Can #8217;t afford nice things for your infant Think outside the baby mega-store box.
July 5, 2006
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Can’t afford nice things for your infant? Think outside the baby mega-store box.
For many low to medium income families, providing for their newborn and toddlers can be a major source of anxiety and financial strain. Browsing the prices at your local baby store can easily drive a shopper into sticker shock. Fortunately, there is a viable alternative.
July 5, 2006 — For many low to medium income families, providing for their newborn and toddlers can be a major source of anxiety and financial strain. Browsing the prices at your local baby store can easily drive a shopper into sticker shock. Fortunately, there is a viable alternative. The garage sale.
According to the owners of http://www.YardHopper.com, one of the most common items you will find at a garage sale is baby stuff. They say about 4 out of 10 sales posted on their website offer items for newborns and toddlers. In some cases, many of these items are almost brand new!
There are a few reasons for this. Not only do infants grow really fast and grow out of their clothing, carriers and high chairs, but also, when a family is expecting their first child, they go to their local BabiesRUs and register for a bunch of stuff they THINK they will need. The fact is, the only things they really need are diapers, burping cloths, onesies, and a diaper genie. That is pretty much all they need. They end up with swings, bouncy chairs, boppys, Baby-Bjorns and many other items that they and/or their child may use once and shortly thereafter it begins collecting dust. Enter the garage sale. A brand new baby bjorn can cost as much as $120.00. Finding s slightly used one at a garage sale for $30.00 would be a steal. Buying toys at a baby mega-store can cost a lot. Often times, infants play with a toy once and then shove it aside. These are great finds at a garage sale. The point is, there are great deals to be had on relatively new items!
When shopping for infant products at a garage sale, use caution. Buying from a garage sale comes with a few risks. It is no secret that babies spit up and use the bathroom quite often. It is very important to wash and/or sterilize just about any item that you purchase from a garage sale. Many baby safety products (car seats, swings, chairs, etc…) are regularly upgraded and improved upon for safety regulations. If purchasign a car seat that was manufactured 5 years ago, it may not be equipped with the most recent safety technology. Another thing to watch out for are items that have been recalled. Infant products are recalled every day. To determine if an item has been recalled, visit BabyCenter.coms recalled item lookup tool: http://www.babycenter.com/recall.
In closing, providing for a newborn or toddler does not always have to break the bank. Garage sales offer a great alternative to the inflated prices of most baby mega-stores. With the proper caution and selection, there are great items to be found for newborns.