Does anyone else find that things are really old in charity shops?

[ohmygoodnessme2022]

I'm pregnant with my first child and I'm trying to buy everything (cot and mattress) second hand (mostly because we don't have that much money but also to be more environmentally friendly). I've found clothes quite easy and have got some really nice things but toys and general things for the nursery all seem really old and quite dated. I found a really nice Winnie the Pooh cuddly toy the other day at my local RSPCA charity shop but on the paw it had 1997 on it (was part of the design- it hadn't just been written on). Also I've seen a huge amount of Tweenies books (I know it would be a while until I'd be reading books like that to the baby but I still like to look)- the Tweenies aren't even on tv anymore! I've seen a bit of paw patrol stuff and a little bit of Pepper Pig (not very much at all though) but other than that it's mainly old stuff- the only children's curtains I've seen in a charity shop is Poddington Peas! I was just wondering if this is all pretty much the same for most charity shops or if there are ones that are better than others- possibly it is just the ones local to me though. Also, I get that babies don't mind if their stuff is old- I suppose this is more me just wondering!

Also, I did buy one of the Tweenies books though! They are really sweet!

You'd probably have better luck on Facebook Marketplace where the stuff being offloaded is more likely to be nearly new.

You have to go the posher ones which sell only children's clothes. I think a lot of mums put stuff on market place now and sell it or pass it on to friends

It does vary area to area. There are some shops near us we don’t even go into as they have nothing except old stuff, other shops seem to have really up to date stuff.
You do need to buy a new mattress though, it’s not safe to use an old one.
Congratulations on your pregnancy.

Some research suggests that there could be a link between Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS or 'cot death') and secondhand mattresses. An old mattress might contain mould, bacteria and dust mites, which could be linked to SIDS

I buy a lot second hand but wouldn't buy a mattress secondhand tbh as you don't know how it's been used/stored.

Please don't buy your mattress second hand- I was on a very tight budget and IKEA was a good budget option.
I've donated to charity today and although the current stock was new-ish, I did over hear them saying they'd had a ration book from WW2 donated recently!

Sorry I've just re read my post and I missed out that I'm not buying the cot and mattress second hand (I just put cot and mattress rather than not the cot and mattress)- sorry I realize that wasn't clear

I bought a cot frame on e bay
But definitely buy a new mattress and take it out of the plastic wrapping and air it out for a good month! And wash the zip off topper thing. Although neither of mine slept their cots till about 4 months old 😬

@HuntingHappiness thank you

It's likely due to circa-25 year olds moving out of the family home more permanently, and all their old boxes etc getting sorted through and offloaded to charity.

As PPs have said, parents of younger children will probably sell on marketplace etc.

We have a local 'mum to mum' carboot style event that's pretty good, might have something like that near you?

@Classica thank you- I don't have Facebook but I might look to join to see the marketplace

for your purpose, looking for baby clothes, prams etc. it's excellent.

I don’t really see a problem with how old something is, unless it effects how it’s been looked after.

If something is 20 years old, and has been looked after, why does it matter?

If you go for classic styles of things, like the Winnie The Pooh as in your example, it doesn’t really ever go out of style.

I agree about charity shops and toys. I find FB market place better. Got a baby trampoline for. £5 was like new. Same with a VTECH baby walker again £5. Wooden toys galore.

@Bookaholic73 no I agree with you the classics don't really date- it's more just things like merchandise for tv shows that haven't been on in a long time (I don't think the tweenies has been played in quite some time now). On the other hand though it looks like a lovely programme and even though it will be old it might be one to buy some DVDs of as it's probably still very enjoyable to children

@FrictionDiction that sounds really good! Might have to see if there's any near me! Thank you!

I agree its when young adults finally move out and clear out, or their parents downsize from the family home, the items individually aren't worth selling so they go to the charity shop. My two are 16 and 18 and The Tweenies were old hat when they were little but I remember their cousins, now early 20s, being into them.

NCT Sales are good too

Please don't get a second hand mattress!!

In poorer areas charity shops are very uninspiring. I think people use ebay and facebook market more than give to charity.
I think some charity items are from death house clearances so they might have saved things from the 90s and 70s.

Definitely join Facebook for this - it's the only reason I'm on! There will also likely be a local sell/swap or recycling page. We've got lots of things for DS in great condition for free or close to nothing.

I thought this was going to be a thread about how to pick up really lovely antiques and collectables!

I wouldn’t bother buying DVDs if you’re on a tight budget and have an internet connection. There’s so much free stuff on YouTube for the early years, eg Super Simple Songs, Mother Goose Club, and lots of free CBBC programmes on IPlayer.

re the charity shops, try going to one that’s in an affluent part of town!

Parents often keep onto things for several years in case before accepting that their family is complete.

I remember Tweenies being on when mine were little (12, 9) so it has been on in the past decade.

Spin-off merchandise books often used to annoy me because the stories were often poorly written compared to original books by authors.

One of my kids would love poddington peas curtains! Shame they can't actually be bought.

That's what you find in charity shops - old stuff! No one's going to give away the latest thing. If it's still popular, most people will sell on or give to friends/family.
If you want new, you need to buy new.