Consumer group CHOICE has raised the alarm after five out of 14 baby cots bought from online marketplaces and tested failed to meet basic safety standards.
The cots, which were purchased from online platforms including eBay and Baby Bunting Marketplace, were found to have serious safety issues such as risks of strangulation, arms or legs becoming trapped, and missing information about mattress sizes.
CHOICE household expert Chris Barnes said the findings highlighted a loophole in Australia’s product safety laws.
‘In our latest testing, we unfortunately found many cots from online retailers weren’t adhering to basic safety standards.
‘Some cots had limb entrapment or strangulation hazards, others had no safety warnings, or were missing information on recommended mattress sizes – leaving babies and toddlers at risk,’ Barnes said.
The cots that failed safety testing were also among the cheapest in the review, priced between $139 and $370.
Brands included in the failures were Sweet Pea, Consol, Grotime, Luxo Baby, and Koko and Scar. The cots were not bought directly from the manufacturer.
Cots that failed CHOICE’s safety tests:
- Consol Roma cot – $229
- Grotime Haven cot – $139
- Koko and Scar cot – $279
- Luxo Baby Eudora cot – $249
- Sweet Pea Anita cot – $370
Australia is set to introduce a new mandatory standard for cot safety in January 2026, but until then, marketplace operators are not required to ensure third-party products sold on their platforms meet safety standards.
Barnes said urgent reform is needed.
‘At the moment, a gap in the law means that online marketplaces aren’t required to ensure the products being sold on their platforms by third parties are safe,’ he said.
‘That’s why we need stronger product safety laws that make it illegal for all companies to sell unsafe products – no matter what the product is or who it’s sold by.’
As a result of the findings, eBay has removed the cots from its platform.
In response to CHOICE’s testing, Sweet Pea said the cot has ‘”‘undergone full compliance testing through an independent third-party laboratory’, and that ‘based on the certified results, we are confident that our product meets mandatory safety standards and is safe for consumer use’.
In a statement Luxo said safety was ‘their highest priortity’ and that they wanted to clarify the Eudora cot had been independently tested and shown to fully compliant with safety standards in Australia and New Zealand.
A spokeswoman said: ‘Customers can be assured that when assembled and used according to the instructions, the Luxo Baby Eudora cot is safe, compliant, and certified for use in Australian households.’
CHOICE has asked the other manufacturers for comment. Consumers can read the full report on the CHOICE website: www.choice.com.au/cotsafety.
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