With $2.6bn of total sales expected by the end of 2024, the children’s health market is rapidly evolving, driven by shifting consumer preferences and innovative solutions. Parents increasingly seek holistic approaches that address both mental and physical wellbeing, with a strong preference for products made from natural, clean ingredients and fast-acting remedies. Transparency, affordability, and educational resources are key to winning consumer trust, while convenience and accessibility remain top priorities.
Looking ahead, mental health support is also gaining momentum, with innovations such as meditation apps, sleep aids, and stress management tools becoming integral to children’s wellness. For brands in this space, understanding these trends and preferences is essential to staying competitive and meeting the growing demand for safer, smarter, and more effective health products and services for children.
This report looks at the following areas:
- Market forecast and drivers in children’s health market
- Responsibility of caring for children’s health
- OTC products utilized for children health management
- Proactive and reactive product preferences
- Sources of credibility of products for children
- Natural vs traditional treatment preferences
- Children health OTC product claims
- Attitudes and behaviors around child health management
When it comes to their child’s health, parents often learn through experience. Regardless of the treatments they pursue, it’s essential for brands to provide a range of solutions while offering guidance and reassurance to help them navigate challenges and missteps along the way.
David Hamlette, Research Analyst; Health and Wellbeing
Market Definitions
The children’s health products market, as defined by Mintel for this Report, includes children’s strength versions of OTC medications and vitamins/minerals/supplements. This includes remedies that are designed to treat children younger than 12, including babies and toddlers.
The market is segmented as follows:
• Cold, cough, and allergy remedies – cough and cold remedies; allergy, sinus, and nasal remedies; cough syrup; cough/sore throat drops; sore throat remedies; nasal sprays/drops/inhalers; nasal strips; nasal aspirators
• Vitamins/minerals/supplements – multi-vitamins; 1- and 2-letter vitamins; minerals and supplements. Supplements include only those herbal, homeopathic, and similar products that are generally sold through mainstream retailers.
• Internal analgesics – liquid and tablet form
• Baby electrolytes
• Other health remedies – ear care products; oral pain relief; external analgesic rubs; chest rubs; bedwetting remedies; gastrointestinal remedies, including laxatives, diarrhea remedies, stomach remedies, antacids, motion sickness tablets
The report excludes lice treatments and health accessories (thermometers, bandages, braces, vaporizers, etc.) as well as prescription medications.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- What you need to know
- Market size and forecast
- Market predictions
- What consumers want and why
- Opportunities
- Encourage parents to work through their mistakes
- Diversify products to meet both traditional and natural needs
- Highlight preventative or fast-acting properties in products trying to resonate with parents of teens
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MARKET DYNAMICS
- Market context
- The US expanded by 2.8% in Q3 2024
- Graph 1: quarterly real GDP growth, 2021-24
- Annual inflation slightly rose in October
- Graph 2: headline CPI and core CPI, 2021-24
- Over 40% of consumers have seen their financial situations change for the better in the past year
- Graph 3: change in financial situation over the past 12 months, 2024
- Market drivers
- Parents are prioritizing health with a holistic approach…
- …but must also recognize there can be some extremes to this mindset
- Stay informed on the status of early child health prevention programs
- Proposed legislation focused on VMS usage for children…
- …could bleed into weight management as GLP-1 medicines come on the market for children
- US Surgeon General encourages parents to take care of themselves while taking care of their children
- Market size and forecast
- Retail sales and forecast of children health products
- Market segmentation
- Total retail sales and forecast of children’s health products, by segment
- Graph 4: [no title]
- Retail sales of children health products, by segment
- Market share/brand share
- Decline in total children health products may show experimentation with alternative solutions other than OTC
- Sales of baby electrolyte products, by company
- Sales of children internal analgesics, by company
- Sales of children upper respiratory remedies, by company
- Sales of children vitamins, by company
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CONSUMER INSIGHTS
- Consumer fast facts
- Consumer fast facts continued
- Responsibility of caring for children
- No real differences in responsibility when it comes to ages of children…
