Buying baby and kids' gear secondhand: what's safe and what isn't

Babies outgrow things at an alarming rate. Clothes last weeks rather than seasons, and the pram, the bouncer and the high chair are all left behind within a year or two. Buying secondhand is one of the easiest ways to keep the cost of a small child under control.

Most of it is perfectly safe. A few items are not, and they are usually the ones that look fine from the outside. Here is how to tell the difference.

The quick answer

Item	Verdict	Why
Clothes and shoes for older kids	Buy used	Outgrown long before worn out
Books	Buy used	Nothing to go wrong
Bikes and scooters	Buy used, with checks	Test brakes, tyres and steering
Prams and strollers	Check carefully	Brakes, folding locks and harness wear
High chairs	Check carefully	Harness, stability, recalls
Baby carriers and slings	Check carefully	Fabric, buckles, stitching, recalls
Toys	Check carefully	Small parts, button batteries, magnets
Cots	Check carefully	Slat gaps, drop sides, age
Car seats	Buy new, unless you know its history	Crash damage is often invisible
Cot mattresses	Buy new if you can	Hygiene and fit
Single-user breast pumps	Buy new	Cannot be safely shared
Bottle teats	Buy new	Cheap, and they wear out
Helmets	Buy new	Built to absorb one impact

Car seats: the one to get right

What UAE law says

Children under the age of four must travel in a child safety seat, and children aged 10 or younger, or shorter than 145cm, are not allowed in the front seat, according to Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority. Each of those carries a Dh400 fine under Ministerial Resolution No. 178 of 2017, as Emirates 24|7 set out in August 2026.

Seats sold by shops are regulated too. Since March 2018, child seats have needed a certificate showing they meet UAE standards before they can be sold in the country, Khaleej Times reported when the rule took effect. A private sale skips that check, so the checking falls to you.

Why used seats are different

A car seat that has been in a crash can look perfect and still be weakened. The American Academy of Pediatrics' advice for families is to never use a car seat that:

If you do not know the seat's history, do not use it. In practice, that means a used seat is a reasonable choice from a sibling or close friend who can tell you exactly where it has been, and a risky one from a stranger.

Check the standard

Look for the approval label. Older European seats are approved to R44, which groups seats by a child's weight. The newer R129, or i-Size, uses height instead and includes side-impact testing, Maxi-Cosi explains. New R44 seats can no longer be sold in the EU since September 2024, though existing ones can still be used. For a used seat, R129 is the better bet.

Sleep: cots and mattresses

Cots

A used cot is usually fine if it passes a few checks from KidsHealth:

• Slats no more than 6cm apart, so a baby's head cannot get trapped.
• No drop-side rail. The US banned their sale for safety reasons. Do not buy one.
• All the hardware is there, and nothing is cracked, loose or wobbly.
• No decorative cut-outs in the headboard or footboard that could trap a head.
• Ideally, less than 10 years old, as older cots may not meet current standards.

Mattresses

The Lullaby Trust, the UK's safer sleep charity, says it is best to buy a new mattress for each baby. Some research has found a higher risk of sudden infant death with a secondhand mattress from outside the family home, although the link has not been proven.

If you do use one, it should have a well-fitting, fully waterproof cover, no rips, tears or water damage, be firm and flat with no sagging, and fit the cot with no gaps. Given that, a new mattress is often the one thing worth buying new even when the cot is secondhand.

Feeding: pumps, bottles and teats

The US Food and Drug Administration is direct on breast pumps: you should never buy a previously used pump designed for a single user, because they can expose mother and baby to contamination. Multiple-user pumps are different, as breast milk never touches their shared parts, but even then you need your own accessories kit: the milk container, breast shield and tubing.

Bottles are cheap new, and NCT advises replacing any bottle that is scratched, cracked or damaged, and changing teats regularly. Buy teats new, every time.

Prams, high chairs and carriers

These are the big savings, and with a careful look they are generally good used buys.

Prams and strollers. Which? suggests checking that the brake holds, especially on a slope, trying the fold several times, looking for hairline cracks at the frame joints, checking the wheels are not loose, and inspecting the harness stitching. Ask for the manual, and check the model for recalls.

High chairs. Australia's consumer regulator, the ACCC, says to make sure a used chair has a proper harness, has not been recalled, has all its parts in good working order, and comes with its instructions.

Baby carriers and slings. Ireland's health service, the HSE, says not to use one with any damage, rips or tears. Check buckles, straps and seams closely.

Toys, bikes and helmets

Toys are usually a great secondhand buy. First Aid for Life suggests a few checks first:

• Pull at small parts, especially the eyes on soft toys, to make sure nothing is coming loose.
• Check battery compartments are secure and the screw still turns. Swallowed button batteries can be extremely dangerous.
• Watch for strong magnets that could come off.
• Skip old painted toys, especially if the paint is flaking.

Bikes and scooters are fine used if the brakes, tyres and steering all work. Helmets are not. Consumer Reports says to replace any helmet that has been in a crash, even if it looks undamaged, because the foam inside can be compressed without showing it. You cannot know that about a stranger's helmet, so buy it new.

Checking for recalls

Before you hand over money, search the brand and model number for recalls. In the UAE, the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology runs Manaa, a recall system where anyone can view recalled products and report unsafe ones, and the Ministry of Economy and Tourism has a product recall page. Many items here were bought abroad, so also check the manufacturer's own website and, for US models, NHTSA's recall search, which covers car seats.

Where to buy

Parent groups on Facebook are full of good kit passed on by families in the same area, and Dubizzle is useful for big items like cots and prams that you would rather collect and inspect in person. If you would rather have it delivered, Khaznati, a UAE preloved marketplace app, has a kids department covering prams, car seats and baby clothes. Your payment is held until the courier has delivered and you have had 48 hours to raise a problem. The car seat rules above still apply wherever you buy.

A short version to screenshot

1. Clothes, books and most toys: buy used freely.
2. Prams, high chairs, cots and carriers: buy used, but inspect and check recalls.
3. Car seats: only with a known history, a label and a manual.
4. Mattresses: new if you can.
5. Breast pumps, teats and helmets: always new.

Spend the money you save on the things that should be new. That is the whole trick. And when it is all outgrown, here is where to pass it on.