What to Know About Secondhand Baby Gear Safety

From car seats to crib mattresses and high chairs, there are a variety of big-ticket items for baby that you might be considering going the secondhand route. Whether you're looking for cost-effective options or accepting hand-me-downs from family or friends, there are helpful safety factors to consider.

While used baby gear is a smart way to score a deal or give pre-loved items a new life, there are helpful must-knows about secondhand baby gear safety you’ll want to take into consideration. For instance, there are products it’s generally fine to use secondhand (like clothing), and some you want to be extra careful with, like car seats.

So to help you navigate the secondhand market, we talked to experts on safety about hand-me-down gear, including Joshua Dilts and Dr. James DeCarli, both Certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians (CPSTs). Read on to find out how to approach used baby gear from a safety perspective.

Car Seats

Car seats can cost anywhere from $60 up to $1,000, making it one of the more costly items you need for baby. While it might be tempting to save money by getting a used car seat, experts generally advise against it, because it’s challenging to pinpoint the seat’s history and whether its ability to keep your child safe has been compromised because it was dropped, involved in a crash, or improperly cleaned by a previous owner. 

If you decide to go the secondhand route, find a car seat for which you can verify its full history and condition, emphasizes Dilts. For example, if you are using the same infant car seat that you used for your first child and have decided to reuse it a few years later for your second baby, you’d be aware of whether it was in any accidents as well as its overall condition. 

“Even if you are getting a hand-me-down from a friend or family member, always confirm that the seat has never been in a crash, is not expired, includes all original parts, and has been treated with care,” Dilts says. 

“Parents should also ensure they have the manual for the seat and check for outstanding recalls,” notes Dilts, who adds that, whether buying new or used, you’ll want to visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website (NHTSA) to ensure the car seat model has not been recalled. 

Here’s a checklist to go through to ensure the safety of a used car seat: 

• Check the seat’s expiration date (most car seats expire either six to 10 years after the manufacture date). You can typically find the label on the seat shell, toward the bottom, either underneath or on the side.

• Ensure all parts of the seat are in working order. Check for cracks, fraying or other damage. 

• Visually inspect the harness straps and latches for wear. Still, it can be impossible to detect hidden damage to the internal parts of the seat or seat base, which is why using a secondhand car seat is not recommended, says Dilts.  

Any used car seat with a questionable history or condition should be recycled to make sure nobody else uses it, emphasizes Dilts. You can typically recycle your car seat or base at Target’s semiannual event.

Cribs

Cribs are a popular item to reuse, especially if you have children close in age, but there can be some situations in which a secondhand crib might be unsafe. It’s one item in particular that has especially high safety standards, which can frequently change. 

A few key reasons you may want to avoid a used crib:

• Structural integrity. After consistent use, cribs might also get weaker. 

• After July 2011, crib manufacturing rules changed, making drop-side cribs illegal to sell in stores. This crib style is associated with dangers like children falling out, getting trapped, or being pinched. Yet, drop-side cribs might still be available secondhand. Similarly, pre-2011, cribs might have had height-adjustment mechanisms that can be unsafe.

If you are examining a used crib, Consumer Reports recommends checking the crib frame or under the mattress support for a label that features the manufacturing date or lot code, as well as the manufacturer’s contact info. And if there’s no clear label, don’t use the crib.

A note on travel cribs

Travel cribs and playards frequently get the hand-me-down treatment, but the main thing to focus on is a model that was manufactured after 2013. Why then? That’s when federal safety standards for these products changed. Now, playards must have:

• Side rails that resist forming a sharp V when folded (which guard against strangulation).

• Stronger corner brackets to prevent sharp-edged cracks and the collapse of side rails.

• Sturdier mattress attachments to the playard floor. 

Mattresses

There are several variables to consider when it comes to used crib mattresses. Experts often advise against reusing because it can be difficult to thoroughly sanitize the surface or internal materials. Additionally, over time, mattresses may lose the firm support needed for safe sleep, and structural degradation or softening can occur with consistent use.

High chairs

A used high chair can make sense as a secondhand choice, but know that older models or chairs missing current safety features require more caution.

One helpful thing to know is when the chair was made. High chair safety standards were updated in 2019 to include new requirements around stability, restraints, warning labels and locking mechanisms. They might also lack certain modern safety features. For example, modern high chairs have mandatory passive crotch restraints and improved rear/side stability requirements to prevent tip-overs. They also undergo rigorous locking mechanism testing for trays and folding frames. 

That doesn’t necessarily mean every older high chair is unsafe, but it does mean you’ll want to take a closer look at its safety features and condition.

When it comes to any high chair you're considering for your child, Consumer Reports recommends ensuring it has:

• A crotch post.

• A safety-restraint system with a five-point harness, which can keep a child from standing or leaning over in a high chair and possibly falling or tipping the chair over.

• And if you want a chair with wheels, make sure it locks or uses casters. If it’s a folding high chair, double-check that it doesn't pinch your fingers when you’re closing it.

Breast pumps

While hospital-grade pumps are designed for multiple users, the FDA advises against using secondhand breast pumps that are designed for single users, given that there’s no way to guarantee the pump has been properly cleaned and disinfected. 

(The good news: Breast pumps are covered under most health insurance policies. You can apply for a free breast pump via Babylist Health.)

Items That Have Been Recalled 

Baby products get recalled from time to time, so checking for recalls is a good step whenever you’re considering something secondhand. If you bought and registered a product yourself, you may receive recall notifications directly from the manufacturer. But with a hand-me-down or something you bought used, you may not know if a recall was issued.

You can search the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s recall database by product or brand to check. We also keep track of the latest baby product recalls on Babylist, along with what to do if you own an affected product.

Baby Products That Are No Longer Considered Safe

A recall isn't the only thing to look for when considering older baby gear. Safety recommendations and product standards can change over time, which means some products that were common when they were purchased may no longer be recommended for use.

Baby product and safety expert Sandra Gordon recommends avoiding the following products, whether they're new or secondhand:

• Baby loungers, which pose dangerous sleep-related risks

• Walkers, which are associated with falls

• Fisher-Price Rock ‘n Plays, all of which were recalled in 2023

• Sleep positioners, which pose a suffocation risk

• Weighted sleep sacks and blankets

• Baby bath seats, which can tip over