Buying 2nd hand

[doodles1234]

Hi,

So I've had my 20-week scan and all is well so we are finally starting to out together a list of items we are going to need. So we are looking at Prams and Car seats and I wondered is it OK (safety wise) to buy 2nd hand iso/family fix bases rather than brand new?

TIA :-)

The thing is you just won't know if they've been in an accident or been damaged in some way that you can't see. I'd get other things second hand and buy things like the car seat bases new, if at all possible.

The problem with carseats is that unless you know the person who is giving you the carseat, you won't know if it has been involved in an accident.

Pushchairs are fine to buy second hand. I've found there's some really good deals on eBay at the moment. Pushchairs are usually quite easy to clean as the fabric covers can often be removed and chucked in the wash.

You haven't mentioned this, but if you buy a second hand crib/cot/moses basket you should buy a new mattress.

Thanks, yeah that's what I thought, I was definitely only getting a brand new car seat but wasn't sure about the base sections but that makes sense, will re-think and buy new.

Thanks, I was only thinking about getting the isofix base 2nd hand not the actual car seat.

Yeah my friends have got 2nd hand prams etc and got some really good deals, I may look at this as well, yeah I have been offered a cot but obviously we would need a brand new and decent matress.

Thanks

when i had my daughter i bought mostly second hand but bought new car seat and new cot mattress .I will probably do the same this time around .You can find some really nice stuff second hand

I bought everything second hand EXCEPT mattresses, carseat and carseat base. You can't compromise on safety! I saved well over £2k buying second hand (I was a saddo and kept a spreadsheet tallying up how much something was new and how much I paid!)>

I think if you are planning on using the isofix base, you should buy new. It is integral to the safety of the car seat since it's what anchors the car seat in place. Better to have peace of mind in my opinion and save elsewhere! You can get the bases that are compatible for the next size up car seat too so you get more use out of it. Maxi Cosi and besafe both do bases that you use with the infant seat and the seat that goes up to 4 years.

I once bought a 2nd hand isofix base from a friend which I thought would be ok and it turned out to be faulty, luckily we never had an accident while using it! From that stage anything travel wise etc.. like that buy new! And always test, and ask shop to safety check