to think a child doesn't need EVERYTHING brand new

[milliec]

Message withdrawn

That ios a horrible atitude. YANBU,

Ds's school annoys me, they throw out any unclaimed lost property clothes each term rather than sell them and make more than the 10% they get from the shop that sells the new uniforms, or give them away to people who aren't too proud to accept them. Or just throw them in the nearest charity bin so they would be sold at the $2 clothes recycle shop.

Then they whinge about how waste disposal costs then $2500 per year.

In October he is going to a private school where just about everyone buys from(and sells to)the secondhand uniform shop at the school. I'm pretty sure that such secondhand shopping won't go right through to their home clothes though

Couldn't you have taken her "donation" and taken them to the charity shop. I feel physically sick at the thought of them in the bin. Does she have other children - wouldn't she want to save them?

I am often shocked by how many parents think they have to buy new each time, especially nursery furniture, pushchairs etc. I feel this is partly because the nursery industry creates an illusion that something is "old" or "out of date" by constantly changing fabrics and colours and referring to their goods as "collections" or "seasons" as if we were talking about Paris Haute Couture! I once heard a mum say, "you can't buy that, it's last year's colour." I have news for you all, ladies - whatever the colour, it's the same thing underneath. We should all pass on second hand goods to friends or re-selling shops, as many items have so little wear - how long did you use your baby bath or Moses Basket for? So, for a better planet and cheaper bills, re-use, recycle, pass on and be proud that this proves you are aving the planet for your kids. That's worth more than a couple of new dresses, isn't it? Also, see a great new book called Eco Baby which talks all about these topics.

LOL at this thread well if this woman thinks we don't care if not brand new!!!

I have twin sisters who r 8 months older than my DS (now 22 months) and when he was born I got moses baskets, blankets, steriliser, baby toys, bouncer and even cot mobile and any wee unisex clothes from them.

I now work in a charity shop sometimes and have picked up several practically new items of clothing and books for him and also have a 4 year old wee cousin so also get clothes, toys etc from him.

Of course I buy new things aswell but why waste money when I'm getting lovely stuff for free and recycling too!!!

Im such a bad mother eh?

Also I hand all my old things to women's refuges, children's homes, local hospital, health visitor or friends who can reuse it. When I'm done without it can't bear to go and bin it all no way!

I prefer all the hand-me downs that we have been given (except a few really grotty things) to some of the new, bland boring new things that unfortunately get given to DD by one set of her grandparents and aunties. Vintage rules.

I'm very fussy about my kids clothes - and that's why I buy almost everything from ebay! You get a much wider selction and it's so much easier to find stuff without ootsiecutsie tack or deathskulls or slogans on it. Better on the wallet, better for the environment, better choice. Almost everything comes beautifully laundred and often wraped in tissue. Anyone who thinks if you buy secondhand you don't care is a numbnut!

I buy new with tags from eBay and have received second-hand clothes from friends. In turn I pass them onto my friends with younger boys because harrison grows so quickly. All his clothes are lovely and he barely has a chance to wear them..! It's lovely to see other kids getting some wear out of them

I just couldn't imagine buying all new clothes for my children - personally I'd feel I was wasting loads of money! They wear the clothes for such a short time, and because children's clothes are usually worn so little, all the more reason to buy secondhand stuff, since there's tons of nearly new clothes available! Right?!

My oldest is nearly 2.5yo (other is 13.5mo) and I'm not sure if I have ever bought anything new at full price, apart from when my daughter was born and was such a tiny baby that I sent my husband over to Tesco to get some "tiny baby" vests/sleepsuits since I didn't have anything for her to wear! lol I occasionally buy bargains I see, such as clearance usually (like at Tesco, TKmaxx, Primark) but otherwise, I just keep my eyes out ahead of time for clothes in charity shops (or online such as MN, which has been fab for buying kids clothes) and then I usually have anything I could possibly need for them, usually before they're even grown into it! If I haven't planned ahead, or haven't found something in one of the local charity shops, then I use ebay since I can search thousands of listings. But ebay is a bit much for me....toooooo many pieces of clothing to look through. So I only go there really as a last resort. In one of our local charity shops, for months now I have always seemed to find nearly new boys clothes that are just the next size up for my little boy - so I'm guessing someone must bring stuff regularly and has a little boy just bigger than mine. And plenty of the stuff I've got has actually been bnwot, so it's brilliant. And for 20p or 50p, how can you pass it up?

My 2.5yo daughter is already into it with me! She gets excited when we go out and says "are we going to some charity shops?" LOL I must admit it's the toys she likes best, but still she thinks it's great! And wee parcels in the post are even better - except that she thinks everything that comes through the post is meant for her!

I guess everyone is different, but I just prefer to wear clothes that I know haven't cost a fortune. When I was a child I had a kind relative who obviously thought expensive clothes meant good clothes, and she would buy me & my sisters very expensive outfits. And the result was that you were nearly afraid to wear the clothes, for fear that you'd spill food on it, rip something etc. It was far more fun to wear something cute that was either inexpensive new, or better still, a cheap secondhand outfit!

Obviously, someone has to be buying new so that the rest of us can have a lovely supply of secondhand clothes & gear, but I prefer to not be the one buying new!

