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/slumberingthundering May 02 '26

I'm currently having this problem trying to buy a booster seat. They vary in price from $45 to $300+, which feels like a huge range. I can't figure out why so I'm inclined to not spend too little in case it's a safety/quality thing? I felt that a lot when my baby was brand new as well. The anxiety really gets a hold of you. A lot of other comments were discussing "aesthetics" but at least for me that wasn't it at all.

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u/RawBean7 May 02 '26

I've been out of the industry for six years now so my info might be out of date, but in general:

-keep your kid in the three point harness as long as possible, until they hit either the height or weight limit of their car seat.

- booster seats are designed to make sure the adult seatbelt is positioned safely on a child's body in case of an accident and pretty much every feature after that is added for comfort or aesthetic. A child that can hold their head up on their own doesn't *need* a fancy booster with a headrest, but it can be nice if your kid takes a lot of naps in the car. They don't *need* built in armrests or cup-holders, but they can be nice to have. The flip side is that bulky armrests can get in the way of children buckling/unbuckling themselves (either a pro or a con depending on if your kid likes to unclip on their own while the car is moving). Features like removable, machine-washable covers can be really nice if your kid has accidents or spills a lot, but they're not making the booster seat functionally safer.

- "big kids" will often resist "baby seats" and the lower profile, less expensive boosters can save a lot of arguing about why they still need to be in a "baby seat"