Safety Tips for Buying Used Baby Gear

With all of the stories about injuries and deaths of children, and the constant recalls you see on store shelves of baby items, it's hard to know what is best. It's especially difficult when you're buying used items for your child. Thrift stores and yard sales provide low to medium income parents across the world the ability to afford all of essentials and extras babies need and want. However, it's not always the safest way to go when choosing items for youngsters. When visiting the infant's section at one the local Walmarts, my husband and I saw at least two recalls on cribs and play items. One can never forget the death of 11-month-old Euan Allessandro Artus-Elston in August of 2007 due to a defective Century playpen (includes Century Fold-N-Go Model 10-710 and Century Fold-N-Go Model 10-810 , which are green and blue with white railing, and read "Century" and "Fold-N-Go" visible in white letters). An 18-month-old boy in Centreville, Virginia, died when his Century play yard collapsed on him restricting his airway as well, this is what led to the recall in the United States. There have been recalls on bassinets and swings as well as cribs recently. It doesn't mean that you can't buy previously owned baby items, it means that you should be as careful when buying them as you are with your baby's other health issues.