MILWAUKEE — As tariffs and inflation push prices higher across the board, families are adapting quickly, especially when it comes to raising young children. For Nahona Moore, a mother of two, that means leaning into her village, embracing secondhand shopping, and making the most of every resource available.
“It is a lot, especially—it’s a big change. It comes out of nowhere,” Moore said. “We weren’t super established when we had children, and so we lean on our village a lot. So, like grandparents, the people at our church.”
Moore and her husband both work—he mentors youth through the organization Strive 365, and she is a makeup artist, author and event planner. While their family is stable, they are intentional with their spending.
“We love to shop at the baby thrift stores,” she said. “We love Marketplace, things of that nature. Any way that we can save, we’re gonna save. Any way that we can make things more affordable.”
One major recurring cost? Diapers.
“Probably $200, and that’s mostly Pampers,” Moore said. “Pampers are really expensive, and so when we started to notice the budget and the finances were going up because we had to continuously buy Pampers, we started to potty train her. Because we could not continue doing that. It was very expensive.”
Like many families, the Moores relied on their baby registry for essentials early on, but their needs changed with time.
“The first stroller and car seat we bought was a dual—we didn’t actually buy it, it was part of our registry, so thankfully we were blessed with it. But when it came to having two kids, we had to get rid of the stroller and car seat, and we had to buy a double stroller.”
That’s when the sticker shock hit.
“We were going into the store, we were seeing like $180, $200, $260, and I’m like—who has that to just say, ‘OK, I have to buy it’? It was too much. So we went on Facebook Marketplace ... because I think the prices were more expensive, they were getting snagged so fast.”
Watch: Rising costs challenge families
Eventually, a friend connected them to a seller.
“It was used. It was missing one piece, but that’s fine—we still use it today, and we paid $100 for it,” she said. “It was nice. It was better than $150 and $60 and $200.”
Nahona is quick to point out that saving money isn’t just about strategy—it’s about compassion and access.
“It’s hard, especially when I think about other people who don’t have the privilege of having people who can pour into them or help them with the resources,” she said. “To not be able to provide the necessities that you need for your children, simply because everything is just so expensive.”
She praises stores like Once Upon a Child, which she called “such a blessing.”
Watch: Milwaukee family's resourceful response to baby product prices
She explained, “You can take the old clothes from the baby girl that she can’t fit, and you can take them there—they’ll buy them, and then you’re able to spend the money that they gave you for the clothes and buy more clothes from them. And when you do that, they take the taxes off so you don’t have to pay taxes.”
For Moore, there’s no stigma around accepting hand-me-downs.
“When we were younger, we used to feel like it was poor or something to take hand-me-downs,” she said. “We don’t have too much pride—if your children have things and they’ve outgrown them, please give it to us. We do not care.”
She also shares hacks like knowing which stores run deals.
“Target is one of our favorites. Walgreens always has some kind of deal—last night we needed to randomly buy Pampers, and they had two for $21. We got a pack of pull-ups and Pampers for both of them. That’ll probably last us two to three weeks for Agape, ’cause she’s potty training, and for Gio, probably a week or two. Which is fine, because the big boxes that you buy are like $28.”
Programs like WIC have also played a role in making sure her kids have what they need.
“They’ll ask you if you have a stroller or car seat or the essentials that you need for the child, and they give those things for free,” she said. “There’s a lot of programs out here. A lot of people just have to look for them.”
She added, “We get WIC, and I love WIC. We get fruits, we get veggies, yogurt, applesauce, peanut butter, beans—all the things that are actually healthy for them, and we get those for free, because we don’t get food stamps.”
For Moore, asking for help isn’t weakness—it’s wisdom.
“There’s a lot of programs out here—it’s just a matter of being able to find them and not being afraid to ask for help,” she said. “I used to have a lot of pride because I grew up on welfare and WIC and stuff. I’m like, ‘I don’t need that.’ But my perspective was challenged. This is what those programs were created for—to help people who need help. It doesn’t mean you have to stay on it forever, but it’s there to help. So just take the help that’s actually available and don’t be ashamed of it.”
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