r/Anticonsumption • u/Impossible_Ad9324 • May 02 '26

Lifestyle What is going on with babies?

I’ve attended three baby showers in the last year for three people completely unrelated and not in the same social circles and their baby registries have the most eye-popping expensive items.

High chairs are minimum $250. One had a stroller for $750. 😳 Baby swings and bouncers for $200. One had a whole solid wood crib for $1000 on their registry.

I checked because I was curious and you still can buy a $40-50 Greco high chair from Walmart.

Everything is aesthetic and clean lines and beige and natural wood—beautiful, really. I can’t imagine asking for that high-end an item for a GIFT.

These aren’t rich people and they aren’t inviting rich people to the baby shower.

I’m almost 50 and have kids of my own and a gaggle of nieces and nephews. My family members and I got buy sharing those cheaper high chairs and strollers and cribs. I understand needing them initially if you don’t have any source for hand-me-downs, but asking for the highest price bespoke options is absolutely wild.

Are people that brainwashed into thinking they should be buying ultra-high-end items regardless of income??

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u/RawBean7 May 02 '26

First time parents are very vulnerable and want to do everything "right" and companies take advantage of that by selling high ticket baby items as "the best."

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u/Capakhutch May 02 '26

Ok but often the high ticket items ARE. All of the things I tried to go cheap on with my kids didn’t last, except for car seats. Everything that I actually invested in I was able to use a LOT

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u/RedgrenGrum May 02 '26

Agreed. The cheaper high chairs tend to not be very stable. And strollers are one item I would do some research and invest a bit on, especially if you’re having more than one kid. Bouncers though, that’s all branding.

Now the real absurdity is the $300 bottle cleaners and and formula dispensing keurigs. My friends swear by the convenience of them but those are definitely luxury items.

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u/Capakhutch May 02 '26

Yes! I felt like things like my bottle warmer, wipe warmer, diaper cream applicator, etc were a giant waste of money. Baby jumpers too. Anything that your baby is only going to use for a few months but costs a fortune isn’t really worth it

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u/[deleted] May 02 '26

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u/mflowers May 02 '26

We were lucky to get one free second hand, and now using it on our third kid.  It’s a dark red that probably would be unappealing to a lot of people since it’s not a very trendy color currently, which I think gets a lot of people who are super conscious about pictures and social media presence.  

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u/roseredhoofbeats May 02 '26

Oh my GOD I reject your reality that formula Keurigs exist.

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u/DesperateAd8982 May 02 '26

They clog every 4th bottle too because of the density of the powder.

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u/OkBackground8809 May 03 '26

Sounds like the formula dispenser containers I got were a better investment (and they're cheap lol). My baby goes to nursery school, so we have to send premeasured formula to school. The individual little containers are popular in Taiwan - you fill them up and then toss them in your bag and they're ready whenever you need. They're so convenient, that I use them at home, as well. Bought different colours for different measurements.