Parents and those looking after infant children have been warned not to buy or use pillows marketed as baby sleep accessories as they pose a risk of death through either suffocation or overheating.The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) has issued the warning after establishing that the products are being made available for sale to Irish consumers, mainly through online marketplaces.It said it had issued takedown notices which have so far prompted the removal of 1,115 listings of these products from AliExpress, Amazon, Fruugo and Joom.A spokeswoman said the CCPC product safety officers continue to engage with online marketplaces to ensure that any of these products marketed for sleep and use in cots with babies are removed.Baby sleep pillows – sometimes called soothing pillows, baby sleep positioners, baby patters or sleep companions – are soft, cushioned products, often animal-shaped, which are marketed as sleep aids for babies. The products pose a risk when placed with sleeping and/or unattended babies.Babies can suffocate if something covers their nose and mouth, such as pillows, cushions or other soft items and the CCPC warned that such items should never be placed in a baby’s cot or left with an unattended baby.To help prevent cot death, the HSE recommends always placing babies on their backs to sleep with their feet to the end of the cot and keeping their heads uncovered. Parents should use cellular blankets (the tiny holes allow air to circulate) or a sleeveless sleeping bag.“Research has shown that there are steps you can take to reduce the risk of cot death or sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS),” said Dr Fiona Cianci, a consultant in public health medicine with the HSE Child Health Public Health unit. “This includes putting your baby on their back to sleep in a cot with a well-fitting, firm mattress and clear of all items, including soft objects or anything loose or fluffy. “Pillows, cushions and similar products should not be in the cot as they could suffocate your baby. There is also a risk of a baby overheating if they are sleeping on a soft surface that their head can sink into. There is a higher risk of SIDS if a baby overheats,” she said.“Some of these products are described to parents as helping babies with issues such as reflux or flat head syndrome (plagiocephaly). Our advice is to never use any pillow, cushion or similar product.”CCPC director of communications Grainne Griffin said the watchdog’s officers have secured “the removal of a number of listings offering these unsafe products for sale and acted quickly to get them off the market”. “The CCPC will continue market surveillance activities for these products and ensure that sales to Irish consumers are stopped.”