I agree. I feel that it definitely depends on which relatives that you get the hand me down clothes, or toys from. But at the end of the day, for me, I will always accept hand me downs from relatives - whose energy you have been familiar with for years - over a stranger's lol. I mean sure, there are certain relatives that I would not accept things from, just like with strangers. But I'd rather take things from relatives over strangers.
It all depends on what I am buying. When it comes to bottles, teethers or anything else that would go into my babies mouth than no I would definitely never buy that second hand but clothes on the other hand I will buy. If the clothing is in good used condition I will buy it.
I buy second hand things for both of my children and I prefer it over buying new. When I started preparing to be a mother for the first time I quickly realized that clothing and toys are very expensive. After seeing several friends of mine sell their gently used baby clothing for pennies on the dollar I decided to check out used clothing. I have found that if you look to make sure the clothing is still in good shape and wash it before putting it on your child you can get away with buying all seasons of clothing for very cheap! Toys are also much cheaper when you buy them second hand. My children do not care if their toy came from another family or the store. They will play with it just as well as long as it still works and is in good shape.
I'd do it for a select few items but overall I'd much rather just buy brand new if I could help it. I would consider it for things like desks and chairs which I know I can sanitize and the child wouldn't be putting it in their mouth or having it on their bodies all day like clothes or toys. I know I could just as easily sanitize toys and clothes but I would just never be able to get over and forget that it's a second hand item that I don't know the history of.
With my first child I refused to buy second hand I thought it was disgusting and cheap. But with my second I find that it is cheaper and easier, they grow so quickly through things that I buy clothes second hand. But I do not buy gear second hand, for numerous reasons. That doesn't mean I don't purchase new, I still do but i'll check for it at Once Upon A Child first. Half the time it still has the tag on it so I don't feel weird buying used.
I don't have a problem with either although, most of my children's cloths and things were second hand. The only thing I bought new was the car seat, but I only bought this once I just use it for the next child. But even on car seats they have an expiration date, so if it has expired I will buy a new one just to be on the safe side. I feel like that would be the only thing to consider buying new because safety of my child is more important than saving a few bucks.
The first time I did it, I did wonder if I had done the right thing, but when the items arrived and looked almost brand new I was very happy. I have saved a ton and although I don't have my own children, I've been able to buy my nieces and nephews items that I could not of afforded brand new. I've also bought 'defects' which have never turned out to be what I would call a defect, very minor almost unoticeable. If do scrutinize things as much as I can do and if something looked well worn I would not buy it. I was sent some brand new items along with some very brand new looking used items. A bundle of 7 or so newborn grows, a brand new pack of bibs and two unused baby grows, one had a price tag of $17.. I got them all for £9.00. I do question second hand buying though as I've never bought second hand clothes for myself and would avoid it at all costs :/ I think I would rather have two outfits than lots of second hand clothing. My taste for expensive clothes and my dwidling bank account and holey clothes may push me in that direction soon though...
We live in a funny old world. It amuses me that the fashion has been for a while, especially with teenagers, to wear ripped, faded, bleached and distressed clothing. These are supposedly new clothes made to look like second hand. Yet we buy second hand clothes that look like new! I think Mr. Spock would have a hard time finding logic in this! The madness of fashion!
I agree! I'm honestly shocked sometimes when I see what is in fashion. I'm not one to follow fad's but will wear something if I like it. I've had a hard time finding cheap clothing I actually like the past couple of years, most of the trends in my opinion have been too revealing/require that you have the body of a model or are 'bag lady' style. The kind of clothes I wear at home to clean and tend to the animals are what people are spending £££ on, I find that crazy. But fashion is crazy when you think about it.
I would actually buy secondhand things for myself. After paying off student loans, I would like to start a collection of buying stuff such as mighty morphin power rangers or dragon ball z since they are from my childhood. Most of the toys I would be interested in are the ones that came out when I was a child.
