I had always planned on buying a used cot for our first bubba due in [name_f]September[/name_f]. I like reusing furniture and our budget for baby furniture is not huge.
I have been doing some research and am surprised to see so many people so against buying a second hand cot. Obviously, I would choose carefully and inspect things before I buy it. (Such as meeting Australian standards, is it from a non smoking home, did they use mattress protectors etc)
Of course you’re absolutely fine to buy a used cot, but over here the advice is to always get a new mattress to go with it. You’re even supposed to get a new mattress for each child in the family (we have not done this bit, oops!)
Unless you’re buying a bespoke cot or niche brand, most confirm to standardised sizes so finding a mattress which fits well shouldn’t be difficult. The old mattress will likely have a label on it telling you the exact dimensions.
We have second hand cots x 2 in this house and they’ve served us well!
Absolutely nothing wrong with a second hand crib! (or cot, whatever) For our first child, we bought all of her furniture used. Crib, dresser, changing table. The crib we got was from Pottery [name_m]Barn[/name_m] and originally cost $400. We got it secondhand for $100. I think total, it cost us $240 for all her furniture.
Honestly, nursery furniture is ridiculously overpriced and for the amount of time you usually use it, it makes the most sense to buy it used. And as others have already said, you do need to buy a new mattress but that’s way cheaper than buying a new cot.
People get sort of weird and overly cautious when it comes to baby gear, I find! I feel like most of the real concerns with buying secondhand are over older cribs with drop-down sides, etc., but those worries get projected onto all used cribs, period.
A secondhand should be fine, so long as it’s in good shape and up to safety standards! There’s a good chance that we’ll get one used ourselves, as with just about all the other nursery furniture–we’ve already picked up a gently used rocker at about a quarter of retail price, and I’m searching for a dresser to refinish and use for storage/as a changing table. Not only is it cheaper, but I feel better knowing that’s one less thing going into a landfill (especially since we’ve decided that disposable diapers are the best choice for us, but I cringe thinking about the waste).
Only thing to ensure is new mattress, this is shown to reduce Sudden [name_u]Infant[/name_u] Death Syndrome as per National Institute of Clinical Excellence guidance and The Lullaby [name_m]Trust[/name_m].
I see nothing wrong with buying a used crib as long as it meets safety standards.
I would, however, buy a new mattress! Experts suggest purchasing a new mattress for each new baby if financially possible. Mattresses can hold a ton of bacteria, microbs and mildew that wouldn’t bother an adult or older child but can be really rough on a new born baby’s immune system. (Think about all the body fluids that baby’s get all over their beds, spit up, throw up, pee, poop…). I’d just want a new matress for my kid or at the very least for my family (1st kid that can be handed to a second. At least then you know how you’ve been taking care of it etc).
I am pretty much echoing everyone else, but there’s nothing wrong with buying a used crib/cot! I actually looked for a used couple first before buying two all new cribs as having babies is ridiculously expensive anyways, but I unfortunately couldn’t find any I liked. As long as you have a new mattress I would say buying a used one you like is a lot better than dropping a few hundred on a brand new one
