You are expecting your first baby (or maybe second or third) and the expenses are piling up. Not to mention how expensive life is in general with inflation up these days. Luckily, you can save big bucks on big ticket newborn items, many of which will grow with your child. (And eventually, maybe you can even resale the items and make a lot of that money back!). I love to buy certain baby/child items used and over the years have acquired some beautiful items for my children without the big new item markup at the store. And yes, of course, you can spend that money saved on the best thing of all: a professional newborn session! (Would I be a photographer at all if I didn't add that to every parenting blogpost?! I just really value the beautiful photographs of my family and want you to experience the same!). But even if you don't opt for a photography session, I like to share my experiences to hopefully save you money. So with that said, let's get to saving

  1. Baby furniture: I admit that I like a good name brand furniture item. Pottery Barn, Broyhill, Ashley Furniture...I guess that I just feel that, generally speaking, I can trust the quality from these brands. But I don't like Pottery Barn prices. I just can't see spending over a thousand dollars for a crib...more on that in a minute. But if you search Facebook Marketplace (I'm a big fan) you can usually find whole bedroom sets from top brands at a big discount. I once acquired a Pottery Barn Kids dresser, chest, table, and rocking chair for under $1,000. And then I sold the dresser for $250! At this point, if I need a new item of furniture for one of my children, I always look on Marketplace first. Just give yourself a little time and be consistent in your searching, and something great will turn up!
  2. Smart bassinet: I never really understood what desperation was until my third daughter came along and refused to sleep at night. I was miserable! I was going out of my mind! In a desperate midnight haze, I searched the internet for help and found the Snoo Smart Bassinet (this was not long after it hit the scene). I ended up buying it new, which at that time was about $1,200 (I was really desperate!). I used it for her and then for her little brother, although he never took to it as much. Then I resold it for about $800. Then I found out I was unexpectedly expecting! I ultimately decided I wanted to start my new baby in the Snoo as well. But this time I knew that my best option was to buy the Snoo used. So I found it on Marketplace for $750 and only had to drive about an hour round trip to get it. And when I'm done with it, I'll probably sell it for about the same price. Not too shabby!
  3. "High end" sleep sacks/swaddles: I've tried basically all the sleep sacks over the years. When I started my third daughter (yes, the one who wouldn't sleep--bright side is I learned all my newborn soothing techniques from her!) at a new daycare, they would not swaddle her, as she preferred, for nap time. So I researched an alternative and found the Merlin's Magic sleep suit. However, I wasn't keen to drop $40 on an untried option. But here again Marketplace came in handy and I found two gently used Merlin's Magic Suits in different sizes for $20 altogether. Big savings!
  4. Strollers: Okay, I LOVE baby gear. I don't buy expensive cars, so strollers are sort of like my Rolls Royces. I've loved a good luxury stroller ever since somebody gifted me their used Bugaboo for my first baby. I've bought several strollers new over the years, but ultimately, I've decided that it's usually a much better deal to buy used. And I'm honestly kind of a wheeler and dealer when it comes to strollers anyway. I acquire the Uppababy, I enjoy it for a couple years, I sell it and trade up to the newer model Nuna. I want to try them all! The Nuna Mixx Next I'm using right now came preloved, gently used, and I saved $300! I also found it off Marketplace, although goodbuygear.com, rebelstork.com, eBay.com, mercari.com and other similar sites are good options too. Oh, and if you want a basically new stroller but with a few dollars knocked off, don't forget to check the "used" options on Amazon for those that have been returned but are in perfect or near-perfect condition.
  5. Baby carriers: The internet is full of gently used baby carriers. Being baby-gear obsessed, I've also owned quite a few carriers over the years. I've bought both a Nuna carrier and a Lillebaby carrier used through Marketplace (shipped) and eBay. And since baby carriers are light and foldable, they are easily shipped, making them so, so easy to find preloved. Besides eBay and Marketplace, Mercari and Poshmark are great places to find used baby carriers.

Alright, that's the list. What do you think? Have you purchased preloved baby/kid items before? What were your experiences? Any additional recommendations for this list? Comment on my Facebook page to share your thoughts. In the meantime, happy shopping and happy saving!