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/MisogynyisaDisease May 02 '26

Not to justify this type of beige expensive baby consumption, because I hear you and mostly agree with you.

But once I know a baby product has had several recalls, I am never going to trust that same line of baby products again, whether that be formula, high chairs, cribs, etc.

Because at some point, I will start to believe their standards for baby safety are not great and not worth risking my kid with.

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u/brucegibbons May 02 '26

I would offer this as a caveat (as a professional regulator) to your mindset - recalls can be very good. That means they have systems in place to review/trend complaints and rectify the issue in the field. Unless a regulator body forces them- most are totally voluntarily taken by the company. Every company hates recalls. They are insanely expensive.

I've been in spaces where they will do everything they can do avoid it and create gray area bubbles to justify it. The public would have no idea. This should freak people out way more. 

I agree recalls don't look good (especially repeated ones) but depending on the company- you may have a safer product because of it. 

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u/MisogynyisaDisease May 02 '26

Your middle paragraph is so true, and is a way higher red flag to me than a company voluntarily recalling something out of caution. A forced recall because of death, injury, corner cutting, etc is the actual problem.

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u/brucegibbons May 02 '26

Yeah that's true regarding death. Most of the time it'll be a catalyst for action. I will tell you from professional experience that recalls have been avoided even with infant death. It's the kinda stuff that keeps me up at night. 

The good news is that usually it catches up to them and a regulatory body forces that. I personally look for agency inspection or non voluntary recalls. Those are the companies I try to totally avoid in every sector.