Ninety-Two Dollars for Diapers and Formula: Why America's Families Are Choosing Smaller

A video posted by @WallStreetApes on X in late June 2026 has reignited a conversation that millions of American parents are having in private: Can we actually afford more than one child?

The video features a mother expressing genuine frustration after a single shopping trip that cost $92 for diapers and baby formula. Her words cut to the heart of a real economic squeeze:“Who decided we could make diapers and formula the two most needed things when you have a child, the most expensive things on this planet?”She goes on to note that the idea of a second child feels financially impossible given current costs.

The numbers back up her concern. Baby formula prices have jumped roughly 45% over the last decade—a spike that far outpaces overall inflation. That 2022 global formula shortage, when market predictions failed and new parents bore the brunt of the shortage, only made things worse. When the bare essentials cost this much, the decision to expand your family shifts from a matter of desire to one of pure arithmetic.

The reaction to the video split predictably along lines that say a lot about how we discuss class and parenting in America. Some users sympathized with her struggle, recognizing that rising childcare and essential costs are squeezing the middle class. Others pointed to visible details in the video—what appeared to be a luxury car interior and designer accessories—and argued she had no right to complain.“Sell the luxury car, that’s step one,”one commenter wrote. Another insisted that“if you value life, you find a way.”Some suggested alternatives like breastfeeding or cloth diapers, as if personal choices rather than systemic inflation were the real issue.

What these competing takes miss is the broader picture. This isn’t about one mother’s shopping habits or consumption choices. This is about a generation of Americans making hard calculations about family size not based on how many children they want, but on what they can actually afford. When formula costs have grown five times faster than general inflation, and diapers remain among the highest expenses a young family faces, we’re not looking at a personal finance problem—we’re looking at a structural one.

Whether the solution involves policy changes, market intervention, or a cultural shift in how we support young families remains unclear. But one thing is certain: the video resonated because it reflects a reality that millions of households are living right now.