Have you ever bought 2nd hand toys as gifts?

[OnNaturesCourse]

For your own children, or others?

I've bought them for children in the family and my own LO but as little surprises not presents. My LO has their birthday coming up and I've found one of the toys she likes but it's second hand - would it make me look really tight? It's their 1st birthday so really I don't think they'll mind!!

At 1 she really isn’t going to know so I would buy it!

Yes but for my own children not others unless they were in amazing condition.
I don't think it is tight. For my daughter's 1st birthday I brought her a few things that was second hand and don't see a problem with it

My kid was 5 in May, and I got him a whole load of imaginext superhero toys from eBay. A lot of them aren't available anymore and he loves the ones he had, so he got a whole load of them for half the price it would have been to buy him similar new toys.

All in great condition and I set them up in a scene for him with wrapping paper covering it. He thought it was great.

For mine all the time. Lego & books in particular.

Just seems less wasteful and she'll get more from her birthday budget that we have set aside.

There's a lot of pressure for things to be brand, shiny and new.

Erm yes absolutely for my own! He's 9 and I still would. As long as something isn't broken or worn out there is nothing wrong with second hand.

Occasionally for friends, if I know that they would appreciate second hand e.g. for the eco value - I wouldn't if I thought they might be offended.

All the time for my own, can't bring myself to buy new toys, feels such a waste of money. Usually buy other people second hand stuff more as a suprise then a present per say

Do you guys still wrap the second hand toys? How so? (I struggle to wrap things in boxes let alone just toy shaped things lol)

I just... wrap them I wrap paper around them and put sticky tape on it. It doesn't matter if they end up a funny shape.

You could also use gift bags but I tend to find these quite wasteful (I do keep ones I'm given and reuse them.)

Yes, both for my own DC and other people's, particularly my niece and nephews. Have given them presents in good condition that used to belong to my DC also for birthday and Christmas - but then given cash to go in their bank ac too. Much better to have a big box of second hand duplo than a tiny box of new, or 3 immaculate board games that your big cousins already know how to play and are happy to set up with you than one board game. My sis and SIL very happy with this arrangement!

I wish my family were like that Panda! Brilliant set up x

I have for mine. Probably wouldn't for others unless they asked.

If there's something that I want to get DD and I know it's plastic crap I will always look for used.

I tend to unbox new stuff anyway (impatient 2 year old) and wrap so it's no different for me.

Definitely if it's still in good condition. At one no problems at all. I bought a tonne of second hand playmobil for last birthday. Money is then saved for fun days out and holidays.

Yes, I've bought something secondhand for one year olds birthday and for Xmas he had a secondhand jumperoo. He doesn't care! Would be very cautious about it for other people's children though.

When my lo was 6mo, I wrapped up his old, secondhand toys and gave them back to him 😉. At 1yo we did buy him something new but I would have got it secondhand if I could have found it. He's still more interested in the box and wrapping than the actual present, which he will play with for 5s before losing interest, so it's rarely worth paying full price. (With wrapping paper, get the more metallic, durable kind that doesn't rip and makes a lot of noise, then your lo can play with it for months after!?

*gave them back to him for Christmas, for I meant to say

Yes, things like musical instruments. A second hand bike would be fine and most young people start driving on a s/h car bought by parents or grandparents.

Yes, bought dd2 3 boxes of mint condition littlest pet shop toys, pet shops, houses etc for $70 when she was 7. She played with it for about 6 months, I knew it was a fad and she didn't clock that it wasn't in the original packaging (although I wrapped it all really nicely).

Yes! Especially for big things for my own children (I bought DD a beautiful rocking horse second hand, my parents got her a lovely doll’s house, a lot of our brio and duplo is second hand). It is more environmentally sound, plus it meant we could afford a really really nice top of the range second hand version rather than a mid range new one. Toys like rocking horses and dolls houses are hundreds of pounds brand new and are (or should be!) designed to last for more than one child so tbh if you can find what you’d like I don’t know why you wouldn’t buy second hand really. My friends and family know that I am happy with nice second hand. My DC have a lot of wooden toys and to the extent we can we’ve tried to limit the plastic/branded stuff to Lego/duplo which I think makes it easier to buy second hand.

I would happily buy second hand as a gift for someone else’s child as long as I knew they had similar values to me. I have one friend who I know would be upset by second hand (she bought absolutely all her baby stuff brand new and won’t wear second hand clothes herself, seems uncomfortable with second hand and worries people will think less of her). For her DS I always always buy new (even though that usually means smaller) as I want her and her DS to be happy.

Yes, for my own kids and others. You can find some amazing things second hand!

I have for my dc when they were younger. Best ones were when I got a bargain bundle of peppa pig toys which I gave to dc aged 2 at Christmas- far better than spending the £30 on two bits brand new peppa pig stuff. Dh was also into Thomas the tank and the trains were really pricey and you couldn’t get new ones of some of the more obscure trains. I spent hours scouring eBay for the trains he wanted one December!

Yes. DD had a second hand Barbie house and My Little Pony castle when she was small. I knew she wouldn't play with them enough to justify spending full price on them.

Omg yes do it - i cant think of any reason why this wouldnt vbe a good idea.

My dd has had untold second hand gifts over the years.

I bloody love a bargain

For my own DC, yes. They’ve had plenty of second hand toys from me & DH as gifts.

I’d be more wary of giving second hand toys to other people’s children unless it was in very good condition and I knew they were fine with second hand stuff.

I buy secondhand toys and books and computer games as gifts all the time. Our Nintendo Wii cost me £20 and the games I get from CEX or car boot sales - usually a couple of quid. My daughter loves it and that's what is important.