When Rayne Heath, a tech worker in Ohio, started shopping for a stroller, she planned to wait until after her baby shower. But after hearing about new tariffs on Chinese imports, she rushed to buy a $1,200 Nuna stroller before the price jumped by nearly $200. Heath’s story is increasingly common among expectant parents. Essential baby gear like strollers, car seats, and cribs—already costly—are becoming even more expensive due to new tariffs as high as 145% on products from China. With 90% or more of U.S. baby products made overseas, families are facing rising costs and dwindling supplies.
The situation is especially difficult because American companies have few alternatives. Baby products require complex manufacturing, strict safety testing, and specialized materials, all of which China has built over decades. Neither U.S. factories nor facilities in countries like Vietnam or Cambodia can quickly take over that role. Brands like Uppababy and Lalo have delayed product launches, canceled sales, and warned of significant price hikes. Some strollers now cost $400 more than they did a few months ago. Small businesses are scrambling, worried that higher costs could put them out of business or make essential safety gear unaffordable for many families.
While policymakers hope that tariffs will encourage more domestic manufacturing, experts say rebuilding a large-scale U.S. supply chain for baby products could take years. “Baby gear as a whole has shifted to China for 15 years or longer,” said Enelio Ortega, CEO of Bambi Baby. “The infrastructure unfortunately cannot be picked up and moved that easily.” In the meantime, prices are rising on items that parents cannot delay buying, like car seats required to bring newborns home from the hospital. Industry leaders warn that families may turn to secondhand markets, potentially risking outdated or unsafe equipment.
Questions:
- Why are many expecting parents in a rush to purchase strollers and other baby products made in China?
- Do you think that rising tariffs will lead to an increase in domestic manufacturing? Why or why not?
Sources: Dee-Ann Durbin, “Strollers and Other Baby Products Will Get More Expensive — and Harder To Find — with Tariffs,” Associated Press, April 20, 2025; Jon Emont, “For Baby Strollers, There’s No Way Around China Tariffs,” The Wall Street Journal, April 24, 2025.