I'm guessing if a child is still attached/trapped by the product, it's not a good idea to buy it.

On a weird side note, is there ANY product that is OK to buy if a death was involved in it, or do you handle that on a case by case basis?

@GitEmSteveDave_HasAList: I was about to say "gas chambers" but then I thought of something substantial.

What about houses/buildings? I would suppose a lot of houses would have experienced deaths - some tragic, some long due.

Do people ask questions like "did anyone die in here?" before buying a house?

Wow... there is a LOT of cribs on that list.

I guess, using your best judgement is key to buying second hand children's items. I've been doing it for years with no issues. If you want to know about recalls, either search them up before the used purchase or buy a product brand new and register it with the company, ESPECIALLY baby items.

And never buy used car seats at garage sales unless you know the person! (car seats are useless after they've been in a car accident and some people actually try to RESELL them)

@GitEmSteveDave_HasAList:

A house is always fine to buy, unless you believe in ghosts (and are afraid of them). Or the corpse is still in it.

@MostlyHarmless: I won't live in a death house (unless I am related to them and know that any hauntings would not be scary hauntings). Scares the crap out of me.

@GitEmSteveDave_HasAList: It depends on how the death was caused. For example, if I am climbing a ladder, and I am using the ladder improperly

@GitEmSteveDave_HasAList: Probably depends on how the death occured. I mean, people think it's ok to keep buying cars even though many deaths are associated with all brands and models. Though I will admit it's sort of different there compared to buying stuff for your kids.

@Smashville: The hospice movement is leading to a lot more deaths at home. Which is a good thing, in my opinion.

@Smashville: My great aunt died in our house and my parents unknowingly tortured me with it all of my childhood. Weird, creeky noises? "Oh, I bet Amanda is walking around". I couldn't shower alone for a month after they told me the story about how she fell down the stairs and died (My mom would wait outside the bathroom door: don't ask, I was 8), but even to this day if I am visiting and in the basement alone, I will sprint as fast as I can until I am up all the stairs and the door is closed. I've never experienced any ghostly behavior, I am just overly spooked by the supernatural. Other kinds of scary movies like snakes and bugs and serial killers don't bother me though.

@MostlyHarmless: Well, there was a murder in a town near me, and it made news as the first murder in 50 years. So I wondered if that dings the value of the house, as I personally wouldn't mind that fact. I would change the locks though....

@Kogenta: I mean, if the car rolled over it's driver b/c they forgot to put on the brake, I'm sure the family isn't going to want it, which would make them a motivated seller, right?

@Verucalise-WelcomeBethany: Do they have warning stickers/indicators, like some harnesses do when they have been in an incident?

@GitEmSteveDave_HasAList: Well I was talking more about natural deaths. Like when the gramps goes to sleep but does not wake up kinds. All my grandparents died in their homes, but people still continue living there.

@GitEmSteveDave_HasAList: There was a murder on a street in my little town a couple years ago and a real estate agent I know says the whole street dropped in value because of it.

@Verucalise-WelcomeBethany: Never buy used car seats, period.

While a lot of the things on the list make sense, especially since they're meant for infants, I think some of them are just cases of the child being too young for the item. If you child doesn't understand that they shouldn't shove their hand in something called an oven, they shouldn't be playing with an Easy Bake Oven.

I'm especially concerned about the play yards. We used these with both our children, but thankfully never unsupervised. Many hotel chains use these though as portable cribs for their guests. Is there any efficient way to confirm that hotel chains have pulled these from service?

@eelmonger: The Easy Bake oven thing was just bad all around. They had a new design, and the child would try to stick their hand in the oven to pull it out (just like mom and dad do with the real oven). The hand got stuck in the trap door, so they recalled the product and issued a "fix". They had a plastic spring loaded piece slide over the entrance to the oven with a heavy duty spring. As soon as I got the retrofit kit, I told myself that they would recall the product again as the child would immediatly try to open the exterior door and shove their hand inside (more sho than if the exterior door was not there). 3 weeks later they recalled the oven and pulled it from the market.

@yagisencho: The easiest way is to search the CPSC website [www.cpsc.gov] and search by company name or product type. I saw a news story a couple of years ago that looked at this issue in an "undercover" news story. Most of the hotels were not aware of the recalls, but thankfully replaced the products as soon as they were told of them.

