They can be a great resource, especially when it comes to items for children. Since kids often outgrow clothes before they wear them out, or lose interest in toys after a few short weeks or months , these items are ideal to buy used.
Baby gear, such as cribs, high chairs, bouncy seats, playpens and strollers are often available at resale and buying used items can be a real money-saver.
However, it's very important to make sure that what you're buying is still considered safe. This is also important if you're passing items down within your family from one child to the next.
We had a drop-side crib that all three of our sons used but now, those cribs are no longer sold. Car seat specifications have also changed since I brought Jason home from the hospital in our first car seat 19 years ago.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has a whole section of its website dedicated to recalls on children's items.
The list includes everything from those drop-side cribs, which pose a suffocation danger, to pajamas that aren't flame-resistant, to items that have lead in them or small pieces that can cause a choking hazard.
Even though the list of recalled items is very long, it's by no means exhaustive. It's still up to parents to make sure their homes are free of dangers like top-heavy bookshelves that aren't anchored to walls, and window blind pulls that could tangle around a child's neck.
We're at the point where we've passed down or given away most of the baby and toddler items we had in our home. If you still have older items and you're not sure about their safety, it's a good idea to check the CPSC list.
Franchise consignment stores like Once Upon A Child do check items before they'll accept them for resale, but items bought at a yard or garage sale are unlikely to go through such scrutiny (even though they're supposed to, by law).
Right now, through Feb. 20, 2012, Toys-R-Us stores are running a baby gear buy-back event, where you can get 25 percent off the purchase of any new car seat, stroller, crib or playpen, when you bring in a used one. This is a great way to make sure you've gotten rid of unsafe items.
For more tips on making sure your kids' gear and your home meet safety requirements, check out these sites:
-KidsHealth from Nemours
-BabyCenter
-BabyZone's recall list
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