These baby sleeping bags could be dangerous - according to Which?

These sleeping bags could pose a danger to your baby (Photo: Shutterstock)These sleeping bags could pose a danger to your baby (Photo: Shutterstock)
These sleeping bags could pose a danger to your baby (Photo: Shutterstock)

Consumer Association Which? has found that certain baby sleeping bags currently on the market pose a significant safety risk to infants.

The watchdog conducted new research into the potential dangers posed by baby sleeping bags sold by online marketplaces, as well as by big name brands. The study tested 15 baby sleeping bags from online marketplaces, high street stores and leading brand websites - and found that 12 of them failed safety tests.

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The problems with the sleeping bags ranged from missing safety information in the instructions to possible suffocation hazards.

Which? explained, “Seven of the failures our testing exposed were serious enough to cause a baby harm or endanger its life.

“The five remaining safety test failures were caused by a product not meeting the requirements of the BS EN 16781:2018, which is the safety standard for sleeping bags.”

Which brands failed the tests?

These are the brands that failed the tests set out by Which?.

JoJo Maman Bebe Nautical Lightweight Baby Sleeping Bag, £32

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This sleeping bag had an issue with its neck opening - Which? found that it shouldn’t have exceeded the 39cm that is considered suitable for children aged six to 18 months.

The neck opening was 40.6cm, which means that the baby could slip down inside the sleeping bag and suffocate.

Baby Newborn Sleeveless Baby Sleeping Bag, sold via Bloom Baby, £18 (AliExpress)

There was a similar issue with this sleeping bag, as the neck opening was also too big for a baby up to six months old.

At 35.4cm, again, the baby’s head could slip underneath the bag.

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Which? also found that the sleeping bag gets too hot, measuring a tog level of 4.2 when it shouldn’t exceed 4.

Baby Sleeping Bag/Cocoon Stroller, sold via Housebay 01 Store, £34 (AliExpress)

“In our assessments we found openings that a baby could get their finger trapped in and the button inside the hood could easily be pulled off, presenting a choking risk,” Which? says.

Another major safety issue is that this product comes with a hood. Baby sleeping bags should not have hoods due to suffocation risks.

Cotton Nursery Bedding, sold via Coolcatsetsuna, £7 (eBay)

In the tests, Which? found threads coming off this bag that are longer than allowed by standard - loose threads are a problem as they can be pulled by the baby, turning into a strangulation hazard.

Sweet Dreams Little Star Wearable Infant Blanket, sold via TwinkleTwinkleTees, £19.99 (Etsy)

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Which? says, “The height and age the bag is designed for isn’t mentioned on the product and no instructions were provided with it, making it an instant fail in our tests.”

Baby Child Sleeping Bag, sold via Good Things, £19 (Wish)

The zip on this sleeping bag was too easy to pull open, meaning a baby could get tangled in the bag, or trap their fingers.

The bag was also found to get too hot in the Which? tests, exceeding the upper tog limit by 26 per cent, which would cause an infant to overheat.

Pre-washed Cotton Baby Sleeping Bag, sold via San Daohul, £7 (Wish)

“We’re very worried about the dangers this bag could pose to babies. The neck opening is much too wide at 45.6cm, which means a baby could slip inside the bag and suffocate,” Which? says.

Sleeping bags which failed current safety standards

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These are the sleeping bags that also failed the current safety standards set out:

Aldi CLoud Baby Sleep Bag, 2.5 Tog, £10Babycurls Snooze Bag, 2.5 Tog, £18 (bought via eBay)Amazon Lictin Baby Sleeping Bag, £18Amazon Silvercloud Counting Sheep Sleeping Bag, £13The Original Grobag 1.0 Tog, £36