《经济学人》深度解析：高端婴儿用品市场繁荣背后的秘密

原文
Baby boom
From cribs to carriers, high-end baby products are in vogue
Demographic and technological changes are making infancy more expensive
婴儿用品热潮
从婴儿床到婴儿背带，高端婴儿用品风靡一时
人口和技术变化使婴儿用品变得更加昂贵

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AMONG THE whizzy gadgets unveiled in January at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas was the Elvie Rise, an automated baby bouncer that transforms seamlessly into a bassinet.

今年1月，在拉斯维加斯举行的消费电子展上，众多酷炫小设备中，Elvie Rise的产品引人注目，这是一款可自动调节的婴儿摇椅，能轻松转换为婴儿摇篮。

The device, which costs $800, sold out even before it was formally released.

这款售价800美元的产品，还没正式发售就已售罄。

Parents who missed out can instead opt for a SNOO, a rival bassinet that rocks its occupant back to sleep through the night while dispensing white noise—and which costs around $1,700.

没能买到的家长不妨选择竞品SNOO，这款摇篮能在夜间摇动婴儿还能发出婴儿喜欢的白噪音，让宝宝重新入眠——售价约1700美元。

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Clever cribs are just one example of the growing number of high-end baby goods on which parents are splurging.

智能婴儿床不过是越来越多高端婴儿用品中的一个例子，如今家长们愿意在婴儿产品上一掷千金。

Fashionistas are strapping offspring to their chests with carriers from Artipoppe, a Dutch brand, that cost $420.

时尚达人们会选用荷兰品牌Artipoppe价值420美元的婴儿背带，将孩子背在胸前。

Its owner, Bugaboo, makes snazzy prams that can be collapsed with one hand.

该品牌所属的Bugaboo公司，还制造出单手即可折叠的炫酷婴儿车。

Undesirable infant smells can now be masked by Dior’s alcohol-free baby perfume, which it launched in 2023.
迪奥在2023年推出了无酒精婴儿香水，可以用它来掩盖宝宝身上难闻的气味。

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What explains this expanding array? One factor is demography.

如何解释婴儿产品越来越多的现象呢？人口结构是一个因素。

In the rich world people are having children later in life, when they have more money to spend.

在富裕国家，人们的生育年龄越来越晚，这时他们有更多钱可以支配。

First-time mothers in America are now 27.4 years old on average, up from nearly 25 in 2000.

当下，美国初为人母者的平均年龄为27.4岁，相比2000年的近25岁有所上升。

People are also having fewer sprogs, so have more money to spend on each.

同时，人们生育的孩子数量少了，因此在每个孩子身上愿意投入更多金钱。

These days the average American woman is predicted to have 1.7 children over the course of her lifetime, down from a fertility rate of 2.1 in 2000.

如今，预计美国妇女一生平均生育1.7个孩子，而2000年的生育率为 2.1。

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In the growing share of households where mum and dad both work, time is tight and products that make parenting even a little bit easier can be a godsend.

在越来越多的双职工家庭中，家长时间非常紧张，任何能让育儿稍微轻松一点的产品都堪称天赐之物。

That helps explain the boom in baby tech in particular.The startup behind the Elvie Rise also offers a range of wearable breast pumps that are controlled by a smartphone.

这也是婴幼儿科技蓬勃发展的重要原因。Elvie Rise背后的初创公司还推出了一系列可通过智能手机控制的穿戴式吸奶器。

Then there is the Nucu pad, a baby monitor developed with backing from the makers of the Oura ring, a wearable device for adults.

另外，有一款Nucu智能垫，它是在成年人可穿戴设备Oura智能戒指公司的支持下研发的婴儿监护器。

It allows parents to record their heartbeat and play it to their baby in the crib, mimicking the feeling of being held.
父母可以通过它录制自己的心跳，并在婴儿床上播放给宝宝听，营造出宝宝被抱在怀里的感觉。

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New parents are looking not just for goods, but services, too.

