A consumer watchdog has identified 150 “potentially lethal” baby products that were being sold to UK consumers.
Which? found items like self-feeding props that risked choking and sleep pillows that risked suffocation were available on online marketplaces.
Researchers found the items on Alibaba, AliExpress, Amazon, eBay, Etsy, OnBuy, TikTok Shop and Wish.
All the marketplaces said they had removed the flagged items from sale, except for Wish, which did not respond.
Which? examined self-feeding products, baby sleep pillows and baby sleeping bags after these categories were flagged in alerts and safety notices issued by the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS).
Self-feeding devices are designed to allow babies to bottle-feed with little or no help from a caregiver. However, an OPSS safety alert from 2022 warned they pose a risk of serious harm or death, including choking or aspiration pneumonia, where liquid enters the lungs. Babies lack the coordination and awareness to control the flow of milk or recognise when to stop feeding.
Researchers found 54 baby self-feeding products for sale across Alibaba, Amazon, eBay, OnBuy and TikTok Shop. Of these, 21 were pillow-style bottle holders designed to fasten around a baby’s neck.
In December 2025, the OPSS also issued a safety alert over baby sleep pillows marketed for infants under 12 months. The main risks identified were suffocation and overheating.
Which? identified 37 pillows marketed for babies under one, many labelled as “newborn” or “infant”, or shown being used by babies clearly under 12 months old. Listings on AliExpress, Amazon, Etsy, OnBuy, TikTok Shop and Wish often claimed the pillows could improve sleep or be used in a cot or crib.
One reviewer on AliExpress described a baby pillow as “way too heavy for a newborn or child under one”, despite the product page indicating more than 1,200 had been sold.
The investigation also uncovered 59 baby sleeping bags on online marketplaces including Alibaba, AliExpress, Amazon, eBay, Etsy and Wish that were deemed potentially unsafe due to a serious suffocation risk.
Some designs included hoods that could cover a baby’s face, lacked armholes, or both — increasing the chance of an infant slipping down inside.
On Etsy alone, 38 sleeping bags raised concerns, including one knitted design with a hood and no armholes that was pictured covering a baby’s mouth and nose.
Six potentially dangerous baby sleeping bags were also found on Amazon, some of which were fulfilled directly by Amazon rather than third-party sellers.
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.”
How did online platforms respond?
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 said: “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 spokesman said: “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.”
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An Etsy spokeswoman said: “We removed all the flagged policy-violating listings as soon as it was brought to our attention.”
OnBuy said: “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.”
Have you noticed potentially dangerous baby products for sale online? Let us know in the comments.
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