Comments on: How to: Secondhand baby shower

By: Guest post: Christine Koh on having a second child

Guest post: Christine Koh on having a second child — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 16:30:05 +0000

[...] since I had given most of our baby things away. We received tons of baby clothes and gear at my secondhand baby showerand after Violet was born, people came by with more things to fill in the gaps. Honestly, I have [...]

By: Great Baby Shower Gift Baby Milano black Toile 3 piece baby clothes gift set « Crib Mafia

Sat, 15 Oct 2011 12:50:10 +0000

[...] How to: Secondhand baby shower (rookiemoms.com) [...]

By: Felicity

Felicity — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 22:59:21 +0000

I asked for hand-me-down and secondhand baby gear at my baby shower last year (my son is now 11mo old) and wished there was an easier way to keep track of it all and make it feel more official (a lot of my guests weren’t so sure about showing up with a pre-owned gift). After my son was born, I created Encore Baby Registry, a free website where expectant parents can create a gift registry that includes hand-me-downs, secondhand gear, and new baby items. It has the feel of a “regular” registry, along with safety info, secondhand shopping tips, and hand-me-down etiquette.
I love the pictures from Christine’s shower. They really show that “second-hand” doesn’t mean “second rate” when it comes to gifts, parties, and friends!

By: Boston Mamas

Boston Mamas — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 22:48:32 +0000

Hi Katie, I completely understand your concern! I should have mentioned that my friend Heidi (who gave me the carseat) is meticulous and careful…the carseat was in pristine condition and quite new (her son was just recently out of it). It was a fantastic seat that I can hardly believe Violet grew out of already a month ago!

Thanks for sharing the safety concern!

By: Betsy

Betsy — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 12:47:11 +0000

This is a brilliant idea. It helps moms who are overwhelmed with too much stuff just as much as it helps the new moms in need of the stuff. Not to mention the environmental/recycle factor. Win win!

By: RookieMom Heather

RookieMom Heather — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 16:10:01 +0000

I agree with you @Katie and wouldn’t get a used car seat. If you haven’t seen our registry tips {http://www.rookiemoms.com/shopping-registry/}, we recommend our favorite products as well as which ones are ok to get used.

Since many of my friends didn’t take the “clear out your basement and give me used stuff” bait, I found many other used items on Craig’s List. Pretty soon, we’ll start looking for a jogging stroller that way.

By: Juan

Juan — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 13:43:59 +0000

Excel is always necessary! How could we live without it? But seriously organizing everything into a spread sheet helps soooo much with big lists of complicated stuff like this. Thanks for reminding me of this

By: Katie

Katie — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 01:33:39 +0000

Awesome idea! I’m always telling people I prefer used items verse new ones as gifts. The ONLY thing I disagree with is the used carset. That is just plain unsafe. The seat could have been droped hard, in an accident, straps washed, recalled or expired. Are you really willing to put your childs life at risk? Carseats aren’t that expensive unless you get the ones with all the frills. A $30 seat passes the same tests as the $300 ones. What is most important is having the seat properly installed and that it fits your child. Check out car-seat.org for more info! With that said I still plan on sharing your wonderful idea!

By: Cindy

Cindy — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 16:48:49 +0000

I recommend using a site like http://babyli.st . I’ve collected the items I’ve wanted on it, but have added to the description of most that that particular item could be any brand, new or used. I told my friends I prefer used, but some have said they’d prefer to get me new from a store, just because it’s more convenient for them to do one-stop shopping instead of combing craigsllist.

Plus with a site like that I’ve added adorable stuff from Etsy, as well as coupons for frozen meals, baby sitting, first aid course and a stroller cardio class post-baby!

By: Boston Mamas

Boston Mamas — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 16:45:37 +0000

Thanks for allowing me to share this post ladies! And as it turns out, a dear friend who attended my shower loved the idea so much that when I offered to plan her shower, she asked if we could go for the same theme. I’ve already been getting jiggy with Excel.

By: Heather

Heather — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 14:14:30 +0000

I love this idea. Reusing and re-purposing is such a great way to help the environment, your friends and yourself and baby. Love it!

By: Jamie

Jamie — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 03:59:33 +0000

LOVE LOVE LOVE this idea! And it makes me feel so much better about the regifting I do of all those baby gifts (mostly clothes) that my little ones never quite got around to wearing!