Soft toy pillows being marketed as a sleep companion for babies are a safety risk and can result in serious injury or death of young infants.
Red Nose, Australia’s leading authority on safe sleep practices for infants and children, has published expert advice stating that there should be no soft items in the sleeping environment for infants aged 0-12 months, including soft toys and pillows, as they can increase the risk of suffocation and overheating. Overheating is a well-known risk factor for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
In June 2022 the ACCC published safety messaging on the ACCC Product Safety Facebook page and on Twitter about soft toys being dangerous for babies to sleep with.
Sellers are responsible for ensuring that your products are safe and comply with our Product Safety and Recalls Policy. Sellers who do not comply with this policy may be suspended or removed from MyDeal’s platform.
Mandatory standard for toys
In addition to the safety concerns mentioned above, soft toy pillows must comply with the mandatory standard for toys for children up to and including 36 months of age (mandatory standard).
The mandatory standard was developed to reduce the chances of small parts coming off toys or after reasonable wear and tear, thereby helping to prevent choking, suffocation, or death.
Sellers are responsible for ensuring the soft toy pillows meets the requirements of the mandatory standard.
Action sellers should take
Sellers must not sell pillows or similar sleep aids for children under 2 years old on MyDeal, and must check their listings to ensure they comply with these requirements.
Listings for children’s pillows should be accompanied by appropriate warnings to ensure customers are aware of the danger of using such products with children under 2 years of age.
MyDeal recommends use of the following warning in listing details:
WARNING: Pillows are not recommended for infants 0 – 2 years and are a risk for suffocation. Do not use pillows or place plush toys in an infant’s cot.
In addition sellers should review their product listings address potential risks associated with supplying the product by:
- changing the title of the product to remove any reference to sleep; and
- removing all images of a baby sleeping with the product