Buying Used Baby Gear Smart or Safety Hazard?

By Linda Ligon, Family & Kids

Shopping online and at yard sales for gently used baby gear can be a good way to save money when preparing for your new arrival. However, there are some items that infant safety experts strongly recommend buying new.

Always buy car seats new. There is the risk that the car seat has been in an accident at some time, which may make it structurally unsafe and unable to properly protect your baby. It is not always possible to tell that a car seat has been involved in an accident. Also, the construction of a car seat may have started to deteriorate due to the time it has spent exposed to temperature extremes in a car. Never use an expired, recalled or damaged car seat.

The safety standards for cribs, bassinets and cradles have changed over the years to protect babies from being trapped between the slats, falling out or choking. Using a secondhand crib, bassinet or cradle could put your baby at risk of severe injury or a fatal incident. Never use a crib, bassinet, or cradle that has been recalled, does not meet current safety standards or has a defect. Avoid drop-side cribs, as they have been illegal since 2011.

Used infant swings and playpens should be purchased using extreme caution. These types of items are sometimes recalled due to serious safety risks, such as falls. The standards for playpens were updated in 2013. Check carefully for recalls and inspect the used swing or playpen for defects. Never use a recalled or damaged swing or playpen or one not up to current safety standards. Playpens that are damaged or not up to standards could pose risks such as suffocation, entrapment or choking.

Breast pumps, unless they are designated as hospital-grade or multi-user pumps, are one-user items. Do not buy a secondhand one-user pump since droplets of milk can contaminate the inner parts, which cannot be completely sanitized, posing a health risk to your baby. Check the documentation to verify a secondhand pump is for multi-users and buy a new collection kit for it.

To check recalls and to view standards, visit the Consumer Product Safety Commission website.

FDR State Park, located in Pine Mountain, Georgia, is a favorite location for residents of the Chattahoochee Valley to enjoy the outdoors. This park is the largest of the Georgia State Parks and is full of history and opportunities for recreational activities for the entire family.

The History

FDR State Park is named for President Franklin D. Roosevelt. FDR would visit nearby Warm Springs, GA to seek relief from the symptoms of polio in the therapeutic warm springs and while he was in the area, he would spend time enjoying the beautiful views in the park. FDR had a favorite picnic spot on the top of Dowdell’s Knob, the highest point in the park, and the stone grill he used is still at the same spot today. A beautiful statue of FDR has been placed at the top of Dowdell’s Knob and is a field-trip must-see.

While FDR was in office, the Works Progress Administration initiated a project to create a state park in Pine Mountain. As part of the project, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built stone cottages, bridges, roads and campgrounds in the 1930s. The stonework of the CCC can still be seen today, especially at Liberty Bell Pool, which was constructed of local stones and built in the shape of a bell. Visiting the park and viewing the work of the CCC feels like taking a step back in time into the era of the 1930s.

What To See

The state park has about 40 miles of trails, the longest of which is the 23-mile Pine Mountain Trail. Historical markers are located throughout the park. FDR State Park has a unique geology and biodiversity since it is on the Fall Line, which is the division between the Piedmont and the Coastal Plains. When walking the trails, it is possible to spot examples of Piedmont and Coastal Plains wildlife and plant life on the same trail. Pine Mountain is mostly made up of Hollis quartzite, a type of very hard metamorphic rock, and formations of Hollis quartzite can be seen along the trails in the park.