Infants are being killed or injured by unsafe baby furniture with no safety standards.


A Fairfax investigation has found that bouncinettes and safety barriers don’t have safety and design standards. Most baby products have voluntary safety codes that manufacturers can ignore.

Second-hand products are being sold to parents who have little recourse if their babies are injured or killed.

Ten Australian children die and 6500 children aged under three need medical treatment each year due to nursery equipment accidents.

More than 437 children were taken to public Victorian hospital emergency departments in 2004-05 after such accidents.

The Infant and Nursery Products Association of Australia executive director, Tim Wain, said the second-hand market was almost untouched by safety regulators.

“It’s almost by accident that children are not being injured,” Mr Wain said.

“Go to eBay at any stage and you’ll see baby walkers there that there’s no way known would pass any safety standard, selling for $20 or $30.

“People put up on the website that they (products) pass standards but they don’t have any test certificates to prove that. Checking compliance is almost impossible.”