All baby change tables tested by Consumer NZ failed safety tests, prompting a warning to stay clear of three brands in particular.
Of the six baby change tables tested, only three were branded by the watchdog as "worth considering".
Consumer's main test was whether a baby could roll or slide off the table.
It determined for a table to achieve a safe standard it required raised sides of at least 100mm high.
The tables were also checked for sharp edges and potential traps for fingers and limbs.
Consumer NZ said all of the tables failed one or more of these tests and safety checks.
While Consumer said the Babyhood Georgia Sleigh, the Touchwood Standard with drawer and the Mother’s Choice Bellevue models were all worth consideration, they stopped short of garnerning any with a full recommendation.
All three passed the major safety tests, but failed with solid raised barriers that were not 100mm high.
In their favour, all three models had castor wheels with brakes and either one deep shelf or more than one shelf for nappy storage.
The Touchwood had two minor failures the report said, its raised sides were less than 100mm high, regardless of whether a mattress is present, and there was a risk of fingers becoming trapped in various places.
Mattresses had to be brought separately in all three.
Parents were warned, however, to stay away from the others with two of the change tables - the Classic Pooh Palma and the Infa Secure Axcess - registering serious safety issues.
Neither model had a solid safety barrier, rather a soft projection of the mattress.
"The raised mattress sides are soft and don’t adequately resist a child rolling on to them."
The changing surface of the Infa-Secure model was also found to be highly unstable, with the unsecured surface flipping over unexpectedly if weight was applied to the hinged side.
Both models, along with another - the Grotime Duke T29 - had the potential to trap limbs with some serious hazards.
None of the models Consumer recommended had a built-in bath. Neither did the Grotime Duke, however the other two that failed the safety tests did.
- © Fairfax NZ News
