What baby products should not be bought used?

Avoid buying these baby products used unless you can fully verify their history, recall status, and condition:

1. Car seats — Best bought new. Used seats may be expired, recalled, missing parts, or have unseen crash damage.
2. Cribs and crib mattresses — Older cribs may not meet current safety standards, and mattresses can harbor mold, bacteria, allergens, or have lost firmness.
3. Bassinet, cradle, and play-yard sleep surfaces — Sleep products should meet current standards and have all original parts; worn or modified sleep surfaces can be unsafe.
4. Breast pumps, especially open-system pumps — Milk or moisture can enter internal parts, creating hygiene risks. Closed-system pumps may be safer used only if the motor is designed for reuse and all personal-contact parts are replaced.
5. Bottle nipples, pacifiers, teethers, and sippy-cup valves — These degrade, can crack, and are hard to fully sanitize.
6. Helmets and protective gear — Like car seats, they can have hidden impact damage.
7. Baby gates and safety devices with unknown history — Missing hardware, worn latches, or improper parts can make them unreliable.
8. Recalled or very old items — This includes older high chairs, swings, bouncers, strollers, walkers, and toys if you cannot confirm they have not been recalled.

Used items that are usually more reasonable: clothing, blankets, washable toys, books, some strollers, baby carriers, and high chairs — but only if they are clean, complete, undamaged, and not recalled.