What baby items wouldn't you buy used?

[hkexpat2010]

Hi,

Wanted to get the advice of moms and moms to be! Have started looking around at nursery furniture and buying all the baby essentials, clothes, toys, aids, etc. The prices here are super high so will stock up on what I can on a trip home.

However, I'm wondering what items I should buy second hand that I could wash/clean up thoroughly and/or wouldn't be too worn out?

So the real question is what baby stuff wouldn't you buy used? I'm thinking things like a training potty I wouldn't buy used, but what about a plastic bathtub? Floor mats, cribs, swings, baby monitors?

Would love to hear your opinions!

 

[RileyC]

Wouldn't buy:
Car seat
Training potty
Used breast pump
Used baby bottles and teats
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[Frenchy]

Well, the mattress, spoons, bottles, teethers, washable nappies. I did buy a second hand bath tub, swing, baby walker and some clothes.

 

[southside852]

anything that goes into the baby's mouth I would not buy used - bottles, teethers, things for weaning onto solids etc...I wouldn't buy crib/mattress or tiles too.

I would buy: jumper, walker, bathtub, high chairs, toys, baby monitors, swings

 

[Shenzhennifer]

Carseat. Mattress. And anything that went in babys mouth or on mothers nipples. And shoes.

 

[ssheng]

I think anything you can thoroughly clean should be OK, but electronic items like baby monitors, room temperature monitors, air purifiers, etc, that you really want to function and could potentially be broken (baby monitor being the most important) I would probably not risk it. Likewise for things that have been chewed on and therefore could have microscopic tears/holes that would damage the usefulness, like teats. My toddler for example has picked up and thrown the monitor on the ground numerous times and it still works and looks new, but you wouldn't know how banged up it was if it were second-hand since there are no obvious markings.

Oh, and I've never seen a used training potty for sale - that's sort of hilarious...

 

[carang]

i never had problems with bottles/nipples or a used breast pump, afterall, you sterilise everything before you use it anyway...right?

that said, i never bought used bottles/nipples... but i did buy a breast pump used.

 

[banane76]

You can change the breastpump shield usually...on medela ones anyway so I don't think there's anything wrong with a used pump. The motor part doesn't touch nipples

 

[charade]

I got practically everything for my son secondhand and have had no issues. These include - stroller, crib, breast pump (because I was borrowing I got two so I didn't need to carry one to work), clothes, baby carrier. Bottles and teats I bought but my sister did send a couple of her old bottles with her pump and I used those. Recently my sister in law gave me a play gym that has already gone through five children. The good thing about secondhand stuff - especially if it is given not bought - is that often half this stuff doesn't get used and then it's not such a colossal waste. Things I ended up buying were bathtub and bassinet simply because I couldn't be bothered trying to find secondhand ones and of course disposables like diapers and wipes. All toys were new but gifted... You will get more stuff than you expect as gifts so don't buy too much.

 

[penguinsix]

Many pediatricians specifically advise against used mattresses due to the risk of SIDS or crib death. Car seats are also on the so-so list as sometime the advances in safety technology over say 5 years might warrant a newer version of then that which someone had a half a decade ago.