I’m constantly being asked the question: “What baby products should I not buy used because they’re unsafe?” This sort of question often comes from parents who are savvy with navigating Craig’s List. The site is a popular way to buy used baby products from local fellow parents and, in fact, I’ve bought and sold my kids’ products on Craig’s List myself.
As it turns out, there are lots of baby products you shouldn’t buy used. I’m finding, though, that my list of “what not to buy used” is constantly changing, as safety standards get updated. Toys, for example, used to be on my ”okay to buy used” list. But since toy safety standards were revised as part of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008, I’m generally not recommending buying used toys unless they’re new or look like new since they might have been made before 2009, when the new toy safety standards got implemented. The new standards ban three types of phthalates, a chemical in plastic, and lower the bar on the permissible lead limit in paint applied to children’s products.
On the other hand, cribs used to be on my “don’t buy used list.” But if you buy a stationary crib (no-drop sides), as we now recommend in Consumer Reports Best Baby Products, a stationary crib now seems okay to buy used, provided that all the slats are sturdy.
A stationary crib has no potentially dangerous drop sides.
A stationary crib is a solid piece of furniture; the danger with drop sides, which can malfunction over time or be installed incorrectly, is eliminated. But here’s the catch: If you decide to buy a used stationary crib, know the date it was manufactured. The safest stationary cribs were made after August 2009, which coinsides with the new lead paint standards.
Feel free to chime in!
What baby products have you bought used? What tips can you offer other parents who may be considering going this route?
