Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5

Original poster

To think there’s nothing wrong with buying baby stuff second-hand?

111 replies

Sansarya · 19/05/2015 09:45

A woman in my office is pregnant and we were having a chat about baby clothes and toys etc. I said that she could get some good bargains on eBay or at NCT Nearly New Sales, as small babies grow out of stuff so quickly.

Another woman in the office overheard our conversation and piped up to express her disgust at this. She made a face and said she’d never buy second-hand stuff for her baby (hypothetical at this point) and that she had plenty of friends and family to give presents to her baby. She is from a fairly well off family so I’m not sure she’s ever really had to worry about the cost of things and I don’t think it was nice of her to sneer.

Unless of course I’m missing something and there’s something hugely wrong with buying baby clothes from ebay or at an NNS? I got DS quite a few things from there when he was younger. Obviously it’s different when they’re older and more mobile as the clothes have more wear and tear etc, but the stuff I bought him was as good as new!

OP posts:

NickyEds · 19/05/2015 13:28

Mattresses, car seats, bedding and muslins are the only things i wouldn't but secondhand. I'm a bit gutted that the supply of second hand stuff is drying up now he's on 18-24 month stuff and they just trash their clothes! Dp and i chose a new outfit to buy each for ds before he was born. I chose a lovely Mothercare dungaree set with matching bib, hat and booties(£9!!!), dp an M&S outfit- probably set us back £70-80. We kitted him out for 6 months from nearly new sales for the same money. The outfits were nice but he wore them, crapped on them and grew out of them in about 3 weeks (he probably wore them twice each).

aprilanne · 19/05/2015 13:37

To be fair to her with my first baby i wanted everything lovely and new.with the next two i was happy with cast ofs or nearly new sales .i think your priority changes .i have photos with all three off my sons wearing the same snow suit as toddlers .they just laugh and say you got good use of that anyway

Happening · 19/05/2015 13:38

I had a 2nd hand breast pump stinkersmum. Neither children appeared to suffer from it. It was washed and sterilised before each use. What's the problem?
We live in such a wastefull world!

Stinkersmum · 19/05/2015 13:43

Good for you Happening. Not for me though.

ebwy · 19/05/2015 13:47

I wonder how many used the hospital breast pump before me? not something I'd be upset about

ghostspirit · 19/05/2015 13:47

my baby is 4 weeks. i have clothing thats from newborn to 18 month that was all free....2nd hand pram/pushchair was bought for me...i bought 2nd and sling that was 18.00...cot was 10.00..

i buy 2nd hand clothing bundles from ebay for my 4 year old cost 40.00 to clothe her for the year....i get clothes given to me for the 8 year old...but i also ebay for him when i need to.

AmberLav · 19/05/2015 13:48

I get enough second hand clothes from family and close friends to cloth most of a football team! I very rarely have to buy anything for both mine (I have a boy and a girl). We have bought some bits, like cots, car seats and travel systems, but a lot of the other bits came from others. I also pick up a few bits from our local table sale, sometimes in quite a grubby condition, but easily cleanable...

I worked out that some of DS's clothes are now fifth hand!

Some people just don't have a clue... but if they want to waste their money, then fine... We both earn a good salary, but I just can't see the point of wasting money that is not needed...

Giraffe2706 · 19/05/2015 13:49

We have a mix of second hand stuff and have also bought some new

One question though as I've just read a couple of posts on here about 2nd hand mattresses, we were given a beautiful gliding crib from SIL, practicality brand new as our nephew hated it so was only in it a handful of times, do I have to buy a new mattress? What is the deal with not using 2nd hand? Thanks

JoanHickson · 19/05/2015 13:51

Cot death risk. I replaced themattress between siblings.

Stinkersmum · 19/05/2015 13:53

Amberlav so you think that people buying new clothes for their children are clueless and wasting money?

HazleNutt · 19/05/2015 13:53

Of course there's nothing wrong with buying second hand, or buying everything new. If you have been told that the person is doing one or the other, it's not the most tactful to offer your respective "Eww I would never buy used stuff" or "What a stupid waste of money to buy new!" opinions.

