How is Nostalgia Shaping Kids’ Retail Trends in 2026?

This season kids’ retail trends have been shaped by families’ desire for nostalgia and analogue activities. Our Baby and Kids trend, ‘Scrapbook Summer’, originally published in 2024, forecast this nostalgia-driven design direction in 2026.

Here, we explore how ‘Scrapbook Summer’ has been adopted in retail and e-commerce this season, as we track and validate how the trend has been applied.

2026 Baby & Kids Retail Trends: Tracking ‘Scrapbook Summer’

Busy agendas are a thing of the past for these little wanderers. In full holiday mode, with a plan-free summer ahead, they live in the moment, ambling through patchwork fields under sunny skies, collecting mementoes along the way. Returning home, treasures are cut up, stuck together, and crafted into physical memories of a forever summer.

This laid-back trend is all about agendaless fun, slowing down and preserving memories. Rich in nostalgia, rural summer life provides a wealth of inspiration for product and print direction here. A scrapbook-style approach to design and decor ushers in an experimental and imperfect aesthetic that offers a playful update on classic countryside and farm-based themes.

What we said:

A scrapbook-like aesthetic influences design across product and play categories. Objects appear hand-crafted, with pieced and patched, cut-out and layered elements. Customisation and ongoing evolution are key here as little ones are encouraged to add to their items over extended periods of time.

What we saw:

Crafted and patchworked aesthetics were found across toys at Zara, through miniature fabric doll houses, as well as full size play house curtains.

Bed spreads and soft furnishings were nostalgically embroidered, patched and appliqued with rural scenes at Pottery Barn Kids. Meri Meri ‘flora’ partywear and notebooks featured a mix of hand drawn patterns with stitch detailing.

Stay ahead of key kids trends for 2027 and beyond.

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