Warning Issued Over Dangerous Car Seat Head Straps Sold Online

Consumer protection officials are urging parents to avoid using car seat head straps for children, warning the accessories pose serious risks of suffocation, strangulation, and spinal injury.

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) issued the alert following a sweep of 100 product listings across five online marketplaces, including Amazon, Shein, and Wish. Every single listing was subsequently removed after sellers failed to demonstrate the products were safe, with 74 listings not even displaying a valid EU Responsible Person, a legal requirement for non-EU companies selling on the European market.

The products, which are marketed under names such as "car seat head strap," "neck protection belt," "head support hugger," or "nap aid belt," claim to stop a child's head falling forwards or sideways during sleep. In practice, investigators found the straps can slip over a child's face or neck, creating a serious risk of suffocation or strangulation, and could also cause spinal or neck injuries in a collision. The products have already been recalled in Malta, Germany, and Australia.

Grainne Griffin, CCPC Director of Communications, said:

"Products like this prey on a parent's basic instinct to protect their child. But instead of making a toddler safer, they put the child much more at risk. If the strap slips down over the child's face or neck, there is a serious risk of suffocation or strangulation."

She added:

"CCPC sweeps have led to the removal of 100 product listings across various platforms. However, we're asking the public to remain vigilant and contact us if they see car seat head straps like these being advertised, be it online or in physical stores."

The HSE has also weighed in, with a clear message for parents to trust the seat and ditch the strap.

Dr Katharine Harkin, Consultant in Public Health Medicine, HSE Child Health Public Health, said:

"Do not place straps across your child's forehead in a car seat. They claim to prevent your child's head from falling forwards or sideways if they fall asleep. There is no evidence that these products are safe to use."

Dr Harkin added that parents should use a properly fitted, appropriate car seat without any additional products, and directed families to mychild.ie for further guidance on child safety while driving.

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) echoed those concerns, noting that car seats are highly regulated and tested to perform in a specific way during a collision.

Christine Hegarty, Road Safety and Education Manager at RSA, said:

"Child car seats are highly regulated and vigorously tested and are designed to perform and react in a specific way in the event of a collision. Any device that changes that process is dangerous."

Consumers who spot these products being sold, online or in-store, are asked to report them to the CCPC. Accessories should only be used with a car seat if they have been specifically tested and approved by that seat's manufacturer.