NickyEds · 19/05/2015 14:30

Second hand mattresses are a SIDS risk. I'll be keeping the moses basket and cot but replacing the mattresses between ds and the new baby.

ollieplimsoles · 19/05/2015 14:36

We have bought a new cot/mattresses and a new pram and car seat for our baby due later this year. We have a few little clothing items but I have been given so much lovely stuff from family members and friends, its nice that my baby will wear get the same wear out of an item that was loved by a family member, makes me happy that so many people want to give us their things! A

Elvish · 19/05/2015 14:43

I would talk to your midwife about the mattress thing. I spoke to mine and they said that there shouldn't be any issues in using a mattress again for a sibling as long as it had been kept clean and dry (not damp in the loft for example). Something about bacteria in the mattress I think...

Clearly I can't remember exactly the explanation but I was reassured that I didn't need to get a new mattress for DC2.

formerbabe · 19/05/2015 14:49

I'm happy for hand me downs from family and friends but I don't buy second hand clothes for my children...I am not snobby about it though, I just prefer more choice when I'm shopping in terms of style and size. I went to a private school and there were some very wealthy families..my mother always said she was disgusted by the mother's clad in designer clothes whilst rifling round in the second hand uniform for their kids.

MrsMook · 19/05/2015 14:52

Mine have had a mix of new and secondhand. If there's something second hand that I like then fair play. Ds2 has had most things of his brother- he's too young to care, although he's catching up in size now and needs more of his own.

It doesn't matter what peoples' choices are, to criticise like that is rude- it has no bearing on them.

PerfectlyPosed · 19/05/2015 14:53

Majority of my baby's things are second hand. A lot of stuff is used for such a small amount of time, it's not worth spending all that money on it new!

paddypants13 · 19/05/2015 16:07

Apart from mattresses, feeding equipment and a travel system (because of the car seat issue) and a special outfit for coming home I think everything we bought was second hand. Some things we bought new because we didn't know the sex of the baby and struggled to find neutral items. DD is 2.5 now and she has survived! New baby die in July and he/ she will wear the same clothes. I think it's nice to use second hand stuff because nobody else's baby is wearing the same. I also have things that were knitted for me that I've reused.
I wouldn't criticise people for buying new though. I suppose it's nice if you can afford it!

ILYBAE2015 · 19/05/2015 16:49

What planet is this woman on?

Whichever one it is I bet it wasn't made new just for her.

Discopanda · 19/05/2015 16:58

One of my first time mum friends turned down my DDs hand-me-downs as she wanted everything new, I was internally wetting myself! You soon find out what a short span of time things are actually used/worn for. Babies are expensive enough already, have a bit of humble pie!

geekymommy · 19/05/2015 18:20

I feel like I wasted so much money buying new stuff for DD. I discovered a chain of consignment shops with lots of nice secondhand stuff when she was about a year old. Now I get almost all her clothes there, and will continue to do so until the choices aren't as good or she complains about it.

I wouldn't buy a secondhand car seat or cot mattress, though.

itchysofunny · 19/05/2015 18:23

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Eebahgum · 19/05/2015 18:28

Bought lots of second hand for ds. Was at a table top sale recently & decided it's actually quite shocking how much brand new stuff we buy when there's tons and tons of barely used, good quality second hand stuff available.

Icimoi · 19/05/2015 18:32

Of course not. Newborns in particular only wear things for 3 months at most - bigger babies grow out of them even quicker than that. It would be ridiculous to throw them away. I had loads of things passed on from friends and very grateful I was too.

ChocolateWombat · 19/05/2015 18:41

I think that sometimes the people who are most keen on new things have had to go without in their own childhoods - they see having second hand as a sign of poverty and new as a sign of wealth or prestige.

Personally I am keen on secondhand wherever possible. My babies had second hand cots,prams and even second hand reusable nappies.

Now at school,most of their uniform is secondhand from the thrift shop - this is extremely well-used at the school, which is a fee-paying school - lots of affluent parents, but many will choose secondhand uniform over new.

With many things, I'd rather buy a top quality second hand version of something, than a cheap new version.

New/secondhand is a personal choice, but in my mind, objecting to anything secondhand and always wanting new and frequent replacements is a bit daft.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5

Swipe left for the next trending thread