Worry-free tips for reusing baby items

When I was first faced with registering for my baby, I was blown away with the amount of stuff needed for such a little person. Besides the impact of buying new stuff, the costs were mounting. So I emailed my friends who were ahead of me in the baby-making business and asked for hand-me-downs. I lucked out with two cribs, a changing table, two pack-n-plays, an infant car seat, toys and books. Did I worry about the safety of these items? Yes and no. The people who donated them to me had not had them too long and had kept manuals for them. They were in good working order and had no recalls. Today, I came across a great article in Healthy Child Healthy World's newsletter called Secondhand Safety, which takes to task several categories of hand-me-downs, exposing the concerns to consider when reusing baby items.And, for navigating your registry, I strongly recommend buying a copy of Baby Bargains (pre-order the new edition, due in April 2009). This handbook gives you a rundown of what you'll want to get, how many you'll need, what not to waste your (or anyone else's) money on and more, plus it provides consumer reviews of most brands out there from actual parents.