Buying for baby? Bet on a big bill

The calendar has just turned to September, which means the retail spotlight is still on back-to-school supplies for the older kids—and that’s fair! 

But we can’t forget about the little ones! The nearly 1.9 million Canadians aged from 0 to 4 years also need supplies. And, as our latest quarterly retail data show, sales for the infants in that age group appear to be keeping up, just as parents and guardians are trying to keep up with their little ones. 

Let’s go over the numbers to see exactly how much we’re spending on infant products, and where. 

In the first quarter of 2026, there were $248.9 million in Canadian retail sales of infant clothing, fabric (except cloth diapers) and accessories. The category infant clothing, fabric (except cloth diapers) and accessories includes infant clothing sizes 0 to 24 months as well as bottles, soothers, breast pumps and diaper bags.

That amount was down slightly from a year earlier, while sales of infant footwear and accessories ticked up to $31.5 million.

Canadian retailers sold $200.7 million in infant disposable diapers in the first quarter of 2026, accounting for the largest share of the $372.0 million in sales of infant care products.

Most of the remaining $171.3 million in sales in that broader category were on strollers and a variety of other products, such as baby carriers, soaps and other infant care products. A relatively smaller amount of infant and children’s car seats were sold.

Sales of these products were up from a year earlier, except for a small decrease in sales of car seats.

The $127.5 million in sales of infant furniture (including playpens, highchairs and beds) in the first quarter of 2026 was down from a year earlier ($142.8 million in 2025) but up from two years earlier ($123.8 million in 2024)—perhaps owing to more sporadic demand or shopping second-hand, similar to products such as strollers or carriers.

Retail sales in all these categories are typically highest in the fourth quarter, as consumers look for Black Friday and other holiday promotions—especially for those big-ticket items.

And across the board, sales usually tumble into the new year. For example, there was a drop in sales from the fourth quarter of 2025 to the first quarter of 2026 for infant clothing, fabric (except cloth diapers) and accessories (-$109.3 million); infant furniture (-$25.3 million); and infant footwear and accessories (-$17.3 million).

Even infant disposable diapers saw a drop in sales over the same period (-$9.3 million)—perhaps many young families got some diapers in those holiday gifts for baby!

Consumers may look for the best price, but convenience can also matter, especially for busy parents and guardians. In 2022, more than one-third (36.9%) of people living in households with children under the age of 15 reported high levels of time pressure.

In the first quarter of 2026, health and personal care retailers sold $2.7 million more of disposable diapers than they did in the same quarter a year earlier, while food and beverage retailers sold $1.6 million less. 

Convenience may be one factor behind this shift. Parents and guardians may sometimes buy diapers at a nearby pharmacy rather than shop elsewhere for a lower price. However, general merchandise retailers (including clubs and supercentres) typically account for more than half of infant disposable diaper sales.

Over the same period, general merchandise retailers sold less in infant clothing, fabric (except cloth diapers) and accessories (-$9.0 million), while clothing, shoes and accessories retailers sold more (+$5.8 million). They also outsold general merchandise retailers by $98.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2025, perhaps an indication of better selection and promotions.