A stroller, a cot, a car seat and a high chair will run you well over a thousand euros new, and your child outgrows most of it within a year or two. That’s the whole reason second-hand kids’ gear is such a normal thing here. Dutch parents don’t think twice about buying a used kinderwagen or selling on a cot the week after the youngest moves into a bed, and once you’re plugged into the right channels, you’ll do the same.
This one is about the bigger stuff, strollers, car seats, cots, high chairs, bikes, the things that cost real money new and hold their value well used. If you’re after where to send outgrown clothes, we’ve already covered that in our guide to rehoming kids’ clothes, this one picks up where that leaves off.
A few things matter more with gear than with clothes: safety standards, how old the item actually is, and whether all the parts are still there. We’ll flag what to check for each category, because a bargain buggy with a cracked frame isn’t a bargain.
Where to Buy and Sell Second-Hand Kids’ Gear
Marktplaats is still where most of this trade happens nationwide. Search “kinderwagen”, “autostoeltje” or “kinderbedje” and you’ll get hundreds of listings from sellers across the country, with prices you can haggle on. It’s the biggest pool, which means the best selection, but also the most scrolling before you find something close by.
FamFam works differently and, for gear specifically, it’s worth knowing about. It’s a local marketplace built just for kids’ items, with fixed prices instead of negotiating, and it’s currently active in Amsterdam, Amstelveen and the Gooi & Vechtstreek area. You arrange pickup through chat, often as simple as a handover at the school gate, so there’s no shipping to sort out for something as bulky as a pram.
Facebook groups fill the gap between the two. Amsterdam Expats Online Market is a general buy-and-sell group that regularly has strollers, car seats and cots posted by families leaving the city, which happens a lot given how international Amsterdam is. If you’re after a baby carrier specifically, Amsterdam Babywearers is a smaller, more focused group where people trade and sell carriers and get fitting advice at the same time.
Vinted is worth a mention too, mainly for smaller, lighter items like carriers, bath seats or bouncers that are easy to post. It’s less useful for anything you’d need to collect in person, like a full-size pram.
Shops That Sell More Than Just Clothes
A handful of Amsterdam’s second-hand kids’ shops go beyond clothing rails. Petit Circuit in IJburg is a community-run children’s thrift shop on Kiekstraat that takes toys, books, furniture, shoes and bicycles alongside clothes, so it’s genuinely worth a visit if you’ve got a bike your child has outgrown or a bookshelf you no longer need. They’re open Wednesday to Saturday, and it’s donation-based rather than consignment, so don’t expect cash back.
The consignment boutiques like Otis en de Wolf in Amsterdam-West lean more toward clothes and toys than bulky gear, but it doesn’t hurt to ask if they’ll take a good-condition play mat or wooden toy alongside a clothing bundle. Worth calling ahead if you’ve got a specific item in mind, since space and what they’re currently taking varies.
Buying a Second-Hand Car Seat: What to Actually Check
This is the one category where “good enough” isn’t good enough. Car seats degrade over time even without visible damage, and a seat that’s been in a crash can look fine and still be unsafe. The ANWB’s advice is blunt about it: with regular use, a seat lasts roughly seven to ten years, and if it’s spent time in strong sun the plastic can weaken faster, so five years is a safer cutoff in that case.
Before you hand over any money, remove the cover and look for cracks, dents or deformation in the shell. Check the harness for fraying or thin spots, make sure the buckle clicks properly, and confirm the seat is rated to either ECE R44/04 or the newer R129 (i-Size) standard, both marked on a label on the seat itself. Buy from someone you can actually ask questions to, a friend, a colleague, a parent from your kid’s group, rather than an anonymous listing, so you have some sense of whether it’s ever been in an accident.
Strollers and Buggies: Age and Wear Matter
Prams and buggies sold in the Netherlands need to meet the NEN-EN 1888 safety standard, and as a rule of thumb, anything over ten years old is unlikely to still meet current requirements. There’s a batch number sticker on the underside of the frame that tells you when it was made, worth checking before you buy rather than after.
Beyond the age, walk the frame around before you buy it if you can. Push down on it to check the frame doesn’t wobble, spin the wheels to feel for grinding or flat spots, test the brake actually holds, and check that the seat straps aren’t frayed or stretched out. Ask what’s included too, a lot of listings don’t mention whether the rain cover, car seat adapters or bassinet attachment come with it, and those add up if you have to buy them separately.
Cots, High Chairs and the Rest
For a cot or kinderbedje, check that the mattress fits snugly with no gap around the edges, that the drop-side mechanism (if it has one) locks properly, and that there’s no chipped paint an older child might chew on. Second-hand cots are one of the easiest wins in this whole category, since a well-made wooden cot barely ages and the going rate on Marktplaats is a fraction of buying new.
High chairs are simpler still, just make sure the straps are all present and the tray locks in place without sliding, since a loose tray is the most common fault on older models. For balance bikes and first pedal bikes, tyre condition and brake function are the only things really worth checking, kids grow out of these so fast that most turn up for resale in decent shape.
Renting Instead of Buying
For gear you’ll only need for a few months, renting can work out cheaper than buying second-hand and reselling later. Babyrentals, based in Tilburg, rents out cots, travel beds, high chairs, car seats, carriers and strollers from brands like Maxi-Cosi, Joolz and Stokke, with monthly rates and free shipping and returns, which is handy if you’re only in the Netherlands short-term or want to try a brand before committing. It’s a good option for visiting grandparents too, no point buying a travel cot that gets used twice a year.
Selling Your Own Gear
When it’s your turn to move things on, the same channels work in reverse. Clean everything first, dust and dried milk stains put buyers off fast, and photograph it against a plain background in daylight. List the brand and model name specifically, “Bugaboo Cameleon 3” gets far more views than “kinderwagen te koop”, and mention what’s included so you’re not fielding the same question ten times over.
If you’re clearing out ahead of a new arrival or just found out you’re expecting, our guide to being pregnant in the Netherlands is a good next stop for what to sort out before the baby comes. And if you’re still working out what gear you’ll actually need day to day once the toddler years hit, our guide to Amsterdam with a toddler covers the practical side of that stretch. For more ways to save on family life here, browse our guides section, check the places directory for family-friendly spots, and sign up to the newsletter so you don’t miss deals as they come up.
FAQ
Is it safe to buy a second-hand car seat in the Netherlands?
It can be, but only if you check it properly. Look for cracks or deformation in the shell, confirm it’s rated ECE R44/04 or R129, check the production date, and ideally buy from someone whose history with the seat you can actually ask about, rather than an anonymous online listing.
Where’s the fastest place to sell a stroller or cot?
Marktplaats has the largest audience nationwide, so it tends to move fastest for popular brands. FamFam is worth trying too if you’re in the Amsterdam, Amstelveen or Gooi & Vechtstreek area, since it’s built specifically for local pickup of kids’ items.
How old is too old for a second-hand buggy?
As a rule of thumb, ten years is the cutoff for meeting current safety standards. Check the batch number sticker on the underframe to see when it was actually made before you buy.
Is renting baby gear worth it over buying second-hand?
For short stretches, like a travel cot for visiting grandparents or gear for the newborn months, renting can work out cheaper than buying and reselling yourself, and you skip the hassle of storing it afterward.
