Almost everyone buys or receives everything for their first child brand new at high retail prices. With the second child most people learn to appreciate hand me downs, consignment goods, and used items (unless baby #2 is of the opposite sex as baby #1!) My first was a boy, and we had the $80 designer nursery lamp that I used less than a dozen times, the ceramic nursery decor that either ended up broken or collected dust. My second was a girl, so we bought all new Nursery decor to suit my little princess. With Baby #3 & #4 I found eBay to be a blessing! Due to a large gap in ages we had only saved the major baby items (swing, pack & Play, crib, etc...)

On eBay I was able to fill my nursery complete with crib linens, a basinett, lamp, wall art, quilt hangers, diaper stacker, and lots of changing pads for less than I paid for just the crib linens in previous years. The secret is to search for lots. When a seller sells all the coordinating items in a lot you will save a ton on shipping, and ensure that the items are all going to arrive together. I won the crib linens, lamp, and diaper stacker for $10 more than another seller sold the same comforter for! For the extra $10 I was able to get wall art, a lamp, extra sheets, and a diaper stacker...saving me tons. Another key is to search for the item in the description as well as the title. Some sellers pick a poor title for their auction which causes them to miss out on bids, but makes your chances of buying cheaper a-lot better. In example, I may be looking for "John Lennon's Real Love Nursery items", but the seller may not know these are "john Lennon" or "Real Love". try searching multiple times to broaden your results. I also found some sellers advertising Real Love items as Musical Parade, which meant when I searched real Love the item did not show up on my search, but when I searched John Lennon under baby the item showed up in my results.

As a mother of four my advise for all parents that may be considering purchasing used goods is...once they spit up on it 5 times in one day it looses it's attractive newness anyway, so buy it used and spend your hard earned dollars on more! Yes, they are only newborns once, but they will never remember that nursery and once you wash your brand new items a few times they look used anyway!

Of course with all used goods you want to inspect things more for flaws and damage than we do with our new purchases-and search the internet for recall info, and give them a good wash too! Be sure to ask sellers questions to ensure you will be satisfied with your purchase as well. Don't blame a seller if you didn't ask! If they do not state "no stains, holes, tears, flaws" you should assume there may be some and inquire BEFORE you bid.

Much love to you and yours, and I hope my guide will help you save some money for more important things, like batteries for the plethora of toys that need them these days, LOL!