September is Baby Safety Month and as a nursery designer, baby safety is a huge part of my job. We need to assess every single piece of furniture and decor that we suggest to clients, and regularly have conversations about how things need to change and transition.
One problem we see a lot with first-time parents is that they don’t know what to buy and assume that all baby products sold online are safe. Unfortunately that’s not the case, and Amazon can often be a big offender, along with other big retailers like Temu, AliExpress and even SHEIN. The good news is that Amazon was recently deemed to be liable by the CPSC for at least notifying you if there is a product recall or safety issue.
But the issue still remains—how do you know if a product on one of these sites is safe for your baby? Here are some tips and things to watch out for, especially for sleep products like bassinets, cribs, or soft sleepers:
1. Look at the product brand name. If the seller/brand name is unrecognizable to you, or made up of a bunch of seemingly random letters, there’s a good chance that product is not regulated by any safety agency. If you’re not sure, Google the name and see if they have a legitimate website with their business and safety information.
2. Read the product description carefully. Read the whole title and description of the product. Are there any strange typos or sentences that don’t make sense? That’s a red flag.
3. Check for bogus certifications. I saw a bassinet for sale on Amazon a while back that said “CPC certified”. There is no such thing as CPC certified. If you suspect a product might be making a false claim, Google the certification. You should find a full website with detailed information about what’s required for that certification. If you don’t find it, then that’s likely a fake claim.
4. Look through all the photos. Sometimes cheap and unregulated products won’t have good imagery. The photos can be pixelated or blurry, or even just out of context.
5. Don’t trust reviews. This is common knowledge now, but Amazon is full of fake reviews. When it comes to the safety of your baby, it’s best to not just take a stranger’s word for it.
6. Check the packaging. If you do take the plunge and order a baby product from one of these retailers, check the packaging when it arrives. Is it in a box that’s labeled with a company name? Are there documents inside that detail the product description, warranty and safety information? Does the product itself have a tag on it with the same information that was posted on the website?
If any of these pop up for you, it might be time to look elsewhere. These sites have so many affordable baby products, but sometimes they come with a catch. Even things like baby clothes have been found to contain unsafe levels of lead from stores like SHEIN. It’s always better to be safe than sorry when it comes to baby safety!
There’s tons of nursery safety information in my book, Your Perfect Nursery, available at all major book retailers.
