What baby items would you consider buying 2nd hand?

emamy: What baby items would you consider buying 2nd hand?
What items would you want to buy new? If there is in item you would NEVER buy second hand give a reason.
I am 10 weeks pregnant and want to do some research. I know their will be showers and gifts, but I also want to save money by buying items second hand. Any advice would be helpful.
Thank you!

Answers and Views:

Answer by tonnieRN
NEVER A CARSEAT or anything i couldn’t clean properly…..

Answer by Girl? due 11/28/08
The only thing I don’t buy second hand is clothes because I see most of them have little stains or the tags are missing the size of the outfit.

Answer by nb_grl
The only 2 things I would buy new are a crib and a car seat. UNLESS I was getting them from someone I trusted and knew.
Reason being, there are so many recalls every year on cribs and some of the older ones are not safe anymore. Also, car seats are the same, and you never know if one has been involved in a car accident already.

Congratulations of your pregnancy!!!

Answer by goingcrazypart3
never pacifiers. But swings, cribs, maybe highchairs. a playpen if i knew the person who had it last. Toys I could sanitize. Never shoes.

Answer by Reagan P
Clothes are aways a great 2nd hand item to buy. shoes too, b/c little ones just don’t wear the outfit enough to wear it out. consignment stores i think have better stuff then just a resale store. Good Luck!

Answer by dr.bucksnort
baby clothes lots and lots and lots of baby clothes , hit the yard sales now , can find great deals
bet ya didn’t think a man would answer this , when my daughters where born i went out and looked for as much used things that i could find things like high chairs , toys . dressers , etc etc , took them home sanded the dressers restained them . toys sanded and painted like a old tricycle , high chair saved countless dollars and everything looked like new

Answer by Spence’s Mommy
I would NEVER buy a carseat second hand.. you just never know what its been through and its just not safe
I wouldnt buy a crib second hand either.
I wouldnt buy anything that has to keep my child safe, because you can never be fully sure its still safe.

Things I would buy second hand are toys (only if cleanable) and clothes, things like that. I dont ever buy anything second hand unless it is in impecable condition.

Answer by Ambizzle
I would never buy a carseat second hand, you never know if it has been in an accident.

I have a swing, bouncer, jumperoo, walker and high chair, all second hand.

I also bought/received MANY clothes second hand, and then pass them down the line when i’m done with them

Answer by belinda
I would not buy a used carseat. I would accept a hand-me-down carseat from a friend or family member if I’m sure that I would know if they’ve been in an accident, but I would not buy a used one from a stranger.

Anything else is fair game! I own some used diapers, and they work great.

You can totally buy a crib second hand. I have looked at many second hand cribs and they have all been manufactured recently. I know that “they” now recommend that each baby has a new mattress, but vinyl and foam fumes scare me, so at least air that sucker out first. As far as the crib itself, it’s clear when something is made recently. Don’t buy older models and stick with common brands. That way, you can download the user’s manual for free from the website. Not a problem.

Answer by lil_lol_88
i got our cot and changetable on loan from family other than that i got pretty much everything at the baby shower and i had about 12 people there so dont buy too much.

Also in response with the first answer, i got our carseat brandnew too, im not sure where you live but here in australia u cant sell a carseat older than 5 years old and it voids you insurance if you use a seat older than 10 years…. some thing to keep in mind. (there is a circle on the back/bottom of seat that indicates the month and year made)

Answer by tippiturtle13
no breastpumps, carseats, used clothes on ebay arent always what they seem, teething rings, bottles

Answer by Nik
The only thing I would purchase second hand are things I could sterilize, I just wouldn’t take any chances with my child, I don’t really even know about clothes unless I knew the person simply because that person could have had like a staph infection or something that spreads like that. I just don’t think it is worth the risk. I would buy like all plastic toys I could sterilize but thats pretty much it. Good luck!

Answer by TLT
I would consider almost anything from a good source. Things like clothes, slightly used car seat (you can usually get a new cover if you want), crib (not the mattress), toys, pack n play, bouncy seat, stroller, ALL OF THE BIG STUFF, etc.

Things I wanted new for myself were bottles, first few outfits, diaper bag (I was stubborn about this one because I wanted to pick it out on my own), bath toys, baby bath (like that plastic and foam thingy), THE SMALLER THINGS, etc.

Answer by pickles n ice cream
do not buy car seats 2nd hand. They could have been in an accident and not function properly. Pack n plays are good to buy second hand, you can buy 2 for different parts of your house, swings are great 2nd hand, they grow out of them quickly, changing table, not a crib, unless you know the person, it could be old or have lead paint on it, clothes!!!!!

If you have a shower, it is likely you will get a lot of this stuff. Congrats 2 u.

Answer by tanya b
I agree with responses..never a car seat or crib!
I bought alot clothes, swing, bassinet, shoes, bouncer, some toys…all second hand. You can get some things that are like brand new.
Good Luck with the pregnancy and congrats!!

Answer by Bridget V
I agree with pretty much everyone else. I would never buy a car seat secondhand. I may buy/borrow one from a friend or family member that I trust, but from a secondhand store, garage sale, etc…never.
Honestly, I’m a little leery of toys now too. Unless I know the toy is recent and was not recalled, or does not have any problems with lead (you can check here: , I tend to stay away. And I used to buy ALL my son’s toys secondhand.
I probably wouldn’t buy bottles/sippy’s secondhand. I know some people do, but that’s one of the few things I want new.
And lastly, I wouldn’t buy a health/grooming set secondhand (you know, the comb/nail clipper set or the thermometer/medicine dropper sets). I saw somebody selling one once at a garage sale that was obviously used, and all I could think was “ewww”.