What to check on a second-hand changing unit

What should I look at before I take a used changer home?

The Lullaby Trust's second-hand checklist is written for baby products in general: get the instructions, confirm the relevant British Standard, search GOV.UK for recalls, and check the item is in one piece with no broken or missing parts. A changing unit adds furniture-specific extras — wall straps, fold-out leaves and locking fittings — that a sleep-product list does not name.

1. 1
   Photograph every label Brand, model or article number, batch, UKCA or CE mark, and any BS EN / EN number. Recalls and maker notices are written against those codes, not against 'white changing table'.
2. 2
   Download the current instructions Trading Standards South West says a used changer often arrives without the guide; search the maker's site or phone them. If no manual exists for that model, treat that as a reason not to buy rather than a gap to improvise.
3. 3
   Count the hardware Wall strap or brackets, screws, leaf locks, and any pad that came with the unit. IKEA's SUNDVIK notice is specifically about missing or unused locking fittings on the fold-out top.
4. 4
   Search the model on GOV.UK Use the Product Safety Alerts, Reports and Recalls list. Lullaby Trust points shoppers there. A listing means follow the notice. No listing means no UK notice on file — not a test of the unit in front of you.

This page is a furniture checklist, not a walkthrough of MayTally's safety lookup. The official record is the GOV.UK list and the maker's own notice page.

Which British Standard applies to a changing unit?

Lullaby Trust publishes sleep-product codes (cots, mattresses, sleep bags). A changing unit is a different article. Trading Standards South West's changing-table guide tells shoppers to look for BS EN 12221-1:2008+A1:2013 plus the name or trademark of the manufacturer, distributor or retailer. FIRA lists the same pair of 2013 parts for changing units, including cot-top and combination units.

Lullaby Trust also says: even if a product meets the relevant British Standards, that does not mean it reduces the risk of SIDS. Changing furniture is not a sleep space — keep the baby off it once the nappy is on.

What did IKEA publish about SUNDVIK locking fittings?

On 30 April 2019 IKEA published a UK notice, later copied by the London Borough of Bromley, for SUNDVIK changing table / chest of drawers article numbers 304.240.07, 302.567.25, 902.567.27 and 504.240.06.

• Customers must not use the product for infant changing if the safety locking fittings are missing or not fitted correctly.
• IKEA had three reports of the foldable part coming loose and children falling. In those reports the fittings were unused or never fitted at build.
• The unit is intended as a changing table or a storage chest in a fixed position — not as an everyday fold-in, fold-out multi-function piece.
• IKEA said it would send replacement locking kits without proof of purchase. Until the kit is fitted, the notice says not to use the product.

Official records show a maker-and-council notice about missing SUNDVIK locks, not a MayTally judgement that any other white chest is fine. If the seller cannot show the locks, do not use that leaf for changing.

If GOV.UK shows nothing, is the unit cleared?

No listing means no recall on file for the words you typed. It does not mean the hinges, straps or wall kit have been inspected. Three things a database cannot tell you:

• The leaf lock is in the seller's other box. The SUNDVIK notice exists because fittings were left in the bag or never used.
• The wall strap is a generic replacement. Manufacturer pages say to use suitable screws and plugs for your wall and to seek professional advice if you are uncertain.
• Someone has already used it as a step. Look for split drawer sides, missing drawer stops and a wobble with one drawer open — then read the maker's tipping warning rather than deciding the unit 'feels solid'.

The NHS still prefers a changing mat or towel on the floor. Trading Standards South West repeats floor changing as best practice and says never to leave a baby on a changer, even for a few seconds.

What if the strap, pad or screws are missing?

1. Treat missing manufacturer hardware as a missing part, not a bargain. IKEA's SUNDVIK notice is the worked example: do not use it for changing until the specified kit is on.
2. Do not substitute a different brand's pad without checking the furniture's own size and thickness cap — IKEA SUNDVIK says a pad that fits the surface and is max 2 cm thick, placed in the middle.
3. If the seller painted over labels, walk away. You cannot search a blank panel on GOV.UK.
4. Budget for a new wipe-clean mat on the floor if the raised unit fails any check. That is still the NHS baseline.

In shortPhotograph the labels, download the manual, confirm BS EN 12221 (or the 2026 edition) and the maker's name, then search GOV.UK. For SUNDVIK, official notices say: no locking fittings means do not use it for changing. Not found on the recall list is not an all-clear.