[Submitted Question]

My cousin has offered to give me the crib that her own children have outgrown. It would be great to save the money but I am not sure whether it is a good idea to use a second-hand crib.

[WombToBloom]

It depends on several things. How old is it? Has it been painted? Has it been broken or damaged in any way? Has it been the subject of a product safety recall? Your cousin will know the answers to the first three questions. (If it’s really old, you want to make sure that there has been no lead paint used – but it would probably have to be at least 30 years old to have this issue.) You can check the internet for any product recalls due to safety issues.

Additionally, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued guidelines to determine whether an old crib is safe to use.

• The mattress should be firm and tight-fitting.
• There should be no missing or broken hardware or slats.
• Slats should be no more than 23/8" apart (about the width of a soda can).
• Corner posts should not be higher than 1/16".
• There should be no design cutouts in the headboard or footboard

[tariq456]

If it is in good condition and suits your baby then you can use it.

[ABSea]

For my first son, born in 2001, I was young and didn't know about all the regulations with cribs. My cousin, who had 4 boys, 3-15, donated her crib to me. I purchased a new mattress. Looking back, I never had any issues with it being used. Both of my boys used it and didn't have problems. Now that we are ttc'ing 10 years later, we are also looking for a crib. If you find a crib used, be sure that it is coming from a known source and someone that you trust.