RICHMOND, Va. — New moms are finding creative ways to save money during a time when baby essentials are getting more expensive.
Trade experts say the Trump administration's 145 percent tariffs on imports from China are impacting the cost of baby gear, including many safety products like car seats and strollers.
According to the online baby registry "Babylist," stroller prices have increased by 25 percent on average, and car seats have gone up by 20 percent.
Retailers and trade policy experts say the vast majority of children's and baby gear products are manufactured exclusively in China, and there isn't an ability for the U.S. to produce these items anytime soon.
"It's just more difficult," said Richmond mom Nina Beswick. "And I think with certain things within the tariffs and that [with] people saying, you know, well, children don't need as many toys, children don't need to play with these things, but children learn through play."
Beswick is an administrator of a Richmond-based Facebook group that focuses on selling and buying gently used or new baby and children’s products.
The group has over 14,000 members online, but the name of the group is kept private to create a safe place for moms and family members of children to sell and pick up these products from their homes.
"We don't even just limit it to moms," said Beswick. "It's really anyone who is in the area who is a real profile. We check that [profile] and who is willing to answer questions to understand and limit it as necessary; then anyone is welcome. It's not something where we don't want people to join. We just want to keep everyone safe."
As an admin of the page, Beswick has to approve every post made, and she says demand for items in the group has gone up drastically, noting people are able to get $1,000 strollers for an average of around $200 or $300 gently used.
"People who are living further outside the city, who maybe had more affordable options there, are now like, 'Okay, I don't even have this store having something that I can easily get';" she explained. "You know, just baby clothes I've seen go up in price so significantly, and overall, it's just more difficult."
Beswick says the group has also created a sense of community for new moms to see what has worked for others without having to spend hundreds of dollars online since there are no longer big-name baby stores in the Richmond area.
"You get to really see what other moms found success with, to help you feel like you can find the same success in those really hard moments of early motherhood," noted Beswick. "People are able to really get anything you need without having to worry about a supply chain, an added cost, and it's going to be fairly priced because someone just wants it out of their house. And eventually, you just want it out of your house. And it's a beautiful kind of cycle that just rotates through this community."
While the cost of baby products is rising, dozens of Democrats in Congress are calling on the Trump administration to exempt baby safety products like strollers and car seats from tariffs.
Have you noticed any drastic price fluctuations? Share your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
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This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
