What a baby sleeping bag label must include under EN 16781

What are the three information packs in EN 16781?

Clause 5 of EN 16781:2018 is titled user information. SGS (Leicester, 18 September 2020) lists product marking and labelling, purchase information and advice on product use among the points that must all be met for a claimed compliance. UL's 2025 BRC briefing says the standard includes specific marking, purchase information and user instruction so adult users can address the hazards.

Those are three different places, not one sewn-in tag. A bag can fail the standard in Which? lab work because the leaflet is short even when the neck opening is close to the limit. Babycurls told Which? in 2020 that going forward its bags would conform to BS EN 16781:2018, the label would be shortened and packaging would include the required instructions — which is the purchase-and-instructions pack, not the TOG digit.

What must appear at the point of sale?

Clause 5.3 says purchase information shall be provided at the point of sale, including, if appropriate, on the internet or in a catalogue. The following warnings shall be provided in the form given:

• WARNING! Do not use if the child can climb out of the cot
• WARNING! Do not use in combination with other bedding items (e.g. cot duvet)

The same clause also requires guidance on selection of the sleep bag taking into account the room temperature and the child's sleepwear, and information on the child height and optionally the age for which the sleep bag is intended. SGS's 2020 UK note puts the same idea in plainer words: the standard requires user information on choosing the insulation value for the home circumstances.

If a marketplace listing shows only a cartoon and a TOG, the purchase-information pack is not on the page you are looking at. That is a gap in the listing, not a reason to invent the missing warnings.

What must the instructions for use say?

Clause 5.4 says the instructions shall be headed IMPORTANT KEEP FOR FUTURE REFERENCE. The warnings that shall be provided in the form given are:

• WARNING! Do not use if the child’s head can pass through the neck opening when fastened for use
• WARNING! Ensure that the neck and arm openings are securely fastened
• WARNING! Do not use if the child can climb out of the cot
• WARNING! Do not use in combination with cot duvet or blanket. Take into account the room temperature and the child's sleepwear. Overheating can endanger the life of your child!
• WARNING! Keep away from fire.

The same clause then requires a declaration of the thermal resistance, information on the child height (age optional), the same room-temperature / sleepwear selection guidance, and care instructions including Do not dry clean. Care symbols from EN ISO 3758 are allowed instead of extra prose.

On the product itself, loop labels may only sit in the upper inside back. A free-end label may be no longer than 75 mm. Which? failed bags for a side loop label and for hanging labels that were too long — those are marking rules, not warmth rules.

How do I check a bag I already own?

1. 1
   Photograph every text surface Sewn-in label, swing ticket, box panel and any folded leaflet. Marketplace bags often arrive with none of the last three.
2. 2
   Tick the two sale warnings Look for the climb-out line and the no-other-bedding line. Which? recorded JoJo Maman Bébé, Babycurls and several marketplace bags missing one or both, plus the fastener warning.
3. 3
   Tick the instruction heading and thermal figure The leaflet should be headed IMPORTANT KEEP FOR FUTURE REFERENCE and should declare thermal resistance (the TOG or m²·K/W figure). A hang-tag TOG with no keep-for-reference sheet is not the full pack.
4. 4
   Check label geometry A loop should be on the upper inside back, not the side. A free-end label should not be longer than 75 mm.
5. 5
   Search official recall lists if a warning pack is missing A missing leaflet is a standard fail in Which? work. It is also a reason to search the GOV.UK Product Safety Alerts, Reports and Recalls list for that model. No listing is not proof the bag matches the 2018 information rules.

Which instructions did Which? find missing?

In September 2020 Which? tested 15 bags to extracts from BS EN 16781:2018. Twelve failed some tests. Only Asda, John Lewis and Mamas & Papas passed every check. The lab looked at instructions for 'all of the key safety, use and care instructions', not only neck size.

SGS's retailer note is blunt: it is an offence to sell an unsafe product, and prescribed labelling and safety literature should be present. A marketplace photo is not that literature.

Do complete markings prove the bag passed every test?

No. A full warning pack is one clause family. Neck-opening circumference, fastener strength, small-parts force (70 N), thermal resistance and flammability are other clauses. Which? also failed bags for a neck opening that was too wide, a zip that opened too easily, or a measured TOG above the printed claim.

In shortIn short: look for three packs — mark, sale text, keep-for-reference instructions — and for the climb-out, no-extra-bedding, fastener and neck-opening warnings in the wording the standard sets. Missing lines are how several 2020 bags failed. Present lines are not a SIDS assessment.