This post may contain affiliate links. Use of these links doesn’t cost you anything, but they compensate me for the time it takes to create this post. Thank you for clicking them!

For safety’s sake, there are 20+ baby items you should never buy used. These items can harbor fungus, bacteria, bugs, or just create an unsafe environment for your baby. 

Baby Gear

There are plenty of baby gear items that you can buy used, and some that you should buy used with caution. 

Car Seats

Usually, car seats won’t appear damaged unless they have been in a car accident that visually damaged the car seat in the process. 

Even a minor car accident can damage the car seat and make it unsafe, but you would never know just by looking at it. You should never buy a car seat unless you know for a fact that it is brand new. 

If you are buying the car seat brand new, you should make a note of the expiration date so you can be sure to replace it before it is no longer safe to use. 

Each car seat should have the expiration date in at least one spot on the body of the car seat. This will help you know when you should replace the car seat. 

It is a good idea to make a Google Calendar event for when you should replace the car seat, it is also a good idea to make an event for 6 months before the car seat expires, so you will have plenty of time to replace the car seat before it is no longer effective. 

This will also give you some time to research any new brands or models of car seats, as well as find the best deals.

This is the car seat I chose for my first born and even with all of the new options on the market, I will probably just get a second one for the new baby. 

Feeding Supplies

There are plenty of breastfeeding supplies you can buy used. However, there are also some that you should never buy used because they can make your baby sick. 

Plastic Bottles and Nipples

Plastic degrades over time and you don’t want the toxins from the plastic to leach into the milk. It is better to buy completely new bottles and nipples, even if they were only used by your older child. 

If this is your first child and you are trying to find a baby bottle system that will work well for you and your baby, you should consider silicone bottles like the Boon Nursh system. 

I really love these bottles and I trust reusing the bottles from within my family, just because of the quality of the entire system.

Baby Formula and Baby Food 

They could be expired or tampered with and you wouldn’t want to risk giving anything to your baby that can make them sick. Never use food products that are already opened. 

The risk of a sick child and a massive hospital bill don’t outweigh the benefit of getting these items cheaper or even free. 

Personal Breast Pumps

Personal use breast pumps are one of the most important baby items you should never buy used. The breastmilk or water when you are trying to clean it out, can get trapped in the air pump, tubes, or any other component and cause mold and other issues.

Hospital grade pumps are built differently and are safe to buy used. The milk doesn’t get into the air pump, tubes, or any other component where it can get trapped and cause mold and other issues. 

This is the breast pump that I chose with my first born and I loved it. With my second born, I will get this pump just so I can have some versatility.

Nursing Bras

Nursing bras aren’t very supportive anyway, so a used nursing bra will give you even less support. 

The snaps that open up the bra to allow you to nurse also get worn out over time, so it is better for you to just buy new nursing bras as needed so you can get plenty of comfort and good use out of it. 

This is the nursing bra I used with my first born and it worked just fine for me. I will probably find another bra to use for my second baby, especially because the reviews for this nursing bra have gotten worse over the years. 

Plastic Milk Storage Containers

Plastic degrades over time and can leach toxins into your valuable breast milk. Be very weary of any discolored, warped, or otherwise damaged milk storage containers. Any of these things can be a sign that the milk storage containers weren’t stored well or are very old, if not both.

Also, you never know if it was only breast milk stored in the containers. If they were bleached or something else was stored in the containers, you wouldn’t want that leaching into your baby’s milk and to make them sick. 

I really prefer using these mason jars as my milk storage containers because they are reusable, made of glass so they won’t leach any toxins into the milk or cause any off flavors unlike some steel containers, and I can use them for plenty of things other than breast milk storage. 

With plastic breast milk storage bags, you can really only use it for breast milk and maybe homemade baby food storage. Although there are a few more things you could potentially do with the extra bags, there aren’t as many options as there are with mason jars. 

Teething Toys

Given the abuse that they will endure, teething toys are some baby items you should never buy used. Teething toys are generally very cheap anyway, so it just makes sense to not risk it and just buy them new. 

If you want to look at the used teething toys just to see how well they hold up to the teething stage, and use that information to help you decide what you should buy, that would be a better thing to do. 

Pacifiers

There can be tears in the material and your baby can choke on the damaged material. 

Plastic pacifiers are the worst for this, so I would be weary of using old plastic pacifiers from child to child as well. Especially if there is more than a year’s age difference between them.

Silicone pacifiers can be a bit better, but I wouldn’t buy them used because you don’t know the history behind them. If you feel comfortable reusing the silicone pacifier from your older child, just make sure you thoroughly check it for any damage.

There are even some rubber pacifiers on the market, with this you also need to be sure that your child doesn’t have a latex allergy.

Teethers

Scratches in the material can breed pockets of mold and bacteria. As much abuse that teethers get, I would absolutely recommend you get a brand new teether. 

Silicone teethers from an older sibling might get a pass depending on the style of teether and what condition the teether looks to be in. 

This was the teether that worked best for my son and I’m sure that my next child will love it just as much. It has such a great design and quality that I don’t think anything will ever beat it. 

Nursery Items

For sanitary reasons, there are some baby items you should never buy used. These items are difficult to clean or are able to hold on to bodily fluids easily and just aren’t worth the hassle. 

Mattresses

This is really in reference to traditional mattresses with springs. All sorts of bodily fluids will be trapped in the fibers of the mattress and you don’t want to expose your new baby to any of that. 