- Graph 5: responsibility for children’s health, by age of child, 2024
- …but women lead men when it comes to sole responsibility
- Graph 6: responsibility of children’s health, by gender, 2024
- Dove recognizes the diverse role fathers play in a child’s life
- Gen Z are taking more sole responsibility
- Graph 7: responsibility of children’s health, by generation, 2024
- OTC health management
- Parents of teens showing main differences in product usage
- Graph 8: OTC products used for children health, by age of child, 2024
- Recognize fathers and mothers want different interventions for their children
- Graph 9: OTC products used for children health, – NET any OTC pediatric remedy and any VMS, by gender, 2024
- Middle class consumers are looking for quick and efficient treatments
- Graph 10: OTC products used for children health, by income, 2024
- Brands put fast-acting claims at the forefront of their product packaging
- Proactive product preferences
- Parents with older children/teens are more focused on prevention
- Graph 11: emphasis on proactivity health management – a lot, by age of child, 2024
- VMS continues to be a household solution for parents
- Limiting children’s stress is a privilege that comes with financial stability
- Graph 12: a lot, by income, 2024
- Parents perceive daughters have more “needs” than sons
- Graph 13: select emphasis on proactive health management – A lot, by gender of children, 2024
- Reactive product preferences
- Parents of younger children focused on products that alleviate instead of prevent
- Graph 14: emphasis on retroactive treatment – a lot, by age of child, 2024
- Find comfort knowing consumers trust OTC products
- Keep track of the transition to home solutions…
- Graph 15: select emphasis on retroactive treatment – a lot, by generation, 2024
- …especially thanks to the rise in home remedy health influencers
- Combat the narrative that first-time parents act irrationally when kids are sick
- Graph 16: emphasis on retroactive treatment – a lot, by first time parent, 2024
- Credibility of products for children
- Parents with older children take credibility into their own hands, while those with younger children rely more on a community
- Graph 17: sources of credibility for children’s health, by age of child, 2024
- Moms and dads are looking for credibility in different places
- Graph 18: sources of credibility for children’s health, by gender, 2024
- Hispanic consumers looking for familiar faces to establish credibility
- Create a concept similar to Aflac, but centered on preventative healthcare for children
- Natural vs traditional treatment solutions
- Look to gender and generational preferences to win consumers
- Graph 19: type of treatment utilized, by age of child, 2024
- Acknowledge mothers and fathers have different treatments they gravitate towards
- Graph 20: select types of treatment utilized, by gender, 2024
- Tailor types of treatment to generational needs
- Graph 21: Type of treatment, by generation, 2024
- Children health OTC product claims
- Natural ingredients leading, with quickness of results closely following
- Graph 22: children health OTC product claims, by age of child, 2024
- Consumers looking for cleaner formulas for children
- Graph 23: top five claims in children health products, 2021-23
- Hispanic consumers look to familiar ingredients often found in natural solutions
- Parents with teens want fast-acting solutions
- Graph 24: select children health OTC product claims, by age of child, 2024
- Attitudes and behaviors around child health management
- Parents are doing their best when it comes to taking care of their child’s health
- Graph 25: attitudes and behaviors around children health management, by age of child, 2024
- Some parents may not even recognize their child is sick
- Alleviate pressures non-first-time parents have on making mistakes
- Graph 26: select attitudes and behaviors around children health management – feel like a bad parent when child does not see improvement from their intervention, by first time parent status, 2024
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INNOVATION AND MARKETING STRATEGIES
- Launch activity and innovation
- Free-of claims directly on packaging
- Adrien releases a product focused on the mental health of teens
- Make it easier for parents to treat on-the-go
- Start health practices as early as three months
- Marketing and advertising
- Geneva offers natural and versatile solutions for symptom relief
- AptaGrow provides parents with confidence that their child is growing at a healthy, steady pace
- Westin Manilla recognizes healthy habits don’t stop on vacation
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APPENDIX
- Market definition
- Consumer research questions
- Consumer research methodology
- Generations
- Abbreviations and terms
- Forecast methodology
- Forecast fan chart methodology
- Fan chart for internal analgesics
- Fan chart for upper respiratory
- Fan chart for VMS
- Fan chart for baby electrolytes
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