If you’re interested in capturing some of the growing demand for baby products, you can enter the market by starting a dropshipping store.
In this post, find inspiration for the types of baby products your business could specialize in selling.
What is dropshipping?
Dropshipping is a retail business model where one company operates a storefront—typically online—while another fulfills customer orders. Ecommerce store owners who follow a dropshipping model don’t keep products in stock, but source them from a third-party supplier or manufacturer, which ships out orders to customers.
Dropshipping is like being a middleman: You take customer orders and pass them on to a supplier who ships the product. You’re running an ecommerce storefront without having to manage inventory or shipping logistics.
How does dropshipping work for baby products?
Dropshipping baby products is more or less the same as dropshipping other retail items. As a seller, you establish an online store, market your brand to a target audience, and handle sales transactions. You decide which baby products you want to sell online, and find baby product suppliers who can ship those products when a customer orders them.
In many cases, a store that dropships baby products uses multiple suppliers to fulfill orders. For instance, the store could sell both baby bath toys and baby diaper bags, but these products might ship from two different dropshipping suppliers, each with its own contractual arrangements with the dropshipping store.
As an ecommerce dropshipper, you’ll sign a legally binding contract with your suppliers. It usually covers the responsibilities of each party, quality and safety liability, and the length of the contractual relationship.
15 of the best baby products to dropship
Dropshipping ideas for baby products can come from many different sources: social media, parents within your friend network, trends you see at your local daycare, and so on.
Whether you envision selling a trending baby product or something parents always need, here are 15 product ideas to get you started:
1. Organic baby clothes
Organic clothing is made from materials that come from crops grown in accordance with organic standards. These items, which run the gamut from pajamas to baby rompers, are made from cotton, linen, silk, jute, wool, or ramie. If you take this approach to dropshipping baby clothes, make sure you have a certified organic fulfillment partner.
2. Baby booster seats
These sit atop a regular chair, “boosting” a baby up to sit closer to adult eye level. Since this seating will be holding children, make sure to only source products that have undergone rigorous child safety testing.
3. Baby bottles
An old standby among baby accessories, baby bottles should be made from BPA-free plastic to ensure safety. You can also explore other feeding accessories like cups, plates, and utensils designed for babies.
4. Disposable diapers
Disposable items lead to repeated online sales because customers have to replenish their supplies. Parents of newborns buy diapers for years until their child is potty trained.
5. Hypoallergenic baby diaper wipes
Wipes go hand in hand with diapers. As a dropshipper, consider bundling the diapers and the wipes in a combo package. Many customers prefer water-based wipes, as other varieties may cause skin allergies.
6. Diaper backpack
Another item in the diaper category is a backpack that holds diapers and various baby-changing accessories. These backpacks can be strictly utilitarian or surprisingly stylish.
7. Baby healing ointment
From cuts to chapped skin, babies routinely need healing ointment, and you can dropship this product in fairly small bottles. This lowers shipping costs and may lead to more frequent purchases when parents need refills.
8. No-touch forehead thermometer
A no-touch thermometer takes a child’s temperature safely and with (hopefully) few tears. You can partner with a medical supply company to dropship these.
9. White-noise machine
White-noise machines help babies sleep through the night, meaning they help parents sleep through the night as well.
10. Teething toys
Teething is a fact of baby life. There’s always a market for infant teething toys. Make sure to choose a supplier that uses BPA-free plastic or food-grade silicone.
11. Car seats
A sturdy car seat protects babies from car accident injuries. You can dropship full car seats, but shipping costs may be high for the customer, the dropshipper, or both, on account of the bulky dimensions. You can also dropship car seat covers, which ship more affordably in compact packages.
12. Breast milk storage bags
Breast milk storage bags are a convenient and hygienic way for mothers to store the milk they’ve pumped, allowing it to be safely stored and given to the baby later. These are appealing to dropshippers because the empty bags are extremely lightweight and can ship in small packages.
13. Bedding
Whether a child sleeps in a crib or a baby bed, they’ll need washable bedding. You can dropship baby products such as: sheets, blankets, or even baby sleeping bags.
14. Baby-related crafts
Some ecommerce vendors dropship baby-related arts and crafts products, such as a footprint ornament craft kit that lets parents create a Christmas ornament with their infant’s footprint.
15. Stroller fans
A stroller fan is a battery-powered device that clips onto a stroller to cool the baby on a hot day. Depending on your supplier, these fans may be nearly identical to those sold for adult use.
How to dropship baby products
Whether you want to dropship baby clothes, diapers, or thermometers, Shopify simplifies the entire process. You can start dropshipping with Shopify by building an online store and connecting a dropshipping app to communicate with suppliers.
Many dropshippers source mass-produced products like sippy cups or plastic toys from overseas marketplaces like Alibaba and AliExpress. You can curate suppliers from these platforms using a Shopify App called DSers.
As a dropshipper, your revenue depends on the profit margins you earn on each item sold. This means you need to charge your customers a retail price higher than the fees you pay your fulfillment partner. By striking a balance, you can make dropshipping baby products profitable.
