second hand toys

[asteri]

I am 9 and a half weeks pregnant and have started looking at nursery furniture, baby essentials etc to help us budget for what we need to get. Was looking at the price of some of the toys, for example a fisher price rainforest swing and its anywhere between £54.99 and £64.99 depending where you buy it from. Noticed you can buy a second hand one from ebay for a fraction of the price and its fully washable so I suggested to DH that there are a few things on our list that maybe we could buy secondhand as they are all washable and it would save us money for the more expensive nursery items. DH seemed really shocked that I would want to buy secondhand toys and suggested we just bite the bullet and buy brand new ones. AIBU to think if something is fully washable (the swing is just one example) you can get it secondhand and just clean it when you get it?

[CarGirl]

Yes buy everything you can 2nd hand, just check they are from a smoke free home!

Work out how much everything will cost new and it may well shock him into accepting that stuff is worth getting 2nd hand.

Buy stuff locally so you can go and look at it first, cots can either be mint or a a bit tatty depending on how much they got used and buy whom, same with pushchairs etc etc It's not recommended to car seats 2nd hand as you never know if they were in a car accident previously.

[asteri]

Thanka cargirl, might do a comparitive list and show him how big the difference can be, we are quite lucky, my grandparents are buying our cotbed/mattress (they buy the cot for all their grandchildren, its a very sweet and much appreciated tradition)

[Seabright]

Virtually all DD's stuff is second hand. I could probably have scrimpted and bought new, economising elsewhere, but why? Baby stuff never wears out - it's used for long enough.

Save your money for something that's worth buying new - a mattress etc

BTW I bought the same FP swing you're looking at on ebay, then sold it again the same way 6 months later at a £15 profit! Result!

[CarGirl]

Make sure you pick lots of lovely stuff, I reckon you can get up to £5k for stuff needed in the first year. Remember nappies, wipes etc etc

[battherat]

I would definitely go for second hand stuff.

Echo the smoke free advice but also don't be afraid to ask friends with slightly older DCs if there's stuff they would like to get rid of. They could well be glad of the cash and you will be assured that the stuff has come from a good home- as long as they aren't stinkers.

Don't buy a second hand car seat though.

[orangina]

Also, try freecycle. I have given a lot of baby stuff away on freecycle....

[borderslass]

we had hardly any money when dd1 was born so nearly everything was second hand and eBay didn't exist. Baby equipment seems so much cheaper now, you couldn't really buy baby stuff in supermarkets.
Do nct still do sales? I got loads from there.

[beautifulgirls]

Definately - I got rid of loads of stuff after my first two were born and when expecting DD#3 had lots of fun on freecycle and ebay finding some great bargains. I think she has more stuff than the first two as a result!! There is some fab stuff out there and most of it can be washed fine and/or wiped over with something like dettox. I also used a hand held steamer to "sterilise" things like a second hand buggy seat.

[ben5]

if its your first baby you'll get loads of clothes and small toys from relitives and friends. i'm sure close friends wouldn't even mind being asked to get something or put towards something. by the time little one is 6 months you'll be used to buying second hand things!

[mizu]

Buy second hand, you can get some great stuff as it is often hardly used. NCT sales are fab.

[boiledegg1]

Second hand is fine. Babies are little for such a short period of time so a lot of stuff looks almost new anyway. Also with stuff like baby swings, bumbo seats, etc., your baby might not like them so you will have wasted your cash anyway - I found out the hard way with a couple of things

[ninedragons]

Yes, yes, definitely secondhand ALL the way.

Quite a lot of stuff for small babies hasn't ever been used anyway - either the babies were born too big to fit the clothes, the 70 quid swing made them scream, etc etc etc.

I chuck money in DD's piggybank whenever I buy her something secondhand. I am planning to give her the money when she's 17 and aching for a car. It should go quite some way towards paying for one, and teach her the value of being tight.

[Downdog]

I brought pretty much everything for DD second hand, or we had stuff passed onto us for friends/colleague with older kids - it's fab & green & cheap. I'm not just talking toys, but buggy, cot, lots of clothes shoes etc. The world does not need a whole batch of plastic toys for each new baby. Give it a good wash - if you DH is paranoid about germs why not spend some ££ on a steam cleaner to give them a thorough clean (I did this on cot).

It's not just the money it's the time. Now I'm back at work I jealously protect my time. I'd rather spend weekends with DD than shopping - and shopping takes up loads of time. I very rarely shop now (apart from online).

Calm down - you don't need to buy anything just yet, you will be given stuff the your baby comes, and really young babies don't play with much anyway for a while (you will be given stuff to cover this time I bet)

ninedragons love your piggybank idea - might adopt that

[Cretaceous]

When DC were born, we were rich - I just didn't realise it then, of course! Double income, no after-school clubs, no school shoes to buy etc etc. And we still bought second hand. Thank goodness we did, as DC are now really expensive! Ninedragons' idea of putting money in a piggybank (or interest-bearing a/c etc) is an excellent idea.

[suitejudyblue]

If you have a good local newspaper there will be loads of adverts for baby stuff and you can see before you buy which isn't possible in ebay.
In my area there are a few shops that sell stuff on a split proceeds basis (the seller gets some/the shop gets the rest) and they have loads of basic stuff at good prices.
Also check local newsagents etc adverts.
If you plan to have more than one child it might be worth buying some stuff new just to make sure it lasts - I've used the same cot and pram for all 4 of mine.

[asteri]

suitejudyblue after the horrendous morning sickness I think this will probably be my first and last lol.

[dawntigga]

Apart from presents (so far and we'll buy second hand presents if it works out better value) most of The Cubs toys etc are second hand. The only reason we didn't go second hand for his cot was it was cheaper to buy from Ikea and my breast pump was a stonking deal new.

LovesPreLovedStuffTiggaxx

[ProfessorLaytonIsMyLoveSlave]

Get anything you can second hand. Some babies love swings and some hate them (DS hated them when awake but would actually nap if I put him in one asleep, whereas anywhere else he'd wake up within ten minutes) so you'd feel mightily pissed off if you'd spent £60 on something that your baby takes one look at and screams.

Baby clothes are (generally) extremely cheap on ebay and many of them have never even been worn (babies grow so fast...)

[Ezma]

yes, NCT still do Nearly New Sales - I think you can find details of your nearest one through their website. From what I remember it might be worthwhile joining the NCT as they often offer early entry to members so you can escape the bunfight that can ensure over a Baby Bjorn! I've bought quite a bit that way and school summer fairs are another way of picking up some good second hand toys.

[Again]

We didn't realise it before ds was born, but babies just don't really need that much stuff. This time round we aren't even taking back the things that we lent to other people, because we know that they are not necessary. Buy as little as possible until the baby is born. That would be my advice!

[MamaVoo]

Definitely buy second hand for some things. I bought everything new and am now getting round to selling it on. It's perfect, hardly used and turned out to be such a waste of money. You'll appreciate the money you've saved when you're living on maternity pay.

[PrettyPirate]

And also regarding toys - don't get anything before little one is born. You might get loads of things as presents and might end up with too much stuff! Same for clothes, just buy essential things only before baby arrives.

[Maybee]

2nd hand is fab and fun hunting for bargains. Its much better for the environment too. car seat and mattress are the only things that should be new.

[paisleyleaf]

DD does really well out of boot sales for toys.

[bigfishlittlefishcardboardbox]

My husband always tells me off for "buying someone's old 2nd hand tat off ebay"

I ignore him and carry on anyway!