Secondhand Highchair?

Question

There's a highchair at the very swanky children's resale shop near my home that I really like. Are highchairs one of the items that can safely be used secondhand?

Answer 1

The first thing you should do is check this site for recalls and safety news on the product your are thinking of purchasing.

http://babyproducts.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=babyproducts&zu=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cpsc.gov%2Findex.html

Otherwise, check the legs make sure they are still sturdy. When we bought our secondhand highchair hubby roughed it up a bit. We saw that we needed to tighten some of the nuts and bolts. And, the wheels needed some work.

Also, check the lap belt. I think those go rather quickly. I just replaced ours. I just went to JoAnns and got the parts there. (Ours was slashed!).

Otherwise, you should be in good shape.

Answer 2

It's perfectly fine to use a secondhand high chair as long as all the pieces are there and equipment works properly. But if your still feeling apprehensive (nervous) about using a secondhand chair then feel free to purchase a new. But why waste $50-60 when you can find the same one used for $20?

Answer 3

I would use a secondhand highchair as long as all the straps were attached. Make sure it is sturdy but a good looking over before you buy should suffice.

Answer 4

If the highchair has:

A lap belt
A bar or strap that goes between the legs to prevent slipping under the tray
The tray is securely attached (ie the hardware still works) and can't pinch any fingers.
It is hard to fold up (if it does)

However, you can generally trust things at children's second hand shops, they know more about safetly laws than your or I. They don't want to get sued, and it is illegal for them to sell things that aren't safe.

Answer 5

Absolutely. Just check it out and make sure it is sturdy and stable and can be easily cleaned. You might even google it to see if you can find any manufacturers info on disassembly or cleaning, but really, think about the highchairs from OUR era as babies... whoa, it's a wonder any of us made it! :) Just supervise, of course. Get the cool chair!

Answer 6

Yes, a second hand high chair is fine. But you will want to clean it really well yourself. Car seats are the things that you want to get new. You can always check for recalls on any product on the Internet if your worried about anything. I have used second hand stuff for almost everything my babies have had. New stuff is to expensive. My playpen/bassinet is going on the 4th child and is still in excellent condition and has had no recalls. So why would I buy a new one.

Answer 7

I don't think I would buy a 2nd hand highchair but if it looks like it's in good condition then buy it, just give it a thorough cleaning when you get it home

Answer 8

Be VERY careful about using ANY baby items second hand. Try researching the brand and model on line for recalls. We had a second hand high chair and my baby's arm kept getting stuck in the sides. I looked up the model and brand online and it turns out there was a recall because babies heads' were getting stuck.

Answer 9

One thing that you should do before you purchase it, if you have time... contact the company that made it with the model or serial number (if you can find it!) and see if the high chair has had any notices attatched to it. If it's a straight out recall, you can avoid any problems ahead of time. If it's a "needs to be repaired" notice, you will probably be able to contact the company and have the part necessary for the repair sent out to you. We've had this issue (repairs necessary) and the company sent out the parts we needed for free.

Good luck.

Answer 10

I'm not particularly fond of the idea. However, if you like it and would like to purchase it at least take some precautions: check out the safety and it's on the recall list. If everything checks out I guess it would be ok to buy it. You can read the article of below:

http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/baby/babygear/1460.html