I’ve become quite adept at claiming hand-me-downs with bambino numero tre. Maternity wardrobe? Yes please. Tiny infant clothes? Sure. Gently-used baby stuff? Don’t mind if I do. I feel truly blessed by my community of moms for paying it forward and I’m happy to do the same.
For the most part, my washing machine does all the dirty work and my family saves hundreds of dollars by not purchasing new gear.
One amazing benefactor, my friend Lisa, a stylish mom of twin boys, has even handed me back some of the cute mini clothes that my older boys wore as babies.
Recently Lisa offered me a well-loved exersaucer-jumper that just needed a little elbow grease. My big guys, armed with a few Q-tips and toothpicks dipped in soap to clean out the crevices, made it shine like new. The washer ate up the gunk on the fabric. Sawyer loves it; Holden and Milo were proud to give it to him.
I later learned that Q-tips Precision Tips could have done the job of both the regular swabs and toothpicks combined. Fortunately, there are many more cleaning tasks in my near future.
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Disclosure: this is a sponsored post by Q-tips as part of the Tipster Ambassador program. All opinions, creative ideas, and baby toes are ours.
I gave away ALL of my maternity stuff and baby gear, baby clothes, anything little baby related before we moved across the country last summer. Now I’m pregnant with (surprise!) baby #3 and I have very little to show for it! I’m hoping some of my nice, new neighbors will take pity on me and lend me some stuff. Luckily, we kept our pack n play and my son, who is almost 2, is still in a crib so we have sleeping areas covered. Just no clothes for a child under 12 months and no baby contraption either, like a bouncy seat. Oh well. I know all of our old stuff went to good places–friends, charities, etc. That’s comforting.
We received 2 hand-me-down items that have worked wonders. The first is a jumperoo that my now 2-year old loved as an infant. It was her favorite activity of the day. The second is a bouncer chair for my 4-month old. Neither baby loved the swing but the bouncer chair seems to work at calming and entertaining. Both were cleaned thoroughly with Q-tips and the covers thrown in the washer.
We received SO many hand-me-downs from my brother, but the best has been the constant stream of clothes and shoes.
The best have been furniture, like cribs or carriers since those are SO expensive… but I also love the knitted blankets friends have given to me!
I have three kids ranging from the age of 12 to 3. Over the years I have received many hand me downs from many people. I think the best hand me down would have to be the Jumperoo that was given to me by my neighbor. She is a grandmother and had a friend that knew I had a little one in need of items. That Jumperoo saved my arms so many times. After my little one was done with it I gave it to my Church nursery and they still have it today. Many babies that have been to the Church, love that toy and every time I see it I always think back of when my youngest was tiny. =o)
My sisters in law gave us a ton of clothes and a bouncy seat.
I love this classical music playing toy that a stranger gave me. She was a member of a mom message board I used, and offered some toys and clothes. We used everything she gave us and felt so lucky that she was so generous.
We’ve gotten tons of clothes and toys and a beautiful handmade wooden cradle.
I’ve received a lovely baby sleeping bag from a friend of mine, it’s a gorgeous one no longer manufactured
We just adopted our daughter. We didn’t want to buy much or have a shower before we got her, for fear that the birthmom would change her mind. Our friends stepped in and lent or gave us EVERYTHING, from swings, to bouncy seats, clothes, bottles. We had a shower after we brought her home, but we didn’t have to register for many things, so we were able to get stuff we really needed, like diapers and formula. The things we did buy, we were confident in buying, because we already knew that we liked it.
I’d given away ALL of my baby items after trying for about four years to get pregnant again. Out of the blue, I found out we were expecting again and it was a girl this time! Hand me downs, consignment sales and garage sales have helped so much to stretch every dollar we’ve got to spend even further. I was amazed at the items people have offered to “hand down” from cribs, strollers, car seats and tons of clothes. My favorite so far is probably a hand me down glider rocker. My older boys already love sitting in it and I can’t help but picture them rocking their sister there very soon!