I would also buy second hand toys and other second hand things that are not clothing(for myself), I have some nice second hand furniture that I could not of afforded brand new. I use to love the power rangers!
I get a lot of bits second hand for my son from eBay, and most of the time the stuff is just as good as new but for a fraction of retail cost. I also sell a lot of stuff on eBay and at carboot sales so if people became really precious I wouldn't make half as much as I do through that. The only thing baby wise I would never buy second hand is a car seat, as you don't know if it's ever been in a prang.
I have not problem buying second hand clothes for my kids. I go consignment shops regularly to shop for my kids clothes. The clothes are always in great condition and less than half the price if you were to buy them new. Kids grow so quickly so often you will find good quality clothes that are virtually new or sometimes you find new clothes with the tags on at half the price. I will also bring my kids old clothes to the consignment shop so I can resell them and make a few dollars on them. As long as the clothes are in good condition I have no problems with my kids wearing second hand clothes to save a few dollars.
I buy a lot of my daughters clothes secondhand at yard sales. Small children grow so quickly and tend to ruin clothes a lot. My daughter is a mess. I always buy nice things at yard sales. Many of the things I buy at yard sales still have the tags on them and they give them away for a great deal. For example over the past few weeks I bought her a nike sweatsuit that retails for $40 for $3, Ralph Lauren snow boots that retail for $70 for $10, and Nike sneakers that retail for $55 for $2. The sweatsuit still had the tags on it and the boots had never been worn, the sneakers however were lightly used. I love getting deals on stuff that's been gently used/brand new.
I totally buy second hand items for my entire family, not just for my baby. Also, I am fortunate to have a close friend who has two kids a little older than mine, and I appreciate their hand-me-downs! Clothes, toys, and books I have no problem with. I would not consider buying a second-hand car seat, however, due to the possibility that it's already been in a car accident or it may be a model that has been recalled. When purchasing second-hand clothing, I look for holes, stains, and worn out spots. If the piece of clothing is not of good quality, I don't but it. My thoughts on second hand clothing for kids is, why not? Especially with how fast they grow out of things! When purchasing second-hand toys I look for chew marks, missing pieces, and cleanliness. I always sanitize the toys I buy before giving to my little one (even if they're bought new). For books, I look for chew marks, stains, and writing before purchasing them. I usually at least sanitize the outside cover of the book before giving it to little one. I have also purchased a couple of second-hand strollers which work great!
Buying second hand items for kids and even for adults didn't enter my mind because my concept is to buy when I an afford and do not buy when I cannot afford. The gifts I give for occasions always depend on my financial standing. So if I have lots of money, expect a nice gift. But when I have no money, it's better not to give a gift than give a second hand item.
I read an article which had me wondering whether buying used stuff for kids really is a good idea. Yes you'd save some money but the safety of your child isn't assured and in case of anything you can't sue anyone because you knew the risks involved. However I think buying some things like secondhand toys is OK. Anything else, well . .. no. Find some deals instead.
Another benefit of buying items second hand besides saving money is that it cuts down consumer waste, which is better for the environment. Think of all of the natural resources that go into making toys, books, and clothing. Buying second hand items allows for those items to be reused and sometimes to be repurposed.
I agree with you to a certain extent, but I would need to cleanse each item before purchasing it second hand, or the shop that was selling the second hand things would need to cleanse them before I purchased them lol. I don't believe in global warming the the conventional sense though.
I don't buy into the hype, but I still think we should do what we can to help take care of the planet. Buying and trading in gently used items, keeps more stuff out of the landfills. That's a plus, if you ask me. I also just hate to waste. If I think someone else can get use out of something, I'd much rather see it used than thrown away. The opposite is also true. If I can use something that's still in good condition, why not? I tend to prefer older items anyway, since many times they are of much better quality. Furniture is one area in which this is very true. I'd much rather have a used piece in good condition that is crafted from solid wood, than some of the new stuff that's sold as furniture these days.
