The Trump tariffs have already thrown global markets into chaos, sowed division and confusion among the general public, and have a lot of us wondering if we need to start panic buying essentials or big purchases. But there’s one more complication these tariffs are poised to bring—essential baby items are likely to increase in price.
It goes without saying, but this is the last thing parents need. The US is already the most expensive country to give birth in, is one of few in the world with no paid leave for birthing parents, and parents face extraordinary costs for childcare.
Now, expectant parents all over the internet are scrambling trying to figure out how the tariffs—145% placed on China and 10% on several other countries, with more potentially to come after a 90-day pause—could potentially impact big ticket purchases like car seats, strollers, and cribs. Their main question is: do you need to buy all these things now, even if you aren’t having your baby for months?
Well, experts consulted by Glamour say that’s probably a good idea.
“For the really important essential items, the bassinet, the car seat, the stroller, I really do think it makes sense to—if you see them at a good price point—to go ahead and grab them,” says Lindsay Owens, a consumer advocate and the executive director of the economic think tank Groundwork Collaborative.
It’s not just that prices could skyrocket. The bigger issue, Owens says, is that we could see shortages down the line, especially on items made in China as suppliers anticipate less of a demand due to higher costs.
“They may make fewer, or they may make fewer initially and sort of see how demand shakes out,” she says. “So I think what you’re going to see is manufacturing and retailer uncertainty around the tariffs which may lead to supply bottlenecks in the short and medium term.”
For many reasons, this is the last complication many new or expecting parents need. On Reddit forums such as r/BabyBumps and r/pregnant, many moms have said they are adjusting their budgets to buy all their big ticket items at once, which is causing a significant financial strain. Many parents also wait for their baby shower before buying big ticket items (you never know who may give a very generous gift), but now, they are concerned about waiting.
Then there’s the fact that while many new purchases may ultimately be able to be canceled or postponed, there’s no way to get around buying things like a stroller for a crib for a new baby. Take car seats, for example. Not only are you required to buy one by law in all 50 states, it is not recommended to buy one second hand.
All of this adds up, says Democratic Rep. Kelly Morrison of Minnesota, who tells Glamour that research has found that new parents were already spending on average $1,000 on baby safety gear already, before the tariffs. In her mind, this is just another way having a child in the US is made more challenging.
“There was a lot of rhetoric during the campaign about making it easier to have babies in our country. And boy, the policy is not matching the rhetoric,” she says. “If anything, we’re making it much harder to raise a family in the United States. We already make it so hard…we’re rolling back reproductive rights. We don’t offer paid family leave in the United States, and now we’re just going to pile on new expenses.”
Morrison, along with nearly 50 other Democratic lawmakers, sent a letter on April 1 to commerce secretary Howard Lutnick, asking him to exempt essential baby items from the price hikes.
“For parents, car seats, highchairs, strollers, and cribs are not optional purchases – they are necessities,” they wrote. “American families should not be forced to choose between their livelihoods and reliance on poor quality baby gear.”
The consequences are also hitting small business owners in the parenting space, a category which is made up of many women entrepreneurs. When Kelsey Nolan set out with her partners to create her start-up stroller company, Bombi Gear, in 2021, they dreamed of a brand that would be high-quality, eco-friendly, but also affordable. And until now, they had been able to fulfill their goal, selling their strollers at under $200 and finding success.
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Then, the tariffs hit. As a brand who manufactures in China, Bombi had no choice but to raise prices from $199 to $225 for their single stroller, which Nolan said hit like a gut punch.
“We’ve worked so hard to get here and to see all of these tariffs happen, something that’s completely out of our control, just impacting our business so catastrophically is heartbreaking,” she tells Glamour. “It’s like, this is everything we’ve worked for. This is everything we’ve built. To have no control over it is just devastating.”
But for parents panicking on this cascade of new expenses, there are ways to mitigate the high costs. Mainly, shopping secondhand, a trend that the registry website Babylist was already observing before the tariffs were announced. According to its vice president of media and brand, Molly Goodson, 67% of parents they recently polled were planning on shopping used as a way to save on big-ticket items. The website also recently launched a feature where parents can mark whether they are open to secondhand items on certain gifts, helping family and friends save as well.
It’s also smart to curate your wish list to items you absolutely need rather than simply want, says Sara Adam Slywka, the co-founder of the baby furniture brand Nestig. She suggests seeking out products that can be used for a majority of a child’s life, like a bassinet that converts to a crib or a dresser that can be used for years.
“Focus on items designed to grow with your child and provide long-term value, so you don’t have to continually purchase new items, especially in an environment of price uncertainty,” she tells Glamour.
One more thing parents can do if they are struggling with the impact of Trump’s tariffs on baby items? Be really really loud about it.
“Small forms of protest have been effective in the past, and we have the modern version of that now,” says Owens, the consumer expert. “Women sounding the alarm on their Instagram accounts, sounding the alarm on Facebook, letting folks know when they see companies who are already charging high prices, even though tariff inventory hasn’t hit the shelves yet. And I think if you have a minute to call your member of Congress and let them know how you’re experiencing this and how you’re feeling about this, I think that’s worth doing too.”
The post The Trump Tariffs Will Make Essential Baby Products Even More Expensive appeared first on Glamour.
