My son is one and a half now, and other than disposables like diapers, I've only spent money on two items for him: baby carriers and socks. This is partly out of necessity. Nobody gives you hand-me-down socks, because by the time a baby has outgrown hers she has also lost them. And partly because, in my book, you can never have too many of either. Although we did get a secondhand Mei Tai baby carrier, we also shelled out for a structured one and a woven wrap that holds up to 35 pounds (a.k.a. a 4-year-old). These carriers have been instrumental in bringing kiddo around the world as well as on various modes of public transportation. And then there were the socks. Other than that, pretty much everything my son has ever owned was secondhand, broken-in, and free.