Sam Rutledge and his wife have A due baby In mid -July, they thought they had a few more months to investigate and buy the equipment they will need.
But President Donald Trump Tariff announcement In early April, he turned the slow walk of the couple into A sprint. In recent weeks, they bought two strollers, a car seat, a nursery store, a cradle and a high chair. All of them are made abroad.
“All of these are quite expensive in normal conditions, but when clear rates were made, we decided to buy them in case they became prohibitively expensive,” said Rutledge, who is a master of physics of the high school.
Raising a child in the United States has never been cheap. Only in the first year, it costs an average of $ 20,384, according to Baby Center, a website for parents. But tariffs, ranging from 10% for imports from most countries to 145% for China imports – It will do it many times more expensive For new parents.
It is estimated that 90% of the central products for the care of the baby and the pieces that are dedicated to making Paraphernalia for babies – From bottles and diaper cubes to strollers and car seat – are made in AsiaAccording to the Association of Youth Products, an American commercial group. The vast majority comes from China.
“Manufacturing abroad has been the standard in our industry for decades,” said Lisa Trife, executive director of the Association.
It was not always the case. When the Munchkin Inc. CEO, Steven Dunn, founded his company in 1991, made bottles in California with New Jersey tools. But over the years, the manufacturers he used closed and the cost of doing business in the United States shot. Now, about 60% of Munchkin’s 500 products, from a cup of $ 5 to a night owl stroller of $ 254 with front headlights, are made in China.
In answer to The ratesDunn stopped China’s orders and instituted a freezing of hiring at Munchkin’s headquarters in California, where 320 people work. Dunn expects Munchkin to stay without some products in three months.
“There is no possibility of being able to transmit those rates” to customers in the form of Price increasessaid.
Dunn said he tried to reduce his dependence on China in recent years, changing some manufacturing to Vietnam and Mexico. It also spent a year communicating with US manufacturers to see if one could make the new Munchkin’s flow shield, which allows A breastfeeding mother To see if your milk flows. But most said they couldn’t do the silicone product, said Dunn. Now it is made in Vietnam.
“There are not enough manufacturers of tools and experience in manufacturing and automation and qualified labor in the United States to make the thousands of products that the youth industry needs,” said Dunn.
Multiple brands and baby companies contacted by Associated Press did not respond or said they were not commenting on tariffs, including Graco, Chicco, Britax, Nuna, Dorel Juvenile, Uppababy, Evenflo and Bugaboo.
The Youth Product Manufacturers Association said it asked the Trump administration to A tariff exemptionarguing that babies products are essential for children’s well -being. Trump exempted some babies products, including car seats and high chairs, import taxes during his first administration. But he has not said if he would consider doing it again.
Associated Press left a message in search of comments with the White House.
NourishANDA company that makes a popular nursery plan and other babies furniture, said it is trying to be transparent about the impact of tariffs.
In a recent email, the company told customers that it began to reduce prices in some articles when tariffs reached. The company, which was founded in 2020, said it would maintain those lower prices in its place until April 30, but after that it is possible that it cannot absorb the total cost of import tariffs.
“These are great purchases, these are investments, and this is a very sensitive stage of life,”AND The boss merchant Jill Gruys said. “We want people to make the best decision for their budget and their family.”
Elizabeth Mahon, owner of Three Littles, a baby store in Washington, told her that the rates make the essential products too expensive for some families.
Mahon voluntarily offers twice a month in the Motorized Vehicle Department, where he teaches people how to fasten their children safely in the car seats. Some families must still be persuaded to use car seats, he said. Mahon fears that the highest prices would be another deterrent.
“No one is dying if they can’t buy a toy, but if they don’t have access to car seats, children will be seriously injured,” he said.
In his own store, Mahon is receiving notices that some manufacturers plan to introduce high price increases in May. She feels lucky to be able to rent a storage and accumulate inventory installation before the rates. For many small companies, he said, additional costs are “a death sentence.”
In Little Seedling Baby Shop in Ann Arbor, Michigan, owner Molly Ging said she would normally make Christmas orders at this time of the year. Instead, it is classifying the pricing notices of many of the suppliers with which they work.
“It’s a lot to drive, and I have no idea how it will develop,” he said.
The business is fast at this time, with customers who hope to overcome the price increases related to the rate. But Ging cares about their 13 employees, all mothers who bring their children to work, and if they can maintain enough inventory to meet future demand.
“Babies do not stop born because there are rates,” he said.
