What’s in your basket? Some parents are feeling the sting more than others as several baby products outpace inflation

It’s no surprise that the cost of products related to infant and toddler care are more expensive right now than they were this time last year.

But new data from e-commerce accelerator Pattern reveals that depending on parents’ situation, some might be feeling the sting of inflation more than others.

The price of products associated with raising children are on the rise, causing parents in the UK to dig deeper into their pockets to purchase essential items. In the case of some products, parents are paying up to 40% more than last year. The data insights come from Pattern’s analysis of the current average prices for the most commonly bought baby products on Amazon UK, comparing the prices of the products to the same period in 2022.

Pattern’s data shows that parents who will be purchasing nappy cream, baby lotion, or bottles regularly over the coming months will feel the rise in costs more acutely. Nappy cream is up almost 40% in price YoY, baby bottles are up 17%, while baby lotion is up 14% – well above the UK’s inflationary average.

That being said, parents who need to stock up on baby shampoo, baby wipes, nursing pads, and baby food might be slightly better off than others. These products are not keeping pace with the inflationary average across the UK consumer landscape, providing some respite for parents who fall on that side of the consumer spectrum.

Additionally, compared to other countries where the price of infant formula has increased considerably, formula has more or less stayed tightly connected to the average increase in cost of all goods—as have dummies and nappies. These products are purchased by virtually every parent with an infant or toddler.

Neal Fairfield, Director of Consultancy, Europe at Pattern says: “As a result of high inflation, we have seen prices for consumer products increase across the board – sadly baby products are no exception to this. For parents, not only are they being affected by the price increases of essential household items, like washing up liquid or toilet paper, they are also being impacted by the rising costs of necessary baby items. However, depending on the products parents are buying, they may feel the sting of inflation more or less than others. While the overall price increases vary based on item, most have increased by a few percentage points.

“If parents can understand where inflation is the worst in their typical basket, they can be more discerning with their money for those items by buying in bulk or buying products that are less premium to make their money stretch farther. The Office of Budget Responsibility projects that CPI inflation will fall to 2.9% by the end of the year. So, while parents can hope that this is only a temporary hike in prices, they should compare prices well to determine which products to purchase.”