Do you know what safety information you’re looking for when you buy baby products?

Buying items for your baby involves so many choices, and of course safety plays a big part in your decision, but do you always know what you’re looking for when it comes to safety standards? We’ve rounded up some important things to know about how safety standards work and what to look for when you’re shopping.  

Product safety standards are not all set by law – they don’t have to be met but reputable manufacturers will choose to safety check their product against them. 

Safety standards are a set of guidelines for a specific type of product, which make sure that it meets a certain level of safety. The standards are created by experts using research and lots of review and development.  

In most cases, they're not required to be met by law, so it is a choice for companies to decide to meet the standards for their product. If they say that their product does meet safety standards, then that is saying they have done all the relevant checks on safety as set by the standard. 

Most manufacturers will want to shout about this – they are spending a lot of time and money on safety checks, so will make that information clear and advertise safety aspects of their product. 

Reputable manufacturers will make their safety information available on their website, and many sellers will as well. If you can’t see any safety information, you can write to the place you’re thinking of buying from to request to see it – if they don’t have it, consider buying from somewhere that does share it.  

It is important to know, though, that safety standards for specific products (like baby sleeping bags, prams or cots) take around eight years to create, so newer baby products like baby sleep nests don’t yet have standards written specifically for them.  

This doesn’t mean they don’t meet some safety standards, or that the manufacturer is not doing any checks. It will simply mean you might want to do more research before buying. Look into the details held on consumer sites such as WHICH? and read reviews where you can.  

Manufacturers will do their own risk assessments to make sure a product is safe before they sell it. If you can’t find these easily on their website you can always ask to see them.  

Remember to think about how you plan to use the product, too.  

If the way you imagine using it doesn’t match how it was planned to be used by the manufacturer, then their safety checks might not cover you. This doesn’t automatically mean it won’t be safe, but make sure you have done your own risk assessing to decide if the product is right for you and your family.  

Always pay attention to any requirements that would impact safety, such as weight or size guidance, and make sure you’re using a product that is safe for your baby now.  

It can be tempting to size up (as babies grow so fast), but always check if this will impact safe use. Baby sleeping bags, for example, should not be too big around the neck, as this increases the risk of your baby slipping down and covering their face with fabric as they sleep. 

Keep buying or using second-hand items – but do some homework.  

If you prefer to buy second hand, or are being given baby items as hand-me-downs, don’t feel you need to stop or suddenly only buy new. 

All the same checks can be done to make sure items are safe – a quick look online will help to find any safety details you need and check some reviews or guidelines for use. You can look for a CE mark on toys and, as you probably do already, check all products are secure with no broken or loose parts before you use them.  

If you want to read more about safety standards, The Lullaby Trust has lots of useful details, with a focus on sleep-related products.