Lately, we’ve been hearing from a lot of moms (and some dads) who make cross border shopping trips to the United States specifically to buy goods for their infants and young children.

Lower Prices and Better Selection on Baby Goods in the United States

The main reasons Canadian moms tell us they are shopping in the U.S. are lower prices and better selection on goods for babies and kids such as diapers, ointments, clothing, strollers, cribs, furniture, accessories and just about everything in between.

In addition to finding lower prices and better selection on goods for their children, many moms are treating their cross border shopping trips as fun group outings with their girlfriends, sometimes staying overnight in local hotels.

Moms who bring their children on these outings should be sure to bring a child travel consent letter with them if they are travelling alone with their children to avoid any issues they may encounter at the border (border officials usually ask for travel consent letters when a parent is travelling with their child without their spouse to ensure that they have consent to take their child across the border).

Think Twice about Buying Car Seats in the U.S.

If you’re considering cross border shopping for a car seat for your child in the U.S., you may want to think twice. The U.S. has different safety standards than Canada when it comes to child safety seats, and it is illegal to import car seats into Canada that do not have the Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standard label. You can find more information here.