We were lucky to be given a bassinet. I had no one to pass it on to and we were moving house so we gave it to salvation army.
Oh man, we got a used Bumbo chair and loved the heck out of it. We then leant it to a friend in between babies and have just gotten it back to polish up for our next baby, due in May.
I happily give all pregnant friends used Infantino cart/high chair covers (that I’ve laundered a few times). Those things are life savers! But why buy new?
Hand me downs, how I love thee. A close friend of mine gives us all her little girl, Anna’s clothes. Somehow, my two year old remembers what used to be Anna’s and will proudly boast. “My wear Anna’s dress!” Cute and saves me a bundle!
A friend gave me a swing frame that the carseat fit into and my baby napped there for a few months. I’ve also gotten numerous toys, travel items and a playmat but no clothes curiously enough. Maybe everyone I know is hoping for another or has girls! I also got a barely used breast pump and saved at least $200! Woohoo!
We have loaned our swing,once and soon again, and are happy it has gotten some use since our son didn’t like it at all!
We borrowed several items from a friend – from baby books when I was pregnant to a baby seat to a door frame bouncer. It would have cost a fortune to buy some of these things so it’s nice to have them and then be able to send them on to someone else when we’re done (yay for not having to store them too!). I’m a huge fan of hand-me-downs and borrowing/lending items!
I am all about giving it away when we are done with it. I most recently gifted an expecting mom with my son’s crib mattress and changing table pad. The best hand me downs we got were cloth diapers, tons of them! I have been able to pass on the size nb and smalls too!
We received 12 garbage bags of barely worn girls clothes size 0 – 5T from a friend of a friend, and I thank her every day for the money (and equally important, time!) that she’s saved us. I’d love to use them again if we have another girl, but if not, I can’t wait to pass on these treasures to another thrilled mom.
The Bumbo was a godsend hand-me-down.
I’ve received lots of hand-me-down clothes for my daughter, and I’ve appreciated every one!
My favorite hand me down for my baby boy #2 was a bag of unused baby clothes. They weren’t even washed yet and the giver just never got around to using them with her son!
I have received countless hand me downs. My favorite? A swing that actually made my colicy daughter stop screaming! Best gift ever!
Our best hand-me-down was all the furniture for our first nursery for our son. Everything in the room belonged to one or more of of my little brothers (I have 5 little brothers). It was so nice to A) have my son use the items that my brothers had at one point and B) have to buy any of it!!
Hand-me-downs are the only way to go for baby clothes! New clothes are so expensive, especially when you consider that they only get worn for a short time and are usually messed up right away. We shop second hand stores for our ‘growing’ clothes & then donate them back when we’re done!
I’m a huge believer in hand-me-downs…Once Upon a Child is one of our favorite stores! One of my favorite hand-me-downs was a Johnny Jump Up that I got from my aunt. My son spent many hours in that when he was younger. Just recently, I offered it to a friend, so I’m sure it will get even more use!
We were handed down a bassinet. I was so thankful to not have to buy something that my kids would only sleep in for a month or so. We have also graciously been given so many clothes. My little girl doesn’t need anything new for the next 3 years! Pay it forward!
A friend/co-worker of mine gave me a handmade wooden, swinging baby cradle. It meant so much to me because I could tell it had been handed down multiple times. My baby loved napping in it, so we kept it downstairs for the first few months of his life. Thanks for the chance to win!
gina.m.maddox (at) gmail (dot) com
My mother saved a dress she had hand sewn for me when I was a baby. It was so wonderful to be able to dress my own daughter in it, 33 years later. I took a picture of her wearing her hair the way I did as a baby (the Pebbles top ponytail), and I made a side-by-side portrait of us in the same dress. I’ll always cherish that picture, and the dress!
Best thing I got as a hand-me-down: extra bottles for my Medela pump and FREE bags to store milk in. Both made my life easier, and meant we could spend the money on something else.
