Giving it all Away
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I finally found someone to take my son’s crib. It’s been sitting in our garage since last summer, collecting dust and waiting for a new owner. Most of our hand-me-downs go to our church because they have a babysitting service offered throughout the week, so they were delighted to get all our baby toys and furniture. They didn’t need a crib though, so I put out the word that we had a free crib and waited.
The other day I was at a playgroup and a friend of mine mentioned that her brother-in-law was looking for a crib for an upcoming baby. I told her that he could come and take ours and she said she would let him know. The other day I got an e-mail from her saying he’s interested, so they’re going to come by and pick it up.
It was then that I started to worry: would the crib be nice enough for them? I’m notoriously frugal, so the crib - although new when we bought it (on sale, of course) - is just a basic crib. There’s no attached drawers, no fancy woodwork, and there are marks from where my son gnawed on the side when he was teething. In other words, if they’re looking for Pottery Barn Kids, it ain’t happening here.
I’ve decided to not concern myself with this because, after all, it’s a free crib. A new coat of paint will make it look as good as new, and it’s probably durable enough to last through a few more babies. When I was pregnant I eagerly accepted all the hand-me-downs I could get my hands on. The question now is this: Why am I so concerned about what these people will think of the crib I’m giving them for free? I guess I just know that not everyone looks for bargains and freebies like I do, and I know there are people in this world who might actually turn their noses up to a free crib if it isn’t to their liking. I’m assuming this won’t be the case because I don’t think my friend would send her brother-in-law over if he was a snob, but I guess I’ll just have to wait and see.
Science-mom says...
When we had our twins, we had to make do with freebies and loans, from bassinets to cribs to high chairs. The only thing we bought new were the pram and the car seats. We could have afforded to buy 2 of everything but we thought it was simply too impractical especially with things that kids outgrow quite fast. We either sold or gave away things as soon as they weren`t needed anymore. I`m sure the guy will be truly grateful for the crib. I’d be.
Dawn says...
I’m glad to hear of someone using a second-hand crib. All the news reports, etc. had me scared out of my mind to take a second-hand crib, even if it is a Jenny Lind, in good shape, that meets all the current safety standards by visual inspection. (And hubby is going to reinforce the hardware, just to make sure it’s even stronger than it was brand-new!) I did extensive searches for recalls and found none. Still.. I had this nagging in the back of my mind. Were we doing the right thing for our baby? After all, a crib is “only” $200 or so… we used to spend that during a weekend of paintball. And my baby is more important than a hobby.
But I’m hearing more and more of people using secondhand cribs with no bad consequences. Thank you for one more post that puts my mind at ease!!
I am learning so much from BOL!
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