@MostlyHarmless: Actually, some states have both la and caselaw on the books that states the current owners/bank/whoever is supposed to disclose whether or not anyone has died in the house. However, that is sometimes limited. For example, in California, Civil Code §1710.2 states that death on a property need not be disclosed if it occurred more than 3 years prior to a sale.

The statute does NOT say that any death within 3 years must be disclosed, but it does state that if a death occurs on a property within 3 years, and the circumstances of that death are material (it was a gruesome or offensive death, or affected the reputation of the property), it must be disclosed. If a Buyer subsequently discovers a death occurred within 3 years of the purchase, the Buyer may sue the Seller for rescission or damages.

However, §1710.2 also absolves anyone from liability for nondisclosure of AIDS related deaths, regardless of how recently the death may have occurred, as it isn't considered "material". Civil Code §1710.2 requires disclosure of a death MORE than 3 years old, *IF* the Buyer asks.

So, yeah: if you're concerned about it, ask. If you do and they lie, they're liable. If you don't and they fail to mention it, you're out of luck.

Disclaimer: I'm not a lawyer, so go ask one if my understanding of this is accurate before you depend on it.

@Verucalise-WelcomeBethany: Its generally not a good idea to buy certain products like car seats or bike helmets used. If they have been in an incident they become affected and essentially useless. You don't want to take that kind of risk with your infant or child if your buying the safety equipment to protect them in the first place.

Do buy the clothes and toys used, but check them carefully for broken parts or hazards, that should be easily identifiable to parents (buttons falling off on clothes, long drawstrings in hoods or broken and sharp parts on toys). If you check your stuff there should be no problem with used items. If you buy other things used you will have enough money to buy the things that really matter new like the car seat.

Drawstrings on clothes were a big concern for even my parents in the 80's, especially when they were in the hoods of most sweatshirts and jackets. Its pretty well known that they can get caught on things when you least expect it. Children don't know how to keep an eye on these things. This isn't being paranoid or anything but this can really happen. Its just safer to remove the drawstrings overall if your kids clothes have them, and your kid probably isn't using them anyways.

@MostlyHarmless: We didn't ask, but they did tell. Seller's wife had committed suicide in the garage which didn't bother us. I think it got us a discount on the overall price.

The CPSC has an email list that announces recalls, and I swear to God there is a recall of drawstring clothing every other damn day. I do not know why in the world they are still making kids' clothes with drawstrings!

Some daycares also use the play yards as cribs (if they're allowed to do this or not depends on state laws where you live) so it's worth checking the brands there, too.

Parents should be suspicious of all drop-side cribs whether or not they have been recalled. Unless you have a physical handicap of some sort it's best to go with a standard crib.

It seems to me like it might be a great idea to buy recalled things secondhand. You can return them to the store for full credit and get much more than you paid.

am I the only one blaming the parents with the Easy Bake? Why would you let your child use one and not supervise them while doing so?

obviously, if there isn't a hole for you to put your brownie mix in, you can't cook it with that 100w lightbulb.

@GitEmSteveDave_HasAList: How about a gun? The death is actual proof of effectiveness.

Important safety tip. Thanks, Egon.

When it was time to yard-sale our son's outgrown baby gear, I went to our files, pulled out all the paperwork that came with each product, and stuffed it into a baggie, then taped or tied it to the item. I also found the 1800 numbers that each manufacturer includes in the papers and usually somewhere on their product and verified nothing headed for the yard was recalled as hazardous. Nothing had. I urged the buyers to double-check, just in case. Folks using a crib or porta-whatever from a hotel or day care may wish to do the same.

Amazingly, everything sold within minutes. I'd wanted to donate the stuff to a women's shelter, but they weren't interested unless it was new. (sigh)

I've heard of folks buying up recalled stuff like this and destroying it so it can't be used. Very nice of them - wish I had the cash to do the same.

@MauriceCallidice: Oh my gosh. That's terrible.

"Young children can insert their hands into the oven's front opening, and get their hands or fingers caught, posing entrapment and burn hazards."

Well I know when I was a kid, if I stuck my hand into the oven while it was on, I got burned. Lesson learned was never to do it again. Even an animal knows better so maybe this toy isn't all that bad? Suffering is good for the soul, right?

@AllFriedBreakfast: LOL,,,"I've heard of folks buying up recalled stuff like this and destroying it so it can't be used." Buying up stuff so it can't be used? What kind of freak does this? Some people need a career, not a job. I wish I had the time in my life to do NOTHING but walk around and buy stuff, with my money, just to destroy it. I think some folks believe in themselves waaaaay too much.