New mom's second-hand baby shower is praised as a brilliant economical celebration
"I hope we could normalize gifting pre-owned stuff!"
Mom throws a second-hand baby shower that is celebrated for its frugality in uncertain economic times.
Welcoming a new baby into the world is always commemorated with a thoughtful baby shower to help new parents prepare. Family and friends not only invest time to attend the shower, but also money to grab the perfect (and often specifically asked for) gifts. On average, people spend between $30-$100 on baby shower gifts, according to U.S. News & World Report.
To encourage her baby shower guests to spend less and have sustainability in mind, one new mom had a second-hand baby shower where everyone gifted her lightly used items. She shared her experience online with other moms who enthusiastically supported the idea.
"Just wanted to share a second hand baby shower success! I can’t stand all the consumerism around having a new baby and the fact that it seems like every person gets every single item brand new at their baby shower that they’re going to only use for a few months," she wrote. "I have been to so many baby showers the last few years and seeing friend after friend all open the exact same things, brand new, that they will each only use for a few months gives me so much anxiety."
She also offered details on how she made it happen, including how she created a registry. "What we ended up doing is creating a Google doc with everything that I needed/wanted for the baby. We shared it to all the guests as the 'registry' and gave them editing access so they could mark things off as they found them," she explained. "People brought me things from my list from their own babies, Facebook marketplace, garage sales, Secondhand stores, etc. Everything is in beautiful condition and honestly way nicer brands than we would’ve gotten if we were buying new!"
The second-hand baby shower was a success, and she received everything they needed--leaving her and her partner ready to welcome their new baby without the need to buy anything new. "It was especially fun to hear about how many people had used certain items. We got a stroller that has now been used by at least eight children! And it’s still in great shape. Just wanted to share in case anyone is interested in something similar!" she added.
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Plus, she was able to pay it forward. "I also ended up getting WAY too much stuff. I sorted out the extra things and donated to a new mom that was in need on our Buy Nothing fb page," she also shared.
Another woman shared her interest in hosting a second-hand baby shower and how she was rejected. "I asked my family about this and got immediately shut down 😭. I'm happy it worked out for you. Maybe I can just refuse to make a registry, lol," she wrote, and was met with understanding from mom who threw a successful second-hand shower. "Okay mine weren’t on board at first but they got there!! Except my grandma but that’s okay haha."
@newlifestyleabb Everything I thrifted for my best friend’s baby shower. 🍼☔️ When it comes to thrifting gifts, the things I lean toward getting are: - Clothes - Unique Toys - Nursery Decor - Books - Baskets and Organizers Sometimes new moms will use platforms like @Babylist which allow them to mark if they would except an item secondhand or not. Features like that are incredibly helpful! I hope this video inspires you to try thrifting a gift in the future. ♻️ #sustainability #thrifting #babyshowergifts #babyshower #ecofriendly #secondhand #thriftstorefinds
In another exchange, a mom expressed safety concerns about having a second-hand baby shower, specifically about using second-hand car seats. "That sounds amazing! However I do want to say for safety reasons, you do need to buy a new car seat. Regular wear and tear render them unsafe after so long," she wrote. "Even a minor fender bender requires you to purchase a new one, and someone gifting you a used one means you don't know if it was in an accident, and you want your baby to be safe in case you were ever in one yourself." [The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration sets regulations for car seats in the United States, and how to properly install them.]
Other moms also expressed that they loved having a second-hand baby shower and gifting second-hand items.
"This is such a fun idea! I’m glad it worked out. I definitely got A LOT more second-hand items when I had my second baby, and I was delighted to pass them all on to other families when we were done with them," one mom shared. Another commented, "This is wonderful! We made a registry and encouraged friends and family to find items secondhand or regift us things they no longer needed. Everyone was so generous, and we received multiple comments about how relieved they were to be getting old items out of their house 😅."