To put my toddler in 2nd hand pants?

[Failedspinster]

Bit of a weird one here. My mum has some neighbours to whom she is very close; they are really kind people and coincidentally have two sons just a little older than my two. They have very generously passed on their boys' outgrown clothes for the last couple of years, since i had my toddler. I'm very grateful for all their help.

Recently, they sent a lot of underpants. My toddler son (2.8yo) is just starting potty training and so this is the first time that pants have been passed on. AIBU to feel a bit icky about putting my son in second hand pants? They are clean and have been washed, but I can't shake this slightly icky feeling about it. Im normally very happy (and grateful) for him to wear everything they send....but pants?

I wore a lot of second hand clothes growing up but pants and shoes were always new, for reasons of hygiene and fit, respectively. My mum keeps telling me that I don't need to buy my son pants as her neighbours have passed on plenty, so she definitely doesn't seem to feel icky about it. But I do! Also, I'd like to feel that at least my sons pants were his own. It seems an illogical feeling to have thiugh, so what do you think? aIBU?

Yabu. We have such a terrible just chuck it out attitude to everything! If there is life left in them there pants then use them for your own precious lambs to have their accidents in.

new.pants from primary will be far, far dirtier against their nether regions than pants washed and dried at home. Put some new clothes from primark to soak in a basin of water when you first get them and you'll see what I mean.

What about PJ's and swim wear? They touch 'bits'. My niece has had my old costume (pre pregnancy slim person) and like I said my twins share all their clothes.
Bad parent?

Pant reuser here too.

And in moments of crisis have happily borrowed/lent pants myself.

"What about PJ's and swim wear?"
I think mumsnetters wear pants under pyjamas. And probably swimming togs too. They probably have pants to wear under pants that they throw away after one wear. And what is a "wash cloth for down below"?

More to the point, Hakluyt, how is one to tell, in a mixed bag of hand me downs, the difference between general flannels and 'wash cloths for down there '

I live in the Middle East so people wash down there with water before wiping after using the toilet. Some people use a wet flannel instead. I think, a bit illogically, that the flannel thing is gross, so even less keen on 2nd hand ones.

I do realise I am being precious but will pass on the pants to someone who will use them.

I have never seen anyone use a flannel here for anything else.

Ugh... You wouldn't wear knickers that other people have possibly pissed and shit in so why put your child in used pants? If you do, at least wash them at a high temp with bacteria killing oxi or similar that will remove 99.99 percent of bacteria. Otherwise there could be leftovers from other kids shit accidents which could cause an infection.

Underwear is so cheap, much better to buy a few packs.

Everything you have just posted is utter twaddle Celeste.

Celesta - you do know you can just wash things on a higher temp? That will kill the same germs as oxi shite. You do know that nurses and surgeons will have all clothes covered in shit/ blood/ bacteria and no regulation on how they wash them?

We used reusable nappies, they weren't shit riddled for 2 years until potty trained! They wash perfectly fine on pre wash then 60 degree regular wash. Without bleaching or throwing away.

Actually talk of cheap pants. Decent 100% pants aren't cheap. £15 for x2 pairs is the norm

But why doesn't that apply to trousers, Celeste? And, indeed to the child's own pants?
And underwear is only so cheap because it's made in sweatshops........

£15 for two pairs of pants? Where do you shop, Harrods??? B

Really? Friends gave me old pants and I used them, for that period when they poo in them a lot and a few ended up in the bin.

Can't see anything remotely wrong with it.

Do some of you have no /idea/ of the possible history of your hotel linen, let alone the mattress?

Or is it just that 2nd hand washed nix fits nicely into the perimeters of your mind?

Where are people shopping for the £15 pants?

And who gives away flannels or washcloths?
I would remove them with a tongs from any bag given to me. Imo using other people's cast off flannels is taking thrift to a ridiculous level.

Mad thing my son is 16 - I remember those Bob pants well! Mine were passed down several times!!

How often does the average person stay in a hotel? I may not be a representative sample, but it has been at least 12 years since I stayed in a hotel.

Compare that with frequency of wearing hand me down knickers for the average toddler.

No way always get new undies and shoes everything else fine seconded hand

I buy these. Usually when x2 for £15 ish. They fit well without boys penises flying out!, and 100% cotton so don't itch them.

www.petit-bateau.co.uk/e-shop/product/15032/2Y7/boy-s-milleraies-striped-cotton-boxers.html

Math- I stay in a hotel every 6 weeks min with work

I have some major cleanliness hangups, and I was fine with second hand toddler pants. I wouldn't really like it when they were older, but during potty training we were doing a lot of changes. And accidents at nursery or school generally involved the children being put into pants that had been on who knows how many children? If you really don't want them I'm sure a local preschool/playgroup would be grateful. I used to donate non stained ones and they were always glad of them.

I chuck soiled pants away, so the more the better as far as I'm concerned.

DS2 went through 8 changes of clothes once at nursery during his first week of potty training, we needed all the pants we could get.

Luckily he did get it after a couple of weeks.

I'd keep them for emergencies. DS2 used DS1's pants, and I had no problems with that, but when SIL passed me a bag of my nephew's old pants and shoes I didn't fancy using those. I kept some of the pants for emergencies and chucked the shoes. Everyone's different, if you don't want to use them just throw them away.

Crikey, some people pay a lot for pants, don't they? I don't think my children would even appreciate those petit bateau ones. In this house pants have to have Thomas or Star Wars on them or they're no good!