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Buying a cot, pram or high chair? The ACCC's free Keep baby safe guides

ACCC Product Safety has a free guide for every big baby purchase: cots, bassinets, prams, car seats, carriers, high chairs, walkers, bouncers, bath aids and toys. What each guide tells you, how to use them when buying new or second-hand, and the free Choke Check tool.

A mother kneels in a sunny nursery and shakes the side rail of a new white cot to check it is firm, a booklet open on the floor, while her baby lies on their back on a play mat nearby

Getting ready for a baby means buying a lot of things fast: a cot, a pram, a car seat, a high chair, a bouncer, a pile of toys. Some of it comes new, some from a friend, some from Marketplace. It is hard to know which of it is safe.

ACCC Product Safety, the national regulator for the things we buy, has written a short, free guide for nearly every one of those products. Each tells you what to look for in the shop and how to use the product safely at home.

Open the Keep baby safe guides

What it is

Keep baby safe is a section of the ACCC's Product Safety website. It sorts baby products by what you are doing with your baby:

Each guide covers the risks, what to look for when buying, how to use the product safely, and what to do if it turns out to be unsafe. Many link to recalls of that product.

Who it is for

Anyone buying, borrowing or being given things for a baby or toddler: expecting parents writing a shopping list, grandparents setting up a spare room, anyone picking up a second-hand cot.

What you get

A clear answer on where babies can sleep. The ACCC says the products safest for sleep are household cots, folding cots, and bassinets and cradles. Car seats, bouncers, prams, strollers, carriers and slings are not designed for sleep. Nor are baby nests, loungers, rockers, swings or hammocks. Babies sleep on their back on a flat, firm, level surface, head and face uncovered, with no soft toys, bumpers, pillows or blankets in the cot.

What to check on a cot. The household cots guide says to use only the mattress made for that cot, with no extra mattresses or padding. A drop side must have a clear, secure locked position. There should be no gaps that could trap a head, neck or limbs, and no footholds to climb out. Move the mattress down as soon as your baby can sit, pull up or stand. Keep the cot away from blind and curtain cords, heaters, appliances and mobiles. New mandatory standards for cots and other products babies sleep in have applied to suppliers since 19 January 2026.

What to check when buying online. The listing should show safety warning statements and the age range the product is for. If it doesn't, the ACCC's advice is not to buy it.

What to check when buying second-hand. Ask the seller for the instructions and look at the product in person. Check it hasn't been recalled, that it meets the current standard and that all its parts work. If you're unsure, don't buy it. The ACCC also points out that most consumer guarantees don't cover private sales between two people, so a refund is not a given.

What is banned outright. Baby bottle self-feeding devices (which hold a bottle so a baby can feed with no one holding it) are permanently banned. So are toys and feeding items for children up to 3 that contain more than 1% DEHP, a plastic softener.

The free Choke Check tool

For children under 3, the ACCC has a do-it-yourself Choke Check tool. You print it on A4, cut it out and tape it into a tube. If a toy or object fits inside, it is small enough to choke a young child. You need a printer, scissors and sticky tape.

Get the free Choke Check tool

How to use it, step by step

  1. Open the Keep baby safe page and choose what you're shopping for: sleep, move, feed, play or bathe.
  2. Open the guide for the product, for example "Household cots guide".
  3. Read "Things to look for when buying the product" before you go to the shop or message a seller. Take a screenshot to check against.
  4. Look up the product's recalls on the ACCC recalls site before you buy, especially second-hand. Our guide to product recalls and free email alerts shows how.
  5. When it's set up at home, read "How to use the product safely" in the same guide.
  6. Print the Choke Check tool and test your baby's small toys.

What it costs

Nothing. The guides, the Choke Check tool and recall searches are free, with no sign-up.

What it is not

The ACCC covers products. For everything else about safe sleep, use Red Nose's free safe sleep advice. For car seats, see our guides to finding a car seat fitter and crash-test star ratings.

Open the Keep baby safe guides

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