OK, I've written a book now! ..... someday I'll learn to reply to a post without writing a million words!

I love having old stuff,I think it is lovely to imagine all the other weeny babies who have worn it.This woman sounds a half wit.I can't imagine my daughters will look back and measure out my love by how many new outfits they had!

Buying at the charity shop is the RIGHT thing to do.1. you are reusing so you are not supporting slave labor making "disposable clothes".

1. your purchase supports the charity and NOT the multi - national corporation which causes the damage in the first place.
2. you are teaching your child about honoring the planet and your work by saving money to spend on far more important investments than body covering.
3. the person who throws away perfectly good clothes is literally stealing from those less fortunate who could use them, contributing to global waste and warming, and personally responsible for every child chained to a sewing machine to make disposable clothes. SHAME

Shop Oxfam and be proud!

We could have afforded everything new. But both DSs had some new, some second hand from friends etc. I can't see the point for waste for waste's sake.
Ds1 had a lot more new than DS2 but we bought in neutral colours so his clothes could be used again. So many cute outfits, it would have ben a shame to use them only once.

I can't believe that someone could be so selfish... throwing perfectly good clothes in the bin! And maybe instead of buying all new she could get second hand and put the difference in price into a bank account for her child - something they'd appreciate much more when it came to buying their first house or leaving university without debt...unless she is absolutely loaded and will be able to buy them house outright -just a thought.
I make a big effort to always try and get second hand stuff -not because we can't afford new but for environmental reasons..
For DD1 (now 7) I was given or loaned everything I needed (clothes, cot, car seat etc etc). Unfortunately as they get older they wear clothes for much longer and she now gets most of her clothes new. More or less all her books are second hand and when she was younger most of her toys (even for Christmas) were from charity shops. We also used a toy library (now closed and no replacement in our area -damn).
DD2 (14 months) has hand me downs from DD1/charity shops and lots of equipment/toys from a friend (no clothes though cos they had a boy but they bought the best of everything new for him - an only child!!!). I often get comments about how nice her outfits are...and asked where they came from. I got loads of gifts for the first one - so some things she only wore once if at all! (For DD2 I took some presents back to the shops and got bigger sizes.) Her baby car seat came from Freecyle (as a travel system). I wouldn't buy a second hand seat but I would use one if I knew no-one had anything to gain by passing it on (so not trying to pass off one that had been in an accident etc). When DD1 doesn't believe in Santa anymore I will quite happily wrap up her old toys for some of DD2's Christmas presents! They both wore/wear terry nappies - my DD2 is the fifth child to wear them ...
All our old clothes go into the clothes bank (even holey socks - washed first). Apparently what can't be sold on as garments can be used to make stuffing/insulation etc etc.
I have had to buy the odd thing new - but I think that is part of the deal. I could never sell things on ...I would give them because I have benefitted so much from other peoples generousity...

we liberated an iggle piggle from a bin down the road on thursday. he was poking out the top. he is in the washer as we speak. and all i could think was 'christ, that was new at christmas'

gee!my sil is like that and I think its her loss!!silly woman!whats worse she even dont get to use some of the stuff.. we get most of the equipment, toys and clothes second hand and its great, especially toys.you can never be sure what little ones are going to like and they get bored with stuff extra fast!!(as you all know!)there is second hand store in my area, that is just for kids stuff and it works almoust like an excange.its great and most of the mums find it really usefull..

The woman obviously doesn't really give a damm for her kids environment I'm more than happy to accept hand me down clothes for DS and DD in fact DD is wearing most of DS clothes (just as well had DS first Always pass used clothes/toys on to friends/charity or if stained/broken always recycle to rags bins etc.

We are overseas where there isn't a culture of charity shops, in fact second hand anything for your baby is seen as not being able to provide for your child and everyone buys new, even when they can't really afford it. There are carboot sales every so often run by various foreign communities but they are the bottom of the bottomest barrel, really grotty. I think it's because lots of families live close together so clothes are handed between families, just not passed on outside the family or to/from charity. I didn't realise this and offered a neighbour some of ds's nearly new handmedowns when she was pregnant, she was appalled and I really offended her (realised afterwards and she was fine about it when I apologised, but I think she still thinks it's weird how brits are happy with 2nd hand, she really was shocked).

Mad and wasteful, but a cultural difference I guess. New stuff is seen as a status symbol and that's it.

It does take a certain lack of intelligence to assume that everyone is as ridiculous about clothing and imaginary germs as you are yourself, so put it down to the evident fact of her idiocy, and move swiftly on.

80% of our DS's stuff has come off ebay. And we have sold on lots of bits also. Great bargains and a great way to recycle. We have a HUGE car bootie in our area on a saturday, recently bought several toys for a up coming 1st birthday !! Quick wipe over and they look brand new.

People can be so wasteful

Recently discovered www.nappyvalley.co.uk for buying secondhand baby stuff. Have really good stuff posted but mainly big items though ..buggies, cots etc..

Haven't read the whole thread but guess someone's mentioned NCT nearly new sales by now. Waddled into my first one when massively pregnant and have been to lots since.

My SIL also looks askance at secondhand things but it's always seemed to me that buying everything new is wasteful and bad money management. Putting usable stuff in the bin is just shocking!