Last week, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a safety warning that urged parents to stop using all inclined infant sleepers. On Wednesday, Consumer Reports found that hundreds of recalled inclined sleepers were still being sold on popular secondhand markets.

In April, Fisher-Price recalled 4.7 million of its popular Rock n’ Play sleepers after more than 30 reported infant deaths, due to babies rolling “from their back to their stomach or side while unrestrained, or under other circumstances,” according to the CPSC. Less than three months later, Fisher-Price recalled another one of its inclined sleepers, the Ultra-Lite Day & Night Play Yard.

Fisher-Price isn’t alone in its baby sleeper recalls, either. This year, Dorel recalled various inclined sleepers from Eddie Bauer and Disney, and Kids II recalled 694,000 rocking sleepers.

Following so many recalls, the CPSC warned parents to stop using all inclined sleepers, regardless if they had been recalled or not. The warning was published after a study commissioned by the federal safety agency found all inclined sleepers to be dangerous.

Despite all the recalls and the expert recommendations urging parents to avoid using inclined sleepers, hundreds of them are still being sold secondhand online, even though it's against the law.

“By law, retailers must pull recalled items from sale,” Consumer Reports detailed. “But it is perhaps less well-known that the law also makes it illegal to sell recalled products on the secondhand market.”

While brands have pulled the recalled products from store shelves, secondhand sellers are still reselling them on websites like Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace. “Even if individuals aren’t aware of a recall or the law, the websites that host their listings should be,” Consumer Reports points out.

While these sites technically don’t allow secondhand selling of recalled items, warnings are often “buried in their policy pages, and don't appear to be effective in stopping people from posting recalled items,” according to Consumer Reports.

“Resale platforms should do much more to put safety first, including by tracking recalls and actively blocking the sale of recalled goods. These platforms have a responsibility to all of their users to keep their marketplace free of dangerous products,” says Consumer Report’s manager of home and safety policy William Wallace in the brand’s new finding.

What makes inclined sleepers so unsafe?

“The risk here is in the incline,” says Dr. Syeda Amna Husain, M.D., FAAP, founder of Pure Direct Pediatrics. “In an inclined sleeper, not only is it that [infants] could possibly occlude their airway from their head dipping down, but they could also roll with their face in a face-down position,” increasing the risk of infant suffocation.

Any products with inclines of more than 10 degrees pose these dangers, according to the CPSC

“A baby should always be put to sleep on a flat surface in a crib or bassinet, not a car seat, inclined sleeper or a bouncer,” Dr. Husain says, noting that while babies sometimes fall asleep in a sling or in their car seats during drives, parents should transfer them to a safe, flat surface as soon as they get where they are going. If you’re going on a long drive, be sure to pull over every hour or two and take your little one out of the car seat.

Not only do babies get safer sleep on a bare, flat surface, but they also get a more restful sleep, says Dr. Husain.

“When [children] go to sleep in a sling or in a moving car, it’s actually shown to not be as restful as when they go to sleep in their bed,” she says.

While it’s clear inclined sleepers are not safe sleep spaces for infants, they can still be found on resale websites online. So in the meantime, what can parents do to protect their families?

What parents need to know

If you own an inclined sleeper, the CPSC recommends that you stop using it. And if you come across any infant sleep product online that has an inclined back of more than 10 degrees, don’t purchase it for your little one.

“Parents and caregivers should not use infant car seats, bouncers and other infant inclined products for sleep, and should follow manufacturer instructions,” the CPSC advised in its inclined sleeper safety warning. Be sure to follow expert guidelines, and put your little one to sleep on a flat, bare surface.

It’s a good idea for parents to be familiar with other expert sleep safety guidelines, too. And, of course, if you run into any questions, be sure to reach out to your child’s doctor.