With so many people looking for ways to cut corners, we are concerned that some parents who are trying to save money might be buying cheaper, second-hand items that can actually be dangerous to their children. 

We know times are really tough, and clearly people need to find buy things for their children, but in some instances, those used items might not be safe for children, including:

 Car seats

The last thing a parent wants to do is buy a car seat to keep a child safe in a car only to find out that the car seat itself wouldn't protect the child properly.  Car seats should not be used if they have been involved in an accident and also are only good for a certain number of years, so a second-hand car seat with no known history should be avoided at all cost.  

Play yards and cribs

Children spend many unsupervised hours sleeping, which makes it critical that their beds be the safest place in the house.  Unfortunately, millions of cribs and portable child beds have been recalled in recent years for having faulty parts that can cause children to strangle and die.  If a parent is going to put a child in a second-hand bed of any sort, they first need to check and see it if has been recalled for safety reasons.  Also, parents need to know what to look for when buying a bed - even if it hasn't been recalled it could be too old so that it doesn't meet current safety standards (slats are too far apart and child can strangle/pieces on the bed where a child's clothing can get caught and strangle them) or in disrepair.  Check the Consumer Product Safety Commission's Web site - http://www.cpsc.gov/ to see if a crib has been recalled and check the Safe Kids Crib Safety Checklist for crib guidelines.  Never buy a bed with loose or broken pieces.  

Toys

We know from the millions of units recalled in the last few years that there are still many, many toys in circulation that have high and dangerous levels of lead, not to mention magnet danger issues.  There are some guidelines parents can use to stay away from unsafe used toys and some choices to make that are safer for children.  Check again with http://www.cpsc.gov/ to see if a toy has been recalled and shop for more traditional toys such as art supplies, and wooden toys that are from manufacturers known not to use lead paint.  When in doubt, don't buy the toy. 

What can parents do?  Parents can sign up to receive immediate e-mails when dangerous products are recalled via www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.aspx and can check on previous recalls at www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prerel.html.  The notices have photos and/or descriptions of the products to help parents determine if they own the product.