Splurging on all those adorable baby clothes, toys, swings, and other not-so-necessities is a rite of passage for any new parents-to-be—and, though friends and family may chip in with gifts, the baby prep shopping spree isn’t exactly cheap: many parents spend more than ten thousand dollars setting up a nest for their new little one.
But these days, thanks to a poor economy, many moms- and dads-to-be are skipping out on the Buy Buy Baby extravaganzas in favor of hand-me-downs from friends and gently used items purchased on Craigslist or at yard sales. According to a recent New York Times article about the phenomenon, the kid-toy giant Mattel saw a 15 percent drop in first quarter sales in 2009, and even Bugaboo, the Rolls Royce of strollers, has seen its sales slow to a crawl.
“The recession has liberated us from a lot of the consumer expectations so that we can have a big enough space to feel really comfortable just giving our kids a pot and a spoon,” cultural anthropologist Robbie Blinkoff told the Times.
As it turns out, buying secondhand isn’t just practical—it’s better for our babies, too. A new report from Germany’s Bundesinstituts für Risikobewertung (BfR, or National Institute for Risk Assessment) claims that many new toys, clothes, and nursery items contain high levels of chemicals that can be dangerous to a newborn’s fragile lungs.
The solution, they say, is to purchase baby products secondhand. Generally, used baby clothes have already been through enough wash cycles to rid them of any hazardous chemicals, and the flame-retardants used in strollers, cribs, and other products will no longer create emissions that could be harmful to a young child.
When buying used, however, it’s always important to make sure that your purchases are up to par. Before making a purchase, read JPMA’s baby product safety guidelines, and check Recalls.gov to verify that the product you’re thinking of buying hasn’t been recalled by the company that made it.
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Great post! While I don't have any children YET and have not tried to get pregnant yet, I have been stocking up on yard sale, goodwill, and salavation army finds! I'm a bit picky-I buy only the very gently used (no stains, looks relatively new) and many have the tags on still as they were gifts that never got used. I've been paying anywhere between 50 cents – $2 per clothing item. I have also purchased an immaculate boppy too. As a matter of fact, I picked it up for $5!
I LOVE buying second hand. Better for the planet (less manufacturing, transportation/shipping), less chemicals as you pointed out and less money. I think that anyone that insists on buying everything new (I once thought I'd be that mom) is really missing out on a lot of great opportunities to save money for more important things like their college education or medical bills, etc.
Just be sure to wash all of the new items and you're good to go! I bought $225 (retail value) worth of baby-related items and only spent $21!
I think it is much healthier because the smell of the factory is not that strong if you prefer hand-me-downs for your babies.
That's a really interesting article. I always assumed newer was the way to go when it comes to items being healthier for our kids. Just this year I started buying on ebay and craigslist a lot more though and so far I've found no downside and this article just makes me feel even better about those choices.