Baby’s preferences are unpredictable
When my wife was pregnant with our daughter, she went to our friend’s house who had recently adopted a newborn. Their daughter was very young at that point and they recommended a cradle swing that they dubbed, “a life saver.” It was the only thing that would soothe their child to get her to sleep.
We did some shopping around online and the model that was recommended had very high ratings and glowing customer reviews. My mother-in-law eventually purchased the swing for our daughter, but she never liked the swing at all. We figured maybe she would grow to like it, but the screaming never stopped and the swing eventually found its place in the basement never to be used again.
Its not like you can take your newborn around shopping for a device that they will eventually be comfortable in, but you can shop around on Craigslist, Freecycle, or any number of secondhand stores for larger devices like a swing. If your newborn doesn’t take to it, get rid of it by using that same service.
This way, you save money and you get rid of an item that your child clearly doesn’t like. It is almost as if you are renting the item in hopes of your child taking to it.
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Posted by Matt on Nov 3, 2007 |
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17 comments posted
Posted by Modeling » Baby’s preferences are unpredictable - 11/03/2007
[...] unknown wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptWe did some shopping around online and the model that was recommended had very high ratings and glowing customer reviews. My mother-in-law eventually purchased the swing for our daughter, but she never liked the swing at all. … [...]
Posted by CM - 11/03/2007
We do this all the time. Nearly all my baby stuff has been acquired through gifts, craigslist, or garage sales. You only use it for a few months, and if you got it really cheap you won’t feel bad about selling it cheap or giving it away.
Posted by lana - 11/03/2007
Sorry, but I would never buy anything that is going to touch my newborn baby’s skin from Craigslist or Freecycle or secondhand stores. You don’t know if the household you’re getting it from had bedbugs, or scabies, or lice, or whatever. Sometimes you just have to take your lumps and pay retail for new items.
Posted by Carol - 11/03/2007
I’m with lana on this one. I would want new things for my baby or grandchild. Of course I am a little bit compulsive but when you know nothing about who or what (my cats loved to sleep in the cradle and a house in a nice neighborhood near us turned out to be making meth) has possibly contaminated the bed I would be uncomfortable buying it. I have gotten things free though from family and friends and am very happy to give things away or sell them after use.
Posted by Sairey Gamp - 11/03/2007
We all have our “ick” point, and if you can afford to have a high one, good for you. Not everybody can afford to be fastidious. When my son was born 14 years ago, funds were tight, and if Freecycle had been available then, I would have taken baby equipment from it with joy and glad cries. Soap and water and bleach (for extreme cases) are cheap. You go, CM!
Posted by Chief Family Officer - 11/03/2007
This is sooooo true! I avoided getting a swing for my first, since it would take up so much space. But when he was colicky, my mother-in-law decided to just go out and buy one – she was so sad that he cried so much that she figured, if it worked, great, if not, that’s okay, too (the swing was $120). Well, my son hated the swing.
For things like swings, I highly recommend borrowing from another friend if you can!
Posted by Tracy - 11/03/2007
I only use new stuff on my daughter. I’m a bit of a germ freak and we have allergies. I even wash our new clothes before we wear them. We bought the swing (best $100 we ever spent!) and passed it on to our niece when she outgrew it. In the interest in uncluttering your baby stuff, pass it along or sell it when you’re done. But sometimes you just dont know what will work until you try.
Posted by spark - 11/03/2007
I’ve always thought it odd that some people refuse to accept donations or “second hand” things from others but will, in a second, give away or sell their own stuff to others. I’ve known people who think buying clothes from a yard sale is disgusting or something but will host their own yard sales for others. This doesn’t seem right; it’s quite hypocritical and just plain absurd if you ask me.
That being said, a family member of mine recently had a child and she didn’t have the money to purchase a lot of baby things, including clothes, swings, carseats, etc.
She received 99 percent of the things the baby has from hand-me-downs, gifts, and second hand stores. We simply washed anything fabric and cleaned all the equipment thoroughly. If you accept anything second hand you should do this anyway, because you DON’T know where it may have come from.
But you CAN clean it.
Something else you might consider for baby items, where I live there is a “multiples sale event” (can’t remember the name exactly). It’s like a huge indoor yard sale put on by a local “mothers of multiples” organization.
Basically anyone who wants to sell sets up a “booth” of the items their children have outgrown. Members of the organization have a shopping period, and then it’s open to the public. It’s not just for infants, but for school age children as well. So you have one place where you can go and find a lot of age appropriate items, a big yard sale if you will. It’s a great way to find inexpensive items for your children.
I believe the one here is a twice annual event, around fall (when schools start) and again in the spring. A mother of twins I used to work for went to these sales and she found lots of great things for the kids.
You might look for a similar event in your area.
