Used baby stuff-how used?

[fitmommy83]

Question: what baby items would you accept used from someone else?

These would be coming from my BFs family, and the newest they would be is at least three years old, if not five. Basically, a relative had two girls, one who is now five and one who is three. These are her items, and I am not sure if both her kids used them (in which case, yikes, no, I know those kids and I'm sure the stuff has taken a beating) or if just the youngest used them.

Stuff includes a crib, a bouncey chair and a stroller, not sure if there is other stuff. Opinions please!

BTW I'm not saying my daughter needs brand new baby stuff from designer brands, but I also don't want things beat to DEATH either. Plus I will be moving so not interested in hauling more junk than is needed.

 

[Button#]

I would use stuff that old. Bouncy chairs are only used for a short time anyway so it's probably been stored for most of that time. The stroller, it would depend on if it's one I would like using as I was particular about what features I wanted. The crib I would use and just buy a new mattress.

I have a lot of stuff from DS that I plan to sell when DD has finished with it, including a Bumbo which I bought secondhand in the first place.

 

[tallybee]

I agree - so much baby stuff is used for a tiny amount of time and is completely fine after. My gran has a crib that was second hand when I and my brother were babies then used for our cousins and then my kids!!

Stroller I'd want to see before knowing if I'd use it.

Xx

 

[d_b]

I would check out the condition.. It doesn't really matter the age or # babies that uses the items, but the quality of the item and how rough they were with it. Our bouncy chair has been used by 3 babies and looks new, the cribs have been used by 2 and also look new but a friend of mine had one of her kids chew on the crib rails and theirs looked terrible after 1 baby. For us, high chair, clothes, and toys definitely have gotten worse with wear! I did buy several second hand strollers which looked quite new when I bought them and one of them is showing some wear now as we use it all the time. They can also fade if left outdoors.

 

[greats]

For me, it would all depend. How clean do they look? I know you can wash stuff like the bouncy chair fabric, but I'm super nit-picky and refuse to take anything that has stains. Also, make sure everything is in perfect working order. Does the bouncy chair have a vibration setting and if so, does it still work with new batteries? I had to buy a new bouncer bc the motor for the vibration setting completely died on my daughter's.

As for the crib, so long as it doesn't have a drop side and you can't fit a can of soda between the slots, then you should be good to go. But also check that it has all the screws in place and that nothing is loose.

The stroller, make sure it locks properly when opened. I have to trash my jogging stroller soon bc it doesn't fully lock on one side when it's opened.

 

[spunky84]

I agree that it depends - and not necessarily based on how old or how many kids used it. I know there were a lot of things when DD was younger that weren't used very long and are still in great condition while some things have more wear and tear.

I think I'd want to see everything and inspect it first to make sure they're safe and work properly.

Cleanliness - depends. I would hope that they'd clean it before letting me see it. If it still looks dirty after a good cleaning, possibly not. It really depends on what the deal is.

Odors - smoke, pet, etc. Maybe just a natural scent of their home, not necessarily bad. It depends. Smoke and pet, absolutely not (smoke for obvious reasons - pets for possibly different reasons. Not sure about how it'd effect baby, but I can't imagine my cats would react well which may result in them damaging it by spraying or something).

I just think you need to use your best judgement and decide if it's worth it or not. Some things may matter more to you than others (such as number of kids that used it - nothing wrong with that!), but I would definitely inspect if for safety first more than anything.

I'm not picky about used stuff, but I also don't want it to be garbage or unsafe (and yes, we've ended up with some garbage stuff that we've not used because we were too afraid to say no!).

 

[2have4kids]

One of THE BEST things to get used is the crib mattress. My crazy gf drove all the way to the States to pick up an organic all-cotton expen$ive mattress that won't off-gas while baby's sleeping on it. There's more sensible ways to go about this:

My DH is a PhD chemist and all you need to do is get a good, used (preferably at least 1 year old) mattress.
Other things that I'd say no thanks to are plastic & painted toys. Unless you know it's bpa & lead free, take a pass. All else are welcome in my home, within reason (no 1920's cribs due to safety concerns).

 

[fitmommy83]

Thanks so much ladies.

As long as the bouncy seat works, I'm not too worried, since you ladies said it's only used for about six months anyway.

My mom got us a stroller long before everyone else knew I was pregnant, so if it works, we will just give the second stroller to my mom for when she babysits.

The crib-we may very well toss/junk. She did have a cat, and that might upset my cats. Also it was a smoking house, so not sure about that....

My mother said to basically take the things so no one complains/has hurt feelings, but just junk/give away anything we don't feel comfortable with.

ETA: Spunky, you made such good points! Safety is my #1 concern, as well as how clean. We plan on having a second child, so we are saving stuff from our daughter's birth for the next baby, and we def. do not want to save junk!

 

[2have4kids]

It's too bad you have to take on all of their junk and then dispose of what you don't want, that sounds like alot of work to me however it is a kind gesture (minus the smoking bit) and I'd feel lucky to have some ladies offer me their used things too. Good luck.

 

[dreamingbyday]

The only things I'd be concerned with is if they give you a car seat (expirations, accidents, inherited grossness that not even cleaning will wash out...) and to make sure nothing (the crib especially, or the stroller) has any recalls. One of the few items I got used for my son (just by circumstance. and having no clue what babies need until my friend took me shopping a month before he was born...) was a bouncey seat. It looked like it was in good condition but it had gone through two kids over the span of 4 or 5 years and when I went to actually use it, it turned out to not be in such a great condition. The headrest that is really important to a newborn had 0 padding left (it was flat. literally flat!) so I had to prop his head up with blankets which is super unsafe so I couldn't use the seat until he was closer to 12 lbs, at which point his weight stretched the fabric so much, the seams were looking stressed like they might come apart. So, when you're looking at the bouncey seat (or anything else), check that it would be safe for a newborn (especially that it could help them hold up their head) and check the seams.

 

[2have4kids]

There was a brilliant thread in this section that prioritizes items (experienced moms telling what they used vs the idol items that sat and took up room). One of the tips was using a slow cooker double for a bottle warmer, fill with water, spin dial to warm, voila!
Many other great $$ saving tips.