by Joyce Slaton posted in Products & Prizes

No one wants to use ugly baby gear. But since most baby products, like cribs, highchairs, and car seats, have to pass the same strict safety regulations no matter how upscale or inexpensive they are, the only way for cheaper brands to keep their price points low is to skimp on style. Ever notice that pricey baby stuff has much nicer design, fabric, and materials than what you buy in the discount big box stores" It has to. Because no one's going to pay $500 for a homely stroller.
That being said, value brands often bite the style of more expensive competitors. Take muslin blankets for example. In 2006, Aden + Anais was the only muslin blanket-maker in the U.S. If you wanted a muslin blanket, you were going to pay $20-$30 for it in a specialty baby store. Fast-forward a decade, and muslin blankets are going for as little as $5 in discount stores. One-handed strap-in-the-seat stroller folding systems are another good example. Baby Jogger was the first to come out with what it called Quick-Fold Technology in 2004, and for years it was only available in the highest-end Baby Jogger strollers. But now you can easily find similar systems on strollers in the $100-$200 range: 4 of the strollers in our story "7 strollers that fold up so easily it?s like the whole world smiles" have them.
In fact, there are a ton of value-priced products that look enough like more expensive competitors to fool the eye. Here are some of our f...