The excitement that an impending new addition to the family can bring is hard to overshadow, but tight finances can have that effect, particularly if this is your first child and you're worried about affording everything he'll need. Two cardinal rules of saving on gear apply, here: First, there's lots of stuff you don't really need (wipes warmer? fancy diaper pail?), and second, plenty of the stuff you do need can be purchased secondhand at a huge savings.

Here are the things to consider when embarking upon the business of acquiring previously-owned baby gear:

Safety. Your number one concern with any purchase for your child is always going to be safety. I am the queen of thrifting and yard-sale-ing and otherwise buying used, and I am here to tell you that you should never buy a used car seat for your child, ever. It is simply not worth the safety risk. The rule of thumb for car seats is that they "expire" after six years; beyond that time, the structural integrity may be compromised in a way that is not visible to the naked eye. Similarly, a less-than-six-year-old seat that you find at Goodwill may have been in a car accident---and be compromised--and you would never know. (The exception to the car seat rule: It's okay to take a seat from someone you know and trust, if it's never been in an accident and is less than six years old.) This rule holds true for other safety items like bike helmets, too. Other baby gear is fine to buy secondhand, but look up older items to make sure there are no safety concerns on record.

Form vs. function. There are baby items which are expensive due to function (fancy swings with five different modes) and there are items which are expensive because they're pretty (think imported Italian cribs). While buying used can potentially save you a bundle, keep in mind that if it's function you're after, more functions = more things that may break, and you'll be without a warranty. Everyone has their own cost/benefit analysis, of course, but mine is generally that I'm willing to take that warranty-less risk on something I really want once the item in question is 50% or more off what I'd have to pay to get it new.

Sanitization. I'm no germaphobe, but babies put their hands and mouths on everything. Used sling? No problem, it goes in the laundry. Used cups? Into the dishwasher. Used tot-sized easy chair, so adorable and so cheap? Well... can the cover be removed and washed? If the answer is no, you might want to pass. What about a used crib mattress? Even if it looks clean (maybe it is), you just really don't know. One of the things I always bought used was outdoor toys like plastic ride-on cars and such (you can hose them off); something my baby would be spending a lot of time on but couldn't be easily cleaned was something I would buy new.

Is it really a bargain? Don't forget the age-old rule of Buyer Beware. Used is not necessarily synonymous with bargain. Whether the buyer is pricing high (thinking, perhaps, you don't know you can grab that high chair brand new with a coupon at Target for what she's asking) or that bouncy seat really is 50% off retail, but you'd be perfectly happy with the lesser model that retails for half that price, anyway, you still need to shop critically. Your best approach is to know what you want and what it normally costs before you shop. And then... don't be afraid to haggle if necessary!

Image courtesy of stock.xchng