I wouldn’t even tell you to cover it with a mattress protector, because no mattress protector is 100% airtight and your baby will still end up breathing in some of whatever is coming out of the mattress. 

Some mattresses aren’t a fabric topped mattress, instead they have a wipeable surface of some sort. These mattresses would be easier to use second hand as long as they don’t have any cracks in the material, but I would put a mattress protector over it to be on the safe side. 

If the mattress is just a metal frame and cover, you can get away with using it second hand because the cover is very easy to take off and wash. You could also just replace the cover entirely if you wanted to.

Even if it is a metal frame and cover style mattress, make sure that there isn’t a recall on it. Overall, especially if this is your first child, it is probably just better to buy a new mattress anyway. 

Baby Monitors

Given that the video and audio monitoring systems can be tampered with, it is best to get these kinds of items brand new. That way you also have the full warranty on the item, should there be a manufacturer’s defect with the item. 

Stuffed Animals

At the top of my personal list of baby items you should never buy used are stuffed animals. They can retain smells, harbor dust mites, bed bugs and plenty of other gross things and depending on the size and material they are made of, you might not be able to wash them.

I’m very weary of stuffed animals anyway because they are a pain to get the child to let go of when they are too old for stuffed animals anymore. (Insert that adult you met that still sleeps with their stuffed animal(s)….yes, they exist.)

Many stuffed animals are made out of polyester and other toxic materials, these materials leach more toxins the older and more used they get. 

So if I try to buy or make stuffed animals that are made only out of natural fibers so that the child won’t have any respiratory issues as a result of the stuffed animal.

Safety Items

Some people will tell you that it is ok to get these items used, but for safety’s sake, don’t risk it. These items are often cheap already, so any extra money you are saving isn’t worth risking your child’s safety. 

Safety Gates

The latches on safety gates can wear out over time, and you don’t want your little one to just be able to lean or run into the gate and it will pop open. 

It is very important to make sure that your baby gate is safe to use. Especially if you plan on it being at the top of a staircase or leading to a dangerous area. 

This is debatably one of the most important baby items you should never buy used, just because of what your baby could get exposed to. 

Outlet Covers

Outlet covers are just one of those baby items you should never buy used because the risk of the child getting hurt is so great compared to the cost of the outlet covers themselves. Especially since the plastic that goes into the socket will wear out over time anyway.

You should also know that the Safety First outlet covers are much harder to pull out than the ones that you will find at Dollar Tree. 

So consider getting the Safety First outlet covers for areas that are in the baby’s reach but aren’t frequently used, but decide on whether or not you are interested in getting the Dollar Tree ones so you don’t have to struggle to get them out of the outlet.

I tend to use the plug of whatever I’m trying to plug in to pry the outlet cover off the outlet. Just make sure your kids don’t see you doing it, or they will start doing it as well. 

Baby Bathing Items

From a health and sanitization perspective, especially considering all the bodily fluids they will encounter and how difficult it is to thoroughly wash these items because of the materials they are made of. I wouldn’t buy any of these things used and I would even be cautious about reusing them within your family, especially if it had been longer than 6 months since it was last used since mold and bacteria could have grown in it. 

Sponges

Bath sponges can get all sorts of things trapped in them. It is much healthier if you just buy this new. I wouldn’t even reuse these from kid to kid, and I would definitely throw them out if I had them any longer than a year for sure. 

Bath Seats

I’m not referring to bath tubs or bath seats, especially those that can be completely dismantled and thoroughly cleaned. What I’m referring to is those foam bath cushions that people either sit in a sink or in a baby bath tub to provide a softer place to lay the baby. 

Just like the bath sponges, there are plenty of things that can get trapped in the fibers of the material. Even within your family, unless it is a machine washable bath seat, I wouldn’t recommend reusing them. 

Personal Care Items

It is cheap and easy to just buy a baby care set for any of these items. Given the risk of fungus, bugs, and disease, here are all the personal care baby items you should never buy used. 

Nail Clippers

There can be a nail fungus in the nail clippers.

Thermometers

Babies use rectal thermometers….need I say more.

Brushes

Lice.

Combs

Lice eggs.

Nasal Aspirators

If it is the style that they get from the hospital….just no. There are plenty of horrifying videos on YouTube that will show you what can come out of those nasal aspirators. They are very difficult to clean thoroughly and people often forget to clean them. 

There is no telling what will be living inside the bulb of this style nasal aspirator, so this is another one of those baby items you should never buy used. 

I recommend this style of nasal aspiratorbecause it is so easy to see when it needs to be cleaned, it is easy to clean, and it is very durable. I would feel comfortable reusing this nasal aspirator from kid to kid

Shampoo, Soap, Lotion, and Diaper Cream

It can be expired and it is more likely to cause an allergic reaction if it is. Even if it doesn’t cause an allergic reaction, it probably won’t perform as well, so you may as well buy new. 

It also might have been a part of a recall and you just don’t know it. 

Posts Related to 20+ Baby Items You Should Never Buy Used

7 Baby Items You Should Buy from Thrift Stores Like Goodwill & Once Upon a Child

How to Save Money on Baby Items: 9+ Methods

How to Pick the Best Baby Bottle for Your Baby: A Complete Guide for New Parents

Moby Classic Wrap Baby Carrier Review