Posted by molly - 11/03/2007
We were lucky, our friends all had boys a year before we had our son. They have given us tons of toys and clothing that their sons have grown out of (none are having a second child either.). I don’t mind taking things that aren’t new because I can wash them. Babies and children grow out of things so quickly, it makes good financial sense. I guess if you don’t have a washer or dryer or the ability to clean something, then I would not get stuff off of Craigslist. I am extremely happy I didn’t buy our swing because my son HATED it.
Posted by Andamom - 11/03/2007
Not only is it economical to receive hand-me-downs, it is good for the environment too! Babies use goods, clothes, and specific types of furniture for short periods of time — and the less you buy, the less you need to give away or sell (hopefully, people are not trashing items). More importantly, if people share items, fewer natural resources are used and over time less goes to landfills.
Personally, we received or bought from another parent a cosleeper, sheets, a crib, a bouncer, a bathtub, a crib mattress (the people who had the crib had one that was in good condition), toys, and some clothing. It saved us a fortune, and I took the money I saved and invested it in my son’s 529 plan. What’s nice too is that we have shared pictures of my son enjoying the same toys with the people who gave them to us!
Another place where we have found great items is through parenting groups. I live in Brooklyn and have benefited from Park Slope Parents Classifieds (a Yahoo Group).
Posted by Robin - 11/03/2007
Wow. Some of you are giving a lot of credit to “new” items as clean and otherwise safe for baby. While I understand this perception, I think it is also important to understand that marketing and advertising have sold us a large part of that concept.
The factories which manufacture and warehouse these products are not necessarily hospital-clean, and are, in fact, likely to be filled with more rodents and insects than your average home. In addition, residual chemicals from the manufacturing and packaging process lie atop these shiny new items waiting to touch your precious newborn’s skin.
New or used, there are nasties to be found on both products, and I’d recommend a good cleaning either way. It’s funny to me that we seem to think of manufacturing as a clean process and ownership as a dirty one.
Always, always, consider the source and ingredients of anything you buy, especially for a baby.
Posted by Kevin's Dad - 11/05/2007
My wife and I have found that Craigslist and consignment stores have been lifesavers (especially in terms of money). We did buy some things new (and got other things new as gifts) when Kevin was first born, and there are some toys and such that we’ve gone and purchased new, but we’ve found so many things on Craigslist and in consignment stores that are nearly new and at extreme savings. Shoes are a big one, especially “dress” shoes or ones that you know won’t be worn that often… we’ve found clothes in consignment shops that still have the original tags on them, never worn at all. As long as you are careful and shop at reputible places (or with reputible sellers), it’s the only way to go!
Posted by Colin - 11/05/2007
I’ll add in a vote for getting into an informal hand-me-down cycle with other parents, especially for winter coats etc. And the “try before you buy” approach for things like swings is easier to follow that way as well. We’ve had a lot of luck with clothes that have kept our children and multiple others decent on the cheap.
I would suggest not re-using shoes though – it doesn’t take long before even “lightly used” shoes conform to a foot, and it doesn’t really do your kid much good to have shoes that don’t conform to his or her feet. (I know they won’t get crippled, but to me it’s like putting used tires on your car.)
Posted by The Mommy Blawger - 11/05/2007
It is possible to acquire used baby equipment, and then purchase new seat covers or whatever directly from the manufacturer. They will also send you safety items, such as straps or seat belts, and an instruction booklet, usually for free. Since you can easily disinfect the plastic surfaces, having brand new soft surfaces takes the “ick” factor out of used stuff.
Posted by The Green Cat - 11/05/2007
There are also a number of “Babycycle” groups out there. From what I understand, they follow the Freecycle format but only deal in kid-related items. Search Yahoo Groups for “Babycycle” to find out if there is a group in your area.
Posted by Just Plain Joy - 11/05/2008
This is SO true! We found the same to be true with our daughter. Good advice!
Posted by Becky - 11/06/2008
I’m not sure how we would have made it without being able to buy used. It is for certain we had all the “goodies” necessary for babies (and I had 5) for the price of one new carseat. My mom loved shopping yard sales.
But for those of you who believe in “new only”…we need you. If it weren’t for you, we couldn’t buy our things used in good condition for pennies on the dollar at yard sales. So, we need you in the cycle. In this case, “if everybody did” what we like to do (buy used), we’d be in a bad way because there wouldn’t be much to buy.
So, for those of you who only buy new…keep it up. You help the economy, the retail stores and the manufacturers. You also keep these things available for us to buy who want to buy used in good/great/like new condition.
I honestly LOVED finding yard sales where the people only bought new. It may be hypocritical for them to disdain used for themselves but no problems in selling it, but it didn’t bother my pocketbook if they were hypocritical!
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