & Papas – passed all of the safety requirements.

What Which? checked

  • Checking the neck opening is the right size for the age of the child
  • Making sure the fasteners (studs and zips) are all strong enough to stop a baby from escaping
  • Looking for any loose threads and labels that could trap a baby’s fingers or toes
  • Checking to see if there are strangulation hazards – such as a drawcord – built into the sleeping bag
  • Making sure loose labels aren’t too long and loop labels are in the upper inside back part of the sleeping bag
  • Carrying out a small-parts check, where we subject buttons to a force of 70 Newtons to make sure they don’t detach and create a choking hazard
  • Making sure the bags don’t get too hot, which could cause a baby to dangerously overheat
  • Looking at the instructions on each bag for all of the key safety, use, and care instructions.

The safety problems uncovered included neck openings that are too wide, which could lead to a baby slipping down into the bag and suffocating.

Which? also found inaccurate tog ratings that could lead to a baby seriously overheating.

And many bags didn’t provide key safety information in the instructions.

Following the investigation, Amazon, AliExpress, and eBay had removed all of the baby sleeping bags that failed tests from their sites.

We reached out to Baby Centre which has a helpful infographic for parents to understand what babies should wear at night.

A spokesperson from the parenting website tells Metro.co.co.uk: ‘The results of the Which? investigation are very worrying. However, by following a few simple rules, parents can make sure they buy a sleeping bag that’s safe for their baby. 

‘We advise parents to make sure their baby’s sleeping bag meets British Standard BS8510:2009, which should be displayed on the label and packaging as well as any online information.

‘The sleeping bag should fit securely at the shoulders and not be so loose at the neck that there’s a risk their baby could slip down inside the bag. 

‘We advise against buying one with a hood, or with any attachments that could come loose, while zips and poppers should be secure and concealed.

‘Lastly, it’s important to use the right tog sleeping bag for the season and to only go up to 3.5 tog if the room is very cold.’

Brand resposes

An Aldi spokesperson told Metro.co.uk: ‘This product has been extensively tested and complies with the relevant British/EU safety standards, and is entirely safe to use. We’ve sold thousands of these sleep pods within the UK and haven’t had any complaints related to the points raised by Which?.’

An eBay spokesperson said: ‘We work closely with regulators, authorities and consumer organisations including Trading Standards and the Office of Product Safety and Standards, and go beyond the legal requirements for product safety. The three listings tested and flagged to us have been removed and action has been taken against the sellers. We have also requested that the sellers issue a recall notice.’

To see the results of the full investigation, visit the Which? website.

The brands mentioned have also added further comments on the Which? website.

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