SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — As rummage sale season is now officially underway, safety professionals have some advice for parents as they search for baby items this spring.
“I’m looking for outdoor toys to keep outside and get dirty, also looking for bigger sizes for both kiddos,” Kingswood Rummage shopper Mollie Huber said.
Moms like Mollie Huber can be found all over Kingswood this week looking to cut down on some of the many expenses that come with kids.
“That’s why we like garage sales, you can get some really nice items, sometimes almost new items for a fraction of the price of new, so it’s really fun to see what kind of treasures you can find,” Huber said.
“They grow out of things so fast so it makes sense to get them used,” Kingswood shopper Andrea Upkeys said.
Upkeys is also in search of baby items for her bundle of joy coming this September.
“We’re having a girl, my other one is a boy, so we have all the boy stuff, now we need girl stuff,” Upkeys said.
While there are plenty of great baby items to find at garage sales, safety experts say there are some items you might want to avoid buying second hand.
“It’s usually best to not buy a car seat from a garage sale. Just because you don’t know the history with that seat,” Nancy Raether, the Community Programs coordinator with Sanford Children’s CHILD services said.
“I know they can go through a car accident or they can be expired, so I prefer not to get those things used,” Upkeys said.
Cribs are another item Raether says you may want to watch out for when buying second hand. Crib safety standards have changed, banning cribs with drop sides in 2011 along with other safety design changes over the years.
“The spacing of the crib slats has been required to be closer together. You shouldn’t be able to fit a pop can, a soda can between the crib slots, if you can, then they’re too far apart,” Raether said.
And most importantly, Raether says parents should keep an eye out for any recalled items that may still pop up at garage sales.
“Some of these children’s products that have recalls on them, the reason that they’ve been recalled, in particular, the Rock n Play, is because there were actual deaths that occurred using that product,” Raether said.
If you are looking to buy a car seat or booster from a garage sale, Raether says its important to check the manufacturers date on the bottom or side of the seat. Seh says most car seats expire after 6 to 10 years, depending
If you are looking to buy a car seat or booster from a garage sale, its important to check the manufacturers date on the bottom or side of the seat. Most car seats expire after six to ten years.
