Published 3 August 2015 ● Last Updated on 8 October 2020
The pre-baby months are an exciting time. Soon-to-be-parents spend their time studying books like The Contented Little Baby Book and The Shit No One Tells You: A Guide to Surviving Your Baby’s First Year and making lists of all the bits and bobs the baby and nursing mother will need. It can be quite overwhelming once you start to realize just how much stuff a tiny little baby needs! It’s not just diapers and onesies – you’ll need a whole array of things to get you through the first years of infant and toddler-hood and that can get very pricey if you’re looking to buy everything new. But why buy everything new? There is a whole lot of baby stuff that really doesn’t have to be brand new – your baby certainly won’t care. So before you go and bankrupt yourself before the baby has even been born, consider buying these items second hand!
A note from Lara, the co-founder of Secondsguru : I have taken the liberty of adding a “my two cents worth” section to this blog post, not because having two kids makes me an authority on the topic of kids or anything to do with them, hell no! Its only because I have gone through the motion of parenthood two times over and perhaps my experiences, mistakes and learnings can help a few parents-to-be!
Cradle/Cot
If you want to really indulge your new born, a la princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, scout the used goods marketplace for a baby bassinet. Make sure you move the baby out the moment you spot signs of the him/her sitting up or rolling over. Bassinet or not, one of the most important things you’ll need for your baby is a cradle or a cot. Browsing through the options on the internet, you’ll see that there are lots of styles, materials and sizes to choose from. But you really don’t need the Ferrari of baby cots to get your baby through the first few years – as long as you don’t pick one up from the streets like Joey Tribbiani did for Rachel on Friends. You’ll find some great treasures at the second hand shop or on online market places and will be sure to have your choice in styles too. We do recommend you make sure that the mattress is in good condition and that you steam clean it before use. Other than that – you’re good to go!
My two cents worth: We never had a bassinet, wish we had though – they just look so pretty! We bought our baby cot from Ikea which converted to a bed later. The cot served us well for both kids till they were 18 months old each. Given our kids are 3 ½ years apart, great investment I would say!
Baby mobile
There is a fair bit of debate these days on whether using the baby mobile at night is an unnecessary over-simulation for a soon- to-be sleeping baby or a necessary must-have. Debates and controversies aside, if you plan to get a pretty musical mobile with or without movements, you can definitely buy one from the used goods market. All you need is to check if it is in working condition and give it a nice wipe with a damp cloth and mild disinfectant.
My two cents worth: Our kids loved their baby mobile and were always comforted by it, whether they were howling their heads out or getting ready for sleep time. Since I had two kids, we automatically ended up recycling the baby mobile. After our kids outgrew the mobile, it was well used by our friend’s adorable new born. She then sold it very efficiently in the online goods marketplace.
Clothes
If you have a big family of aunts, uncles, brothers and sisters with their own pack of kids running wild, take advantage of it! A lot of parents save their children’s old baby clothes in case they might want to add another to the litter or maybe even just keeping in mind that their friends and family will be joining the crew of new parents soon and know what it’s like having to buy everything new. Flea markets and second-hand shops are also great for baby clothes, you will be sure to find some cute stuff here! Of course, you can make them at home too by recycling cotton fabric!
My two cents worth: My mother made an entire wardrobe of clothes for her grandkids by upcycling my father’s old kurtas and her old muslin dupattas. We are talking onesies and muslin wraps/ blankets for newborns made from pure cotton/muslin fabric which has been washed multiple times, hence is ultra soft and breathes well. What more can a little one ask for!
Books & Toys
For the first year or two of your babies’ life, the books and toys he/she will be using are very simple. Baby books often come in soft materials such as cloth or sponge and aren’t exactly dense in content – the focus is more on images and often texture rather than a real story. This means that once your child hits the age of three or four, these books will be a bore for them as at this age, they will enjoy something a little more challenging. Similarly, baby toys aren’t all too fancy and don’t have a lot of extra bits to pull and push or whatnot seeing as infants are at a risk of swallowing small bits or injuring themselves in other ways. Seeing as baby books and toys are only used for a short period, they quickly end up on eBay or other second hand market places, so start browsing!
My two cents worth: Like most parents, we have read books to our kids ever since they were born… as a pre-bedtime ritual, so that was a lot of reading. As working parents, the “reading time” was most relaxing and perfect for bonding with our bubs. Over the years, we have sourced books from online forums, used good marketplaces, flea markets and the public library in every city we have lived.
Bottle sterilizer
Whether you plan to exclusively breast feed your little one or supplement with formula milk, you will need a bottle sterilizer. Thanks to the sterilizer, the new already-tired mother can get a break once she has expressed. Moreover, feeding the new-born using the bottle, allows daddy to get some bonding time too. Its perfectly fine to buy one from the used goods marketplace as the sterilization process adequately cleans up the device time and over again!
My two cents worth: If you have not got one already, go get it right away!
Stroller/ Baby carrier
As we have stated in an earlier blogpost”Top 5 pre loved buys for moms-to-be“, both the stroller and Baby carrier are useful necessities for the baby and the parents :-). Both keep the little ones safe and snug and give the parents adequate mobility (and back support) with a baby in tow. These ultimate traveling buddies for your bubs do not have to be top of the line and brand new, you can just buy them second-hand from an online store or take from friends whose kids have outgrown them. Be sure to check the weight of the stroller and the support of the baby carrier before you buy them though!
My two cents worth: The baby carrier and stroller we had for our kids were life savers in Hong Kong where we lived since 2004 before moving to Singapore in 2013. Every holiday list saw these two items featured on the top of the “must carry” list: Whether at potato head in Bali or when exploring the beauty of Europe on various holidays, they served us well!
– Roxanne and Lara
Roxanne is a German/British Journalist/Author based in Spain who shares our passion for all things old and quirky.
Lara is the co-founder of Secondsguru. A former banker, a once again born blog writer, a self-confessed vintage addict and a passionate yogi, Lara loves to spend time with her family and travel the world!
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