新手父母不仅需要商品，还需要服务。

On Babylist, a gift registry for soon-to-be parents, the “help and favours” category, which includes babysitting and deliveries of home-cooked meals, has been one of the fastest-growing.

在专为准父母设立的礼品登记平台Babylist上，“帮助与便利服务”板块增长迅猛，其中包含了保姆服务以及家常餐食配送等服务。

Lisa Meakin, a London-based night nurse and sleep trainer, who charges between £280 and £350 ($347-434) per night, depending on the task, is rarely short of work.

丽莎·米金是一位来自伦敦的夜间护理及睡眠指导师，她的收费在每晚280-350英镑（347-434美元）之间，具体视任务而定，她几乎从不缺工作。

Ms Meakin puts that down to the fact that new parents today are less likely to live near family, who might otherwise lend a hand. “People don’t have that support network anymore,” she says.

米金女士认为，这是因为如今的新手父母往往与家人住得较远，要是住得近，家人可能会搭把手。“如今人们没有那种能给予支持的人际网络了，”她说。

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Another factor pushing up demand is the internet.

另一个推动需求的因素是互联网。

Parenting has always been anxiety-inducing, but the rise of social media has mums and dads more worried than ever—both about keeping up with their peers and doing well by their infant.

育儿这件事一直都让人焦虑，但社交媒体的兴起让家长们比以往越发忧心忡忡——既要跟上同龄人的步伐，又要好好照顾自己的宝宝。

According to a survey by Mumsnet, an online forum, half of parents with children under the age of three follow parenting bloggers or social-media influencers.

根据在线论坛Mumsnet的一项调查，半数有3岁以下孩子的父母会关注育儿博主或社交媒体网红。

Annabel Karmel, an author of books on nutrition for babies and children, argues that the plethora of information available online isn’t always helpful.

安娜贝尔·卡梅尔是婴幼儿营养书籍的作者，她认为网上铺天盖地的信息不见得都有帮助。

“You have got all these influencers and they all give you different advice,” she says.

“网红众多，每个人给出的建议都不一样，”她说。

And thanks to targeted digital advertising, women are being pitched pricey baby gear almost as soon as they discover they are pregnant.
而且由于精准的数字广告投放，女性几乎一发现自己怀孕，就会看到昂贵婴儿用品的广告推送。

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Of course, not every parent can afford to splurge, and some resist the urge to do so.

当然，并非每位家长都有能力大手大脚地花钱，有些家长也会克制这种冲动。

Babylist lets new parents indicate that they are “open to secondhand” items; used baby clothes are, after all, softer.

Babylist这个平台让新手父母能够表明自己 “愿意接受二手” 物品；毕竟旧的婴儿衣服穿起来更柔软。

On Mumsnet, one mum-to-be recently shared the list of gadgets and garments she had bought ahead of the birth and bemoaned the cost.

在Mumsnet论坛上，一位准妈妈近期分享了她产前购置的各类小器具和衣物清单，且抱怨花费太高。

“New parents are a marketing department’s dream,” one mother responded. Another piped up, consolingly: “You won’t use half of it.”
“新手父母是市场营销部门眼中的香饽饽，” 一位妈妈回应道。另一位妈妈也附和着安慰说：“这些东西你有一半都用不上。”

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原文出自：2025年2月1日《TE》Business版块

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本文翻译整理: Irene
本文编辑校对: Irene
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【重点句子】（3个）
People are also having fewer sprogs, so have more money to spend on each.
同时，人们生育的孩子数量少了，因此在每个孩子身上愿意投入更多金钱。

In the growing share of households where mum and dad both work, time is tight and products that make parenting even a little bit easier can be a godsend.
在越来越多的双职工家庭中，家长时间非常紧张，任何能让育儿稍微轻松一点的产品都堪称天赐之物。

Parenting has always been anxiety-inducing, but the rise of social media has mums and dads more worried than ever—both about keeping up with their peers and doing well by their infant.
育儿这件事一直都让人焦虑，但社交媒体的兴起让家长们比以往越发忧心忡忡——既要跟上同龄人的步伐，又要好好照顾自己的宝宝。