AIBU to buy second-hand toys as birthday presents for my daughter?

[Sadian]

I have purchased a variety of toys for my daughter for her birthday second hand- it was £45 for 5 of them - think Disney etc
She's also got a few new toys too
Main reasoning for buying second hand is environmental rather than financial but still, the toys would have been £150+ new
I was talking to my mother and told her I'd got sets off vinted
She was outraged. Said new toys are 2 for 20 in B&M, no excuse for buying second hand as a present. Also thought I'd vastly overpaid and no second hand toy should go for more than a few pounds
So there you go- am I a total cheapskate?

I used to do the same. Principally because we were skint at the time, but anyone who disagrees needs to go and spend some time at a landfill site. When you throw something away, there is no “away”.”

What do you think "new money" means?

DS' big present this year is second hand - partly because of cost and partly because it's something I think he might love intensely for a short time but not use after that. It needs a bit of a spruce up but once that's done I think it'll be fine...and it also means there's money left in the budget for other stuff, so he'll have a nice amount of opening to do on Christmas morning rather than just one expensive thing.

Nothing wrong with it. Back in the day, my first "big" bike was from the local scrap metal merchant and I chose it from what was on offer. Second hand or hand-me-downs were the norm.

A lot of DS toys were either bought secondhand or given to me by friends with kids a year or two older, and we in turn passed on what we could.

As DS got older he had more new stuff as he was wanting stuff that was popular at the time.

@Sadian

It’s a great idea for young children - we did it a lot when ours were little - they don’t care! We got some fantastic toys that were in amazing condition - I would thoroughly clean everything & check for damage etc then pack it up into a nice box & it was always a massive hit!! It allowed us to indulge the various ‘obsessions’ that the kids went through & we got some fabulous bargains. A lot of the time, we were then able to either donate or sell items on again afterwards as our kids were pretty respectful with things. Everyone’s a winner - including the environment!

Same. Not the household budget but we’re not short of money and for me second hand gifts for my kids is about reducing environmental impact. Wouldn’t dream of buying them things from Shein, Temu etc. We do not need any new plastic stuff in my house (or planet)

YANBU!

The vast majority of DC’s books, toys and clothes are secondhand. Nearly all my clothes and books are secondhand. Save money, better for the environment - win win!

We have the money spare but DS has some secondhand toys for Christmas. I found a barely used brio trainset, some books and a leap frog interactive book thing. I would rather spend the money on experiences than things.

How old is she? I do this nearly all the time for my boys (almost 3 and 5) as they can’t tell the difference, they end up breaking most of their toys, and it’s SO much cheaper than buying new!

I do buy new for other peoples children obviously for birthdays etc but I do wish it was more acceptable to gift second hand things as there’s so much plastic tat in landfill!

My now adult son’s favourite teddy when young was a manky thing his father bought at a charity shop. Children don’t give a hoot is it’s new or expensive.

i buy from Vinted brand new. I bought a toy new in the box for 12 when it’s actually 36 from the store. Why would I throw away 24 for the sake of it. Yanbu op.

I rarely buy anything new- luckily my son and DIL are the same, so delight in second hand bargains I get for my GCs. They much prefer great quality used toys over cheaply made new ones.

I grew up with second hand clothes and toys too, and remain unscathed as an adult 😂.

Kids dont care and your mum is a snob.

Often bought second hand for my kids as they got much more for my limited budget. My friendship group all do Secret Santa and it has to be from a Charity shop. I think it is great!

I also find the heart dropping feeling of undoing all the plastic ties and panels in the packaging of new toys so horrible.

The organisation I volunteer with (focus on climate change) is organising a toy swap in our city in the run up to Christmas, second year running. I'm looking forward to helping, it's a brilliant idea and so many parents who came were saying it's a no brainer. Also a great lesson for the kids in being able to give up toys they no longer played with and get something new and exciting.

Mine mainly got 2nd hand 25 years ago. Dont see a problem. We could afford new

ALWAYS bought second hand for our twins. Why the hell not?
Also as a society we are caught up in unnecessary consumerism - I don’t need more plastic shit being manufactured in my name.
good for you! X

This is actually SUCH a brilliant idea. So many kids outgrow toys so fast and it will be amazing to pass them on.

I just wouldn’t…Part of the joy (for me as a child) was getting the box, ripping it open, getting frustrated by the ties, hunting for batteries).

giving a second hard toy to my child would feel cheap and ….just no.

I mean…I don’t care if I’m in the minority? The question was ‘would you…?’ And I said I wouldn’t?

YANU at all! We’re going to get DS a play kitchen for Christmas so I’ve been scouring marketplace for the kind of one we want. Some of things on there are in great condition, well looked after, he won’t know the difference! Likewise I’ll have a clear out of his toys before Christmas and hope that I can sell a few things on to someone grateful for a bargain!

‘New money’? What a snob you are!!

We differ on this too, new or second hand we don’t wrap ‘big’ presents, his balance bike for his birthday as an example, and an activity table for Christmas. We set them up so they’re ready to go. We’ll wrap jigsaws, games, books etc.

I try to buy second hand before buying new.

My children have had loads of second toys, furniture, clothes etc

I am over over consuming