Parents warned over plastic nappy bags after 16 babies choke to death

Parents are being warned not to leave plastic nappy bags near young babies after sixteen bubs choked to death.

The Sun reports British safety campaigners are lobbying the makers of the bags to add warnings to their labels following a spate of tragic deaths.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoPSA) wants the sacks to be sold in perforated rolls, rather than single sheets, so babies are less able to grab them and put them in their mouths. They also want scented bags to be banned to make the sacks less appealing to little ones — and more education for parents on safe storage.

"Where these deaths have occurred, typically the sacks have been stored within the baby’s reach, close to the baby’s cot, including under the mattress, usually for convenience", a RoPSA spokesperson told the newspaper.

"The parents clearly have not made any association between the nappy sacks and any sort of risk from suffocation or choking."

The society says 16 babies under the age of one suffocated or choked on the bags in the last few years in the UK, but there could be many more unreported cases as each one was considered to be isolated.

The RoPSA recommends parents buy sacks on a roll, keep them away from babies and young children, and never place them in their crib or stroller.