Question from a minimalist - buying used baby gear

[Anonymous]

I'm planning to get most baby gear used, except for the car seat and crib new for safety reasons.

When is a smart time to start looking for used items? I dont want to start too early to jinx things, but at the same time it may take a while to find the things I want used at a good price.

I dont want a shower and am planning to suggest frozen meals as a nice alternative if friends and relatives offer to throw me a shower.

None of my good friends who live close by have had kids yet, so Im not expecting to be offered hand me downs by friends. My sister has lots of baby items but I know she'll have another child so not sure how much she'll loan me.

Any advice on buying used, and being a minimalist in general, including with baby gear, is much appreciated! Thanks.

[Anonymous]

I would focus on getting what you need for the first three months. If you have an idea of things you want I would start looking at craigslist etc now. You can get almost anything used but I would shy away from things that cant be washed /disinfected. I would get a copy if Baby Bargains too.

There are more rummage sales in the fall and spring.

As far as hand me downs go you might be surprised at the number of coworkers and aquaintences that will offer you things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm planning to get most baby gear used, except for the car seat and crib new for safety reasons.

When is a smart time to start looking for used items? I dont want to start too early to jinx things, but at the same time it may take a while to find the things I want used at a good price.

I dont want a shower and am planning to suggest frozen meals as a nice alternative if friends and relatives offer to throw me a shower.

None of my good friends who live close by have had kids yet, so Im not expecting to be offered hand me downs by friends. My sister has lots of baby items but I know she'll have another child so not sure how much she'll loan me.

Any advice on buying used, and being a minimalist in general, including with baby gear, is much appreciated! Thanks.

I would invite you to re-think this. A shower is about people sharing in the excitement and joy of a new baby. At its core, it's about community. For you to suggest frozen meals comes off as a bit controlling, ie "I want to tell you what you are allowed to give me." You do not have to register for any items that you will be able to get used. But you will need things like clothes, bath items, sheets, pads, etc.

You will need a stroller, some type of carrier, a place to change diapers (we put a contoured changing pad on an old dresser), a bouncy seat. You can start looking for these items. Things like a high chair can wait. A pack and play is also really helpful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm planning to get most baby gear used, except for the car seat and crib new for safety reasons.

When is a smart time to start looking for used items? I dont want to start too early to jinx things, but at the same time it may take a while to find the things I want used at a good price.

I dont want a shower and am planning to suggest frozen meals as a nice alternative if friends and relatives offer to throw me a shower.

None of my good friends who live close by have had kids yet, so Im not expecting to be offered hand me downs by friends. My sister has lots of baby items but I know she'll have another child so not sure how much she'll loan me.

Any advice on buying used, and being a minimalist in general, including with baby gear, is much appreciated! Thanks.

This was exactly me. Though I bought the car seat($180), stroller ($325 city min gt), graco pack and play ($150) brand new. The pack and play works well for 6 mths per my friend and hope it does for me and then will be used on the main level for hopefully 1-2 more years.
Everything else I got used starting 3 mths prior to due date.

[Anonymous]

If family and friends want to give you a shower - please say thank you.

I have received beautiful hand made items at a shower. It was a great time to get together and see family.

I also had a book shower - and got lots lof lovely books to start my children's library.

[Anonymous]

I think the easiest things to get used will be a stroller, pack n play, swing, and other furniture. Check Craigslist - you'll have to be willing to drive.

For clothes, you can get everything you need at garage sales and rummage sales. If you show up early you can get tons of other baby stuff too. I live on Capitol Hill and there are sales every weekend. Look for the ones run by schools - they have the most/best stuff.

[Anonymous]

I asked for books at my shower. Since most of my friends were kids who loved to read, it was a way for people to choose something personally meaningful.

As for buying used, there were a lot of bedbugs going around my area when I was pregnant with DD. I only bought things used if they could go through the washing machine and dryer. I haven't heard about bedbugs around here as much, so I might be more comfortable.

Anyone have recommendations for a good thrift store for baby clothes?

[Anonymous]

Check out consignment sales. If you're in the DC area, Dani's duds.

I got almost everything (including clothes) this way.

[Anonymous]

I've found my neighborhood listserve to be a great place to find used baby supplies. When there's something specific that I need, I'll post an ad. There have always been a few people ready to part with an item, and you get a few choices (and price ranges) without having to drive very far.

[Anonymous]

Keep in mind that once you have your first batch of clothes, you can use Threadup.com to trade them in for new clothes in a bigger size.

Also, if you're super organized and can keep track of what belongs to whom, you can ask to borrow stuff from your sister and give it back to her later.

[Anonymous]

Oh, and fwiw, I started buying baby stuff in my third trimester. Around month 8.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I asked for books at my shower. Since most of my friends were kids who loved to read, it was a way for people to choose something personally meaningful.

As for buying used, there were a lot of bedbugs going around my area when I was pregnant with DD. I only bought things used if they could go through the washing machine and dryer. I haven't heard about bedbugs around here as much, so I might be more comfortable.

Anyone have recommendations for a good thrift store for baby clothes?

I've dealt with bedbugs before, and they are a giant PITA, so I would definitely be careful about this. The more you can get during summer, the better, because one thing you can do to prevent bedbugs is to leave the stuff in your car all day on a hot day, before you ever bring it in the house. Supposedly the car gets hot enough to kill the bugs.

[Anonymous]

I second (third?) the book shower idea. It's meaningful, fun, and appropriate for any price point and audience.

[Anonymous]

I also had a book shower since I got a lot of hand-me-down gear. I second the neighborhood listserv, if you have one, and shopping the school/consignment sales. There are also a few baby consignment stores in the area: Wiggle Room in Bethesda (I think), 529 Kids in Alexandria, Bellies & Babies in Del Ray, etc. In my experience, you get better prices on craigslist, neighborhood listservs and school sales, but going to the consignment stores can be easier (e.g., B&B posts on facebook as soon as new gear comes in and has searchable inventory).

[Anonymous]

First time mom here. I bought almost everything on Craigslist. I bought the stroller system at 4 months pregnant. It was early, but when I saw it I had to grab it! In the later months Craigslist hunting became a way to handle the anxiety and anticipation.