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3rd Trimester
When Secondhand is OK...
Our newspaper's website has a mom's blog, and this was an article posted on it. I know people often ask about whether or not to accept a hand-me-down item.
When to accept hand-me-downs for kids
For today's Tip Sheet, we turn to the very helpful March issue of ShopSmart magazine. They've looked into when you can accept used baby items, and when you shouldn't. In this tough economy, that's helpful information.
Here are the tips, straight from the magazine's press release:
Bath products:
Safe: Used baby bathtubs are fine as long as the lining isn?t full of mold or mildew.
Not safe: If the tub has an odor of either of these, say no thanks because they can be hard to remove. Also, skip secondhand bath seats, bath rings, and inflatable tubs since they have been responsible for many deaths among babies.
Car seats:
Safe: A car seat that has all its original parts and labels, has never been in a crash, and fits your car and child is OK.
Not safe: Products more than six years old are outdated, and most likely too run down to be considered safe.
Cribs:
Safe: Any crib that was manufactured after the year 2000 should be fine, as long as it is not broken or missing any pieces. (Or, I would add, recalled. You can check the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recall site here.)
Not safe: Prior to 2000, cribs were held to different safety standards, and will not be acceptable for your baby, even if you slept soundly in them. Any crib with cutouts in the headboard, and corner posts over 16 inches pose serious risks for a child?s safety.
High chairs:
Safe: Say yes to a hand-me-down high chair if it has a five-point harness to prevent your child from climbing out and a fixed crotch post that prevents him/her from sliding out the bottom.
Not safe: Old-fashioned wooden high chairs with removable trays or arms are considered dangerous and uncomfortable for the baby, in addition to not being up to newer product safety standards.
Strollers:
Safe: Strollers made after 2007 when new safety standards were published are safe.
Not safe: Any stroller made prior to that date, or that has missing, loose, or broken pieces.
Toys:
Safe: Stuffed animals and most children?s books make fine hand-me-downs. In the case of lead contamination in used toys, there are many home lead inspection kits which can be purchased for under $20 which will tell you whether the toys are safe.
Not safe: Avoid any toys that are chipped, as well as any small parts that can fit through a tube of toilet paper, since they present serious choking hazards for small children.
Used clothing:
Safe: As long as buttons and snaps are on tight and none of the thread is unraveling from the fabric, the used clothing is fine.
Not safe: Pass on any article of clothing with drawstrings because they pose a strangulation hazard.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: When Secondhand is OK...
This is awesome!! Everyone who's found out that we bought our travel system on Craigslist has lit into me for not thinking about my childs safety!
What they don't realize is that its your job to make sure what you are purchasing is OK -- I did that by getting carfax reports for all vehicles in the household from which I purchased the system from, got the original recpt from purchasing the system to show when it was bought and from where, all the original warranty paperwork showing it was still in effect and could be registered through the Chicco website, and all parts were accounted for according to the list we printed out from the manufacturer's website.
Thanks for posting. My MIL mentioned she was going to try and get her daughters crib back from a relative she loaned it to years ago for our baby to keep at her house. (So the crib must be at least 26 years old). I just forwarded this to her! But is is interesting bc some things I would not have thought twice about.
I think this is a bit overkill. Seriously, do you really think every stroller made prior to 2007 is unsafe or that every toy needs to be lead tested? I think this is all a little too boy in the bubble for me.
Oh, and my high chair doesn't have a 5 point harness, but it wouldn't matter anyway because I never actually buckled my DD into either a stroller or a high chair. It has never been necessary or practical.