My husband and I only planned to have 2 kids, but we ended up with 2 boys and now we’re thinking about maybe taking one more shot at getting a girl. While we think about it, we’re happy to loan away our baby stuff to three friends in need. Friend A just had her third baby many, many years after her first two. Friend B is having her second baby but her first was born in Norway and they didn’t keep much baby stuff when they moved back to the U.S. Friend C is having twins after having a singleton a few years ago so now she needs a lot of duplicate items. We’re loaning out our bouncy seat, jumperoo, bumbo seat, bath tub, infant car seat, stroller for infant car seat, clothes, bottles, breast pump, and more. It feels good to get it out of the house but also know that I’ll get it back someday. I’m not closing the door on having a third baby…not yet, at least.
We are surrounded by boys, my husband’s brother has two boys and then our close friends have boys. So my son when he was born was the youngest of the bunch. We got a lot of hand me downs like exersaucer, high chair, piano, pushing cart kind of thing. I like hand me downs it feels like the majority of toys that we use in the first few years are very gently used and then the kids out grow them. I am expecting my second kid in three more months and I am sure we will use all those toys one more round before passing them out.
My daughter’s big cousin is EXACTLY one year older (and also a girl!) making her hand-me-downs perfect – in size and season!
Bumbo! It was great until my LO’s sausage legs caused him to outgrow it. And clothes, of course. Lots of clothes, bless my sweet sister-in-law’s heart : )
A friend helped me become a baby-wearing mama with her hand-me-down. I don’t think I would have survived without it!
I have two sisters, so we’ve been able to share baby clothes. It’s so nice! I had the first boy, so I get to pass off the clothes almost as soon as my son outgrows them. nothing to store! And when we have our next kid, boy or girl, I’ll have a whole wardrobe already.
LL bean winter clothes from my neighbor have been a godsend!
We have a hand-me-down exersaucer from a neighbor, and since many of my friends have babies, we have passed it around. The ages of the babies in our circle have been staggered just enough to keep our garages free of clutter from the exersaucer, many push toys, kid kitchens, and so much more. Sharing really is caring!
I got a really nice hand me down graco stroller last year. Some of our past baby gear had worn out, it was wonderful to get.
We’ve given away old baby furniture and clothes.
I love being able to be the recipient and giver of baby clothes! I can’t comprehend the amount of money some people spend on baby clothes, just for them to get filthy and grow out of so quickly! Hand-me-downs are the best!
We’ve gotten a lot of clothes handed down, but my favorite borrowed item has been the breast pump! Saved me a bundle
Besides baby shoes/clothes, the best hand-me-downs I’ve received are toys for my son once he was no longer a baby. A friend gave me a shape sorter, Little People farm, a sports activity center, and more!
We handed down my daughter’s clothes to my sister-in-law (for my oldest niece), and she passed them along to my sister (for my next two nieces). We were given a Baby Bjorn by friends and although it turns out there are a zillion other carrier/sling options that might work better, this was the first hand-me-down baby item we were given and I still think about it (and them) fondly.
Our pack and play was a hand me down, which was perfect since it doesn’t really get used all that often! Thanks for hosting!
My sister in law bartered babysiting for clothes for my son. It was awesome not having to worry about clothes for the first year. At my husband’s job we were first to give birth in this wave of babies so we lent out our walker and jumper when our son had outgrown them.
About the Q-tips, we just recieved a sample pack of the precision tips and I’m excited to try them out. They seem perfect for cleaning up garage sale toys.
We got an exersaucer from a friend for baby #2 in great condition… I really need to clean it up and return it to her for her next!
We received hooded baby bath towels as a hand me down. We use them every night at bath time!
I was so, so happy to receive a crib AND a car seat from my cousin. I know used car seats are a no-no, and now cribs are too (they weren’t 3 years ago, okay?), but we knew where they came from and that they were in good shape. We saved a lot of money not buying those pricey items!
We loved getting a baby swing as a hand me down. It was an expensive item that we knew could be hit or miss. It was actually only used for about a month with our daughter (not wild about it), but then we get to pass it on to another family whose baby loved it.