The cost of essential baby products in the U.S. has seen a sharp increase in recent weeks, driven by former President Donald Trump's tariff policies on Chinese imports, a new report has revealed.
According to the minority arm of the Joint Economic Committee, the prices of five commonly used baby gear items — including car seats, bassinets, strollers, high chairs and baby monitors — rose by an average of 24%, equivalent to a $98 increase, between April 1 and June 9, 2025. The price data was sourced from popular baby registry platform Babylist.
The sharp increase coincided with Trump's April 2 tariff announcement, which impacted a wide range of consumer goods, including baby products — 97% of strollers and 87% of car seats sold in the U.S. are manufactured in China, making them particularly vulnerable.
"New parents already have their budgets stretched thin by all the products they need to buy — the last thing they need is what's essentially a new tax on babies," said U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan, a leading Democrat on the committee.
The analysis tracked price changes of bestselling items on Amazon from leading brands like Graco, AirClub, Summer by Ingenuity, Evenflo and HelloBaby using price-monitoring tools Keepa and Camelcamelcamel. Among the five products, the Graco SnugRide Lite LX Infant Car Seat saw the steepest price hike at 44.8%.
Read also
While Graco's parent company, Newell Brands, pushed back on the findings — saying the price jump was amplified due to promotional sales ending on April 1 — executives admitted in a recent earnings call that they raised prices across baby gear by approximately 20% to absorb the impact of tariffs.
Retailers are feeling the strain as well. Brands like Costco and Best Buy have already raised prices, while Walmart and Target say price hikes are coming on selected items.
A broader study by Babylist covering 11 product categories, including diaper bags and baby bouncers, estimates that U.S. families are now spending $400 more on average due to tariff-related increases. The overall additional cost burden on new parents is estimated at $875 million, based on U.S. household data from the American Community Survey.
Families in large states are among the hardest hit. California parents face a projected $100.3 million in extra baby-related expenses this year, followed by Texas ($85.3 million), Florida ($48.5 million), and New York ($48.4 million).
"These tariffs are creating real pressure on families and businesses alike — from higher costs to difficult choices for manufacturers," Senator Hassan said, warning that the long-term impact could mean job losses or business closures if support measures aren't introduced.
