How would you like to strap on a diaper bag worn by hunky Matt Damon? Perhaps you would prefer to strap your child into the same high chair Julianne Moore’s daughter ate her mom’s famous meatloaf in?
You’ll get your chance beginning Tuesday when celebrity baby hand-me-downs go up for auction on eBay. A slew of famous parents dug deep to donate items their own children used to help kids in need.
Organizers say proceeds raised from the Johnson & Johnson Celebrity Hand Me Down Auction will benefit charities such as the March of Dimes, Save the Children, Zero to Three and Baby Buggy. The online auction begins April 29 and ends May 9.
My daughter is out of diapers, but that won’t stop me from bidding on the black, messenger-style baby bag Daddy Damon used while taking care of his 22-month-old daughter Isabella. Damon’s next child is due later this summer so you can see what he replaced the black bag with then.
“Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” star Mariska Hargitay donated the Adidas tracksuit outfit worn by her 2-year-old son August. Meanwhile, Moore gave up her 6-year-old daughter Liv’s special “sit at the table with the grown-ups” Beachwood highchair in hopes of raising money for a good cause. Other celebrities participating in the auction include “Shark” actress Jeri Ryan and recent mother Elisabeth Rohm.
Another celebrity mom getting in on the auction action is The View’s Elisabeth Hasselbeck. Mom to 3-year-old Grace and 5-month-old Taylor, Hasselbeck donated a car seat to the cause.
A car seat is a worthy donation item; however it is important to note that most safety organizations discourage parents from purchasing items such as car seats and cribs as hand-me-down items because standards change over the years. If you don’t know the age of a used product, safety experts say you should not buy it.
If you have no other choice but to buy used the US Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends that prior to purchasing a used car seat you check its age, crash history, and whether it’s been recalled. If the car seat has been involved in an accident you should pass on it. A good guideline to follow is if it was manufactured within the last three years, wasn’t involved in a car crash, and isn’t on a recall list, it’s safe to use.