# Are baby sleep pillows safe for a newborn or | Clever Mum

> No. OPSS issued a specific safety alert on infant sleep pillows in December 2025 due to suffocation, overheating and SIDS risk, and a July 2026 Which?

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#  Are baby sleep pillows safe for a newborn or under-12-months? 

    
 
Quick answer — Are baby sleep pillows safe for a newborn or under-12-months? 

 
No. OPSS issued a specific safety alert on infant sleep pillows in December 2025 due to suffocation, overheating and SIDS risk, and a July 2026 Which? investigation still found 37 on sale — many labelled "newborn" or "infant" directly. NHS and Lullaby Trust guidance is unambiguous: nothing should go in a cot with a baby under 12 months except a fitted sheet.

   
## What OPSS found

The Office for Product Safety and Standards issued a formal safety alert on infant sleep pillows in December 2025, and Which?'s July 2026 follow-up investigation still found 37 for sale — many marketed with the words "newborn" or "infant" in the title, or shown with a visibly young baby in the product photos. Which? estimated roughly 1,200 sleep pillows were listed on AliExpress alone.

## Why they're dangerous

Any soft, raised or contoured surface in a cot increases suffocation risk if a baby's face presses against it, and increases the risk of overheating — both established SIDS risk factors. This applies regardless of marketing claims about "head shaping" or "anti-flat-head" benefits; there is no pillow, positioner, nest or cushion considered safe for a baby under 12 months.

## The safer-sleep basics

* **Nothing in the cot** except a fitted sheet — no pillow, no nest, no positioner, no loose bedding, no soft toys, for the first 12 months
* **Back to sleep**, every sleep, on a firm, flat mattress
* **Room-share, not bed-share**, for the first 6 months
* Read the full [Which?/OPSS findings and safe alternatives](/baby/dangerous-baby-products-online-uk)
* See our [newborn sleep guide](/baby/newborn-sleep-guide-first-12-weeks) for the complete safer-sleep picture

  
 **Go deeper:**  [Dangerous baby products sold online](/baby/dangerous-baby-products-online-uk/) 

 
 **Buying guide:**  [Best cot mattresses UK](/best/best-cot-mattresses-uk/) 

   
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