Second-hand baby gear: what to check in strollers, car seats and cribs

核实日期: 2026年10月6日

Buying second-hand clothes, toys, playpens and strollers pays off: children grow fast and the items are often almost new. Be more careful with anything that affects safety: take a car seat only with a known history (no crashes, a standards label, and within the manufacturer's service life), and a crib that is intact with no DIY modifications. In Argentina children under 10 must ride in the back seat in a certified child restraint, and in the City of Buenos Aires, up to age 12 or if shorter than 1.50 m.

Which baby and kids’ items are worth buying second-hand?

• Clothes and shoes (especially up to one year — they are worn for 1–2 months).
• Strollers, carriers, slings, ergonomic backpacks.
• Playpens, high chairs, bouncers, baby baths.
• Toys, building sets, books.
• Breast pumps — only models the manufacturer designed for several users, and with your own new set of attachments and tubing. Regular breast pumps are meant for one person: they cannot be reliably disinfected between different mothers (as the US FDA warns).

Which kids’ items are better bought new or with special checks?

• A car seat — see below.
• A crib mattress — hygiene and shape; a used mattress is often sagging.
• Pacifiers, bottles, teethers — cheap and wear out quickly.
• A bike helmet — after an impact it protects less well, and there may be no visible marks.

A second-hand car seat

what should I check? Under the national traffic law (Ley 24.449, art. 40 g.1 as amended by Decreto 32/2018, as cited by the ANSV), children under 10 ride in the back seat in a child restraint system (SRI) that is certified and suitable for their weight and height. In the City of Buenos Aires the rule is stricter: CABA law 5.294 (2015) prohibits seating children under 12 in the front seat and requires an SRI for children under 12 or shorter than 1.50 m; the law added these rules to the City's Código de Tránsito. The same law lists the standards the seat must be certified to:

• IRAM 3680-1 and 3680-2 (Argentina);
• UN ECE R44/04 (Europe);
• FMVSS 213 (USA);
• AS/NZS 1754 (Australia and New Zealand);
• INMETRO NBR 14.400 (Brazil). The European standard R129 (i-Size) is not named in that list. Before buying:
• Find the standards label on the shell (on European ones it is orange with an "E"). No label — don't take it.
• Ask about crashes. If the seller doesn't know the seat's history, better not to take it; for what the manufacturer advises doing with a seat after a crash, see the model's manual.
• Check the manufacture date — it is moulded into the plastic. The service life, if there is one, is given in the model's manual.
• Straps and buckle: no fraying, the buckle clicks shut and releases easily.
• Kit: manual, newborn inserts, Isofix base (if it had one).
• Trial fit: check that the seat fits your car — in its position, with the belt or Isofix.
• Recalls: check the model on the manufacturer's website and in the "Alertas de Productos" section of Defensa del Consumidor (argentina.gob.ar/produccion/defensadelconsumidor/alertas-de-productos).

A second-hand stroller

what should I check?

• The brake holds on a slope; the wheels don't wobble.
• The folding mechanism locks on both sides — it doesn't fold "by itself".
• The five-point harness is intact and the buckle works.
• The carrycot or seat has no cracks; the fabric comes off for washing.
• Fold and unfold it yourself — will it fit in the boot or in the narrow lift of an old building?
• Wheels: for Buenos Aires' cobblestones and uneven pavements, large air-filled or foam wheels are more comfortable — a practical observation, not a rule.

Second-hand cribs and playpens

• All slats in place and without cracks; screws tight and fittings complete.
• The gap between bars should be such that neither the baby's head nor foot can get stuck; look for a safety-standard marking on the crib and check it against the manual.
• No DIY modifications, flaking paint or protruding bolts.
• The mattress fits snugly, with no gaps at the edges.

Where do I look for second-hand kids’ items in Buenos Aires?

• The ArgHub "Market", the "Kids" category: strollers, car seats, clothes, toys. Listings from Russian-speaking Telegram marketplace groups are gathered in one feed.
• Facebook Marketplace and Mercado Libre — local sellers; search for "cochecito", "silla de auto", "cuna".
• Swaps and "free" giveaways in parents' chats. ArgHub does not check items and is not a party to the deal: inspect your purchase at the meeting and pay on receipt (see the article "How to buy and sell second-hand safely in Buenos Aires").

常见问题

来源

• argentina.gob.ar
• boletinoficial.buenosaires.gob.ar — Ley CABA 5.294/2015
• argentina.gob.ar
• fda.gov
• argentina.gob.ar