The cost of raising your kids is about to tick higher, if it hasn’t already — thanks to President Trump’s trade war with China.
US tariffs on Made-in-China goods are weighing on makers of a range of kiddie gear, from cribs to toys — with some popular items already seeing price increases, sources said.
New parents may be among the hardest-hit because critical baby products, including cribs, high chairs, strollers and playpens now cost as much as 25 percent more than they did a year ago, sources said.
And while the toy industry is widely bracing for tariffs to kick in on December 15, thousands of toy-related products — including bicycles, dress-up costumes, children’s jewelry, and arts and crafts — are already getting taxed, sources said.
While companies are trying hard to absorb the added costs to keep consumers happy, they are often forced to pass along increases. Manufacturers of baby goods, for example, have absorbed a 20-percent tariff over the past year and are set to see the tax go up to 30 percent by December, explained Joseph Shamie, president of Brooklyn-based Delta Children, which makes more than 1,000 items for babies.
As a result, Delta’s Westminster convertible crib now costs $219, up from around $179 last year, Shamie told The Post. Some of Delta’s bassinets also cost as much as 10 percent more now, like its Deluxe Moses line, which sells for $129.99.
The company’s cribs, many of which are sold in Walmart and Costco, cost an average of $200 — but next year the price could go up to as much as $300, Delta warned in a letter to the US Trade office, where it argued that baby products should be exempt from tariffs.
“In effect, the tariffs have put a tax on babies,” Shamie said.
Parents can also expect to see price increases on dolls and other playthings starting in March — thanks to 10-percent tariffs slated to hit the toy industry on December 15, industry experts say.
It could have been worse. Toy makers were initially bracing for the 10-percent tariffs to kick in on September 1, which would have raised prices just in time for Christmas. President Trump pushed them to December at the last minute in an effort to prevent holiday price increases on popular consumer items.
Not all toy makers benefited from Trump’s early Christmas gift, however. Some 15 percent of toy-related products are already struggling with Made-in-China taxes because they fall into categories that fell through the cracks, including accessories and dress-up items.
The Simply Sweet Unicorn DIY Makeup Kit and Simply Sweet Be Magical Bath Bomb, for example, have been burdened by a 25-percent tariff since June that will go up to 30 percent in October, according to Allen Ashkenazi, executive vice president of family-owned Almar Sales Co., which sells fashion accessories, toys and beauty products aimed at children.
Retailers are refusing to accept any price increases, but the tariffs are forcing Almar to bump prices on its Web site, Ashkenazi said. The makeup kits, which now sell for $10, will start selling for $12.99 as soon as October, while the children’s bath balls, which hide little trinkets inside, will start selling for $19.99 — up from $12.99.
And while most Halloween retailers say they’re working hard to keep costs steady despite stiff tariffs, a popular Halloween costume for dogs — the “Barktoberfest” lederhosen suit — now costs $4 more than it did just one month ago, thanks to the trade war.
“A month ago that costume would have been $16,” Allison Albert, founder of Pet Krewe told The Post.