The alert focuses on baby sleeping bags that either lack armholes or include a hood. Specified design features can increase the risk of a baby slipping down inside the product, resulting in material covering their nose and mouth, as well as increasing the risk of overheating. OPSS has published nearly 50 recalls or product safety reports relating to dangerous baby sleeping bags since 2023. This shows the ongoing concerns regarding product safety and compliance within this category.
Businesses should assess product design and align obligations under product safety legislation. Businesses placing baby sleeping bags on the UK market must ensure products are safe and that any product marketed or intended for unsupervised baby sleep have the appropriate risk assessment during product development.
The publication of the alert follows the recent revision of EN 16781:2026, the European safety standard for children's sleep bags. The updated standard introduces revised safety, testing, thermal performance and labelling requirements, including new sizing requirements, revised neck opening test methods, additional consumer information obligations and restrictions on certain product designs. Businesses manufacturing or sourcing baby sleep bags should review both the OPSS alert and the updated standard when assessing product compliance and future product development.
UKFT Members manufacturing, importing, distributing or retailing baby sleep products should review affected product ranges and ensure they align with the safety expectations set out in the alert and are welcome to email compliance@ukft.org.
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