The Benefactress

I've become something of an addict of Craigslist. When Miles was an infant, we were able to borrow some baby items from friends of ours. However, they won’t be a source this time because they’re also having their second baby, and I am reluctant to buy new items when we are quite, quite sure that this is our second and last child.

So over the past couple of months I've been on Craigslist on a daily basis, watching for ads for baby and kids items. People post photos so you can see if it’s in good condition or not. One day I saw a posting from The Benefactress, a woman in town who was advertising a free bouncy seat. I thought if it were free it couldn't be all that great, but with a 4-story house and two babies to lug around, it wouldn’t hurt to have an extra one on hand. Miles and I drove to her house, located in a very nice neighborhood – huge houses, expensive landscaping, lots of big SUVs and maintenance vehicles in driveways, and no people in sight. Her home was actually one of the smaller ones on the street. She was very gracious when I offered to pay for the seat, and replied that her 8-month-old son was going to be her last (fourth child) and that she just wanted to get rid of baby stuff (what she didn’t say: the money means nothing to me). In fact, she said, I’ll keep your email address and as he outgrows things I’ll send you an email and let you know.

That was in December and I figured we wouldn’t hear from her again, but a couple of weeks ago she emailed and offered us their infant car seat. When I arrived she had thrown in a Baby Bjorn too. I feel a twinge of guilt accepting her things for free when a) I’m capable of paying for them and b) there are more needy people out there. But my friend Julie tells me that I’m reaping the rewards of good karma since I’m willing to buy second-hand whereas lots of moms would not be so practical. Not sure how she makes the connection that therefore I deserve this stuff, but since we’re looking ahead to months of being on one income, I’m happy to accept it.

The Craigslist take so far: a large outdoor play gym for Miles ($60), two bassinets ($40 and $25), two bouncy seats ($15 and $0), one exersaucer ($20), a nursing pillow ($4), a children’s picnic table ($8), a universal infant car seat stroller ($25), an infant car seat ($0), and a Baby Bjorn ($0).