The best rated brands across a range of parenting and baby products have been announced by Finder in the 2021/2022 Finder Retail Awards.

From nappies to cots, the Finder Retail Awards reveal which brands are actually worth adding to your baby shower list, as voted by Australian consumers.

Finder worked with world-leading insights company Dynata to survey over 11,000 everyday Australians across more than 200 categories.

Consumers were asked to rate the brands of key baby products that they use across a range of factors, including whether they would recommend them to other parents and value for money. 

Graham Cooke, head of consumer research at Finder, said the retail awards were designed to help Australians make better purchasing decisions. 

“The best rated parenting brands of 2022 empower parents to make the right decisions when preparing for the arrival of a new family member.”  

The winner of the Best Rated Baby Store this year was Baby Kingdom, scoring top marks for range of products, customer service and critically value for money.

Cooke said with the cost of living crisis deepening – money is very tight for some households.

“The cost of having a baby is steep and saving money is front of mind for many new parents who are often dropping down to one wage or having some interruption to their income.

“This is being compounded by an uptick in interest rates and everyday expenses,” Cooke said.

Australia registered a total of 294,369 births in 2020, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. 

The median age of a woman having a baby has continued to increase over the past 20 years, from 29.8 years in 2000, to 30.7 in 2010, and 31.6 years in 2020. 

Cooke said the awards were designed to help parents navigate the crowded market for baby products.

“There are so many brands in the market, it can be really tough for new parents to know what to buy. 

“Trusted recommendations are key for parents when buying products – these awards are designed to instil parents with a sense of confidence.”

The winner of the Best Rated Cot went to IKEA, while the Best Rated Baby Wipes was awarded to Johnson’s.

“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.

“Remember there are many baby items which are not essential – so draw up a budget and stick to a list,” Cooke said.   

Best rated parenting brands for 2022
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 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 & support landing it 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 landed Mocka 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 & 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 critically value for money.