What do you really think of second hand for kids?

I have bought so many lovely Boden clothes off vinted for a fraction of the price. Second hand all the way. Great getting bundles - so much better for the environment. Think about how we're leaving the world for our children to live in and not your snobby friend.

From the age of about 6 everything my son wore was second hand, thanks to lovely friends with older boys who’d bought good quality clothes and wanted to pass them on. Got away with no purchases apart from socks and undies til he was about 13.

My teens/young adults would rather buy from Vinted/Charity shops than buy new. Secondhand is definitely having a moment much like designer brands for babies did about 20 years ago, so I see you friend as the slightly out of step one here, who hasn't got a clue how to operate on a budget.

My brother was the same. Told me I was clueless about how expensive kids were, after one afternoon in John Lewis buying for a baby. I think we spent less than he did that afternoon in the whole of our first one's pre-school years. He still has a taste for all the finer things in life and luckily for him, the matching budget. But he has zero awareness of anything outside his privilege bubble.

and acknowledging the fact that yes it has made me feel a bit inferior when it comes up in conversation between us.

Then this is what you need to concentrate on.

Why does other people doing things differently to you, make you feel inferior if it's not a lack of money issue?

It doesn't make sense if you're choosing this?

I think it's mad to buy new kids clothes. You can't move for cheap second hand kids clothes on vinted! I just buy in bundles. I think 90% of my children's clothes are second hand. I re sell anything decent or pass them on.

Honestly I reckon we could stop importing or producing clothes for about 5 years and everyone would have enough to wear.

If you’re feeling judged, OP, you need to start hanging out with different friends. Plenty on here!

My kids live in charity shop and hand me down clothes. I can't get on with vinted though, we've yet to have a successful buy. Everything is missized, misdescribed etc.

I don’t buy second hand for my kids personally

Second hand all the way. Saves money, saves the planet, saves your nerves when they drip tomato sauce onto that new top, and you know you are never going to get that out in the wash. You will get to a time when they won't do second hand, save your money for those times. Everything is second hand once you have worn it for 10 minutes. x

I bought my daughter the most amazing pink furry coat from a charity shop as a toddler. It was about £15 so alot for a coat at that time. It was for us over ten years ago.

When i got it home I realised it was a designer produced coat i can't remember who the designer was now, but we got a good deal. She had it for 2 years and really suited it and enjoyed wearing it. It kept her warm too.

I shouldn’t judge but I do judge people whose children look always dressed up or perfect, I find it tacky

I do think there's something wrong with it actually.

Baby clothes are worn for a short amount of time so second hand makes perfect sense. Buying all new gear that will be barely worn is a poor use of our planetary resources - in the manufacture, the raw materials, the landfill once they're used. Unless she's shopping somewhere incredibly expensive, 200 quid could buy an unnecessarily huge amount of clothes for a 2 year old. It's excessive, consumerist and wasteful.

So she judges you. I judge her.

DS has been wearing hand-me-downs since birth.
During COVID, lots of friends were clearing out their stuff.
And no shops were open, I got so much great gear.
Still doing the same, 5 years on. I only buy pants, socks…
If I do see something in the shops, it’s sale rack only!

I don't have time for charity shops. I will gladly accept bags of clothes from friends or relatives but other than that I buy new as they are too old now to wreck clothes and it gets passed from big sister to little sister.

In my experience, poorer people are more likely to buy new as they worry they will look poor using hand me downs, whereas more comfortable families are happy with hand me downs so it frees up money for holidays. This does exclude the keeping up with the Jones’ types.

Almost all my DCs stuff comes off Vinted. It's much more fun shopping, there's more choice, I don't fret if the clothes get stained/wrecked, and I get nicer quality stuff for the same price. I know how different brands fit my kids so there aren't many duff purchases. We could afford it but I struggle to justify, say, a £30 kids jumper from Boden, but if it's £10 and only lightly worn, happy days.

I think my kids mostly look well turned out! I get lots of compliments on their (usually second hand) clothes.

But why mention her at all in the context of this thread, unless you feel so insecure about your own choices that you want MNetters to criticise your friend?

You could've just asked what people think of buying second hand clothes for their kids.

What a waste if no one bought second hand clothes. There's lots of great stuff out there.

When I was a kid, whenever we met up with friends or family, bags of clothes would change hands between the mums. Some of my favourite clothes were acquired that way!

I certainly bought plenty of second hand stuff for DS.

I don’t have children and wore a range of hand me downs and new. I do go to charity shops but being petite don’t find as much I can get but accessories scarves and hats are great.

These is a danger these threads do sometimes head to far the other way of you should feel inferior if you are buying new and the only worthy ones buy everything second hand.

the main difference with buying new is that you can return things that don't fit perfectly or are disappointing. With Vinted you are a bit stuck or have to sell them back, so I can see why new is more practical.

But without people buying new, we wouldn't find good second hand, so it doesn't matter does it

I love a second hand sale! Not so keen on Vinted as it’s not always as shown, but that’s an internet problem not a second hand problem.

To me it’s crazy to pay full price for clothes kids will grow out of, but I’m really glad other people do so that I can buy them in the second hand sale!

Most of my DDs’ clothes were hand me downs, and after my two finished with them they went on to cousins.

My three kids are in 100% second hand clothes (save for underwear and socks). It’s not about money - it’s two things. Firstly, there are waaay too many clothes in the world. They are just clothes - even when my teenager wanted a designer jumper for Xmas - I got it off eBay. Why not, better for the environment. Secondly, it teaches them that we can’t just consume and consume - they wear clothes from eBay, hand it down between them and then I sell or donate for someone else to benefit. It’s not about money - it should be how we all live