Would you buy a used co sleeper or bassinet off craigslist?

CantWait2Be

If not, what are your concerns with doing that for this particular type of item?

MLF135

Personally, I would't......I don't have a problem buying used clothes from a thrift store, but with a bassinet you could end up with bed bugs.  I just read an article in a magazine where someone bought a glider from classified ads and they ended up w/ bed  bugs.

MommaA117

MLF135:

Personally, I would't......I don't have a problem buying used clothes from a thrift store, but with a bassinet you could end up with bed bugs.  I just read an article in a magazine where someone bought a glider from classified ads and they ended up w/ bed  bugs.

good thinking!

CantWait2Be

Eew I hadn't thought about bed bugs. That's why I posted this, to get ideas i may not have thought of.

aniceucchik

I would not, but I wouldnt ever buy anything that had any sort of fabric from ANYONE else, esp someone I didnt know. I'm OCD with germs and dirt though and just the thought of it makes me gag. You dont know what kinds of icky are or have been on that item...i have to go shower now..lol..

mesr

i got dd's crib for free off of craigslist -- no recalls and a beautiful crib.  i hadn't thought about bedbugs, but the mattress was totally encased in plastic, so i doubt it would have been much of a risk.

as for the bassinet, i also got one of those off of craigslist for a few bucks.  that could have been a bedbug risk, but i didn't think of it at the time.  we ended up co-sleeping, so the cats used the crib and bassinet a lot more than dd did, until one of the cats decided that the bassinet was going to double as a litterbox...

Syncronicity09

I would, if it looks clean. I would use my best judgment to evaluate what I should take and what I should leave.

skrichar

I got one a few weeks ago. I shied away from getting one at a consignment store, but I felt comfortable buying one after seeing the home it came from. While I had never thought of bed bugs (and now I'm just a little freaked out), I did feel good about the family and home the bassinet had been in and had no qualms about buying it. I plan to wash everything really well beforehand. Maybe I need to google how to kill bedbugs, just in case...?

KallieandJustin

I don't think I would buy any kind of bed off Craig's List.  You just don't know what you are getting as far as the abuse it has had, is missing parts, germs ect.  Just not worth it to me.

Amaya84

If you do decide to buy, here are some tips for ensureing that it is safe and cleaned.

Make sure you research the product. Look for saftey recalls and what parts come with it. Don't accept anything without all the parts. Make sure you do a throughal inspection of the crib, looking for missing or worn out parts. Also make sure all the screws, etc are there!

As for cleaning: There are many good products to clean hard surfaces. There are green products, products for baby, and other typical chemicals. Be sure to go back and wipe/rinse with a clean cloth to remove any chemicals. Wash any removavle cloth and wash in the washer. I sugest using tide with bleach; it will kill and remove just about anything. Send it few the wash a few times if you want, or use an extra rinse cycle. You can rewash the items afterwards with some baby detergent to remove any of the harsher chemicals before baby's use if you want.

Bed bugs: Are not such a problem as you may think! It is more than possible that your own bed or carpets maybe have them. There are many ways to get rid of bed bugs, dust mties,etc. Here are a few: Freeze fabrics if you can. This actually kills them. Then wash.  A really good option is to use streamers and steam cleaners (vacume type). This allows for sterilzing and cleaning even unremovable fabrics. Infact, I sugest buying a steam cleaner with upholstry attacment. You will find many uses for it throught the years with kids, so it's a good investment as opposed to renting one each time you need it.

 

LittleEgypt

Absolutely. You could definitely tell if a crib mattress had bedbugs, and cosleepers and bassinets usually have foam mattresses with no nooks and crannies. I got our crib mattress from a friend, and DS's toddler bed came from a consignment store - it's a racecar, and he was obsessed as soon as he saw it!

llovasco

i bought a co-sleeper mini for $60 on craigslist. i was able to go over to the house and felt very comfortable buying it. i'm pretty sure people would throw away a bed-buggy bassinet unless they were obvious crackheads. i feel like a bassinet or co-sleeper is going to be used for such a short time, unless you have $ to burn, i don't see why you shouldn't buy secondhand.