Being a parent of a newborn means being forced to shell out for a wide array of essential products, and tariffs are making those costs go up.
Unlike a fancy wide-screen TV, which is something nice to have that can be put off, demand for baby gear is less flexible as frazzled parents worrying about their newborn’s safety or looking for products to calm them down are unable to avoid those purchases.
About half of those first-year costs are for childcare, but more than $2,000 comes from things that are largely imported, like baby gear, clothing, activity equipment, and toys.
Babylist, an online baby registry, reported prices for strollers and infant car seats jumped by an average of 25% and 20%, respectively, according to CNN.
Apollo Chief Economist Torsten Sløk noted China’s dominance in other imports, including for fireworks. That’s as more than 90% of fireworks used in the U.S. are imported, with 95% of those imports coming from China.
“The bottom line is that inflation will increase significantly for the product categories where China is the main producer of that good, likely including fireworks.”
