There’s no shortage of brands selling baby products on the Australian market, but now a new survey has found the best among them. Finder Retail Awards 2021/22 asked over 11,000 Australian consumers to rate the brands of key baby products across a range of factors, including value for money and whether they’d recommend them to other parents.
“There are so many brands in the market, it can be really tough for new parents to know what to buy,” says Graham Cooke, head of consumer research at comparison site Finder. “Trusted recommendations are key for parents when buying products — these awards are designed to instil parents with a sense of confidence.”
Cooke also noted that as the cost of having a baby is high, saving money is front of mind for many new parents, particularly if they’re having to drop down to one wage or having some interruption to their income.
“This is being compounded by an uptick in interest rates and everyday expenses,” he added.
Finder worked with insights company Dynata to rank the brands in more than 200 categories. The winner of the Best Rated Baby Store went to Baby Kingdom, which scored top marks for its wide range of products, customer service and value for money. Meanwhile, the Best Rated Cot went to IKEA, while the Best Rated Baby Wipes was awarded to Johnson’s.
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“Expectant parents can save money by asking friends and family to chip in on big-ticket items, shopping during online sales periods like Black Friday and borrowing items from friends with older children,” says Cooke. “Remember there are many baby items which are not essential — so, draw up a budget and stick to a list.”
That said, here are a few of the top-rated, best-value brands for baby products currently in Australia, according to Finder’s research.
| Best Baby Monitor | iBaby
Top marks for video/audio quality and reliability saw iBaby take out the top spot and be named best baby monitor. This brand came recommended by 97% of customers surveyed. |
| Best Baby Nappies | Rascal + Friends
Leading the way with top marks for comfort and value for money, Rascal + Friends came out on top. 97% of people said they would recommend the brand to friends. |
| Best Baby Stroller | Steelcraft
Ease of use, combined with stellar safety features, saw Steelcraft take out the title of best baby stroller. 100% of those surveyed said they would recommend this brand. |
| Best Baby Car Seat | Britax Safe-n-Sound
Scoring top marks for design, style and safety features it’s no wonder Britax Safe-n-Sound won best baby car seat. |
| Best Baby Carrier | Ergobaby
Ergobaby finished top of the table for both durability and comfort, as well as support, landing it the title of best baby carrier. |
| Best Rated Cot | IKEA
Scoring a perfect 100% recommendation rating coupled with top scores for ease of assembly and safety, it’s no wonder Ikea took out the best-rated cot category. |
| Best Rated High Chair | Mocka
Coming out on top for value for money and ease of cleaning, Mocka landed the title of best high chair. |
| Best Rated Formula | Bubs
Bubs came recommended by 97% of customers surveyed. This brand also scored top marks for ease of use and value for money. |
| Best Rated Baby Wipes | Johnson’s
Top marks for strength and thickness, and ease of dispense saw Johnson’s take out title of best baby wipes |
| Best Rated Baby Store | Baby Kingdom
Top marks for range of products, customer service and value for money. |
You can find the full list of Finder’s Top Rated Baby Products here.
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