How Our Favorite French Couple Created a Beautiful Nursery With Only Used Baby Furniture

While decorating a nursery is exciting for expecting parents, it can also be expensive and intimidating. When we heard that our very own Good Buy Gear power couple, Nicolas and Aude, welcomed their first baby (Jade!) into the world and decorated her entire nursery with used baby furniture, we needed to know more. 

Aude and Nicolas met during high school in France and have been together ever since. They even manage to work together and are still married (a real testament to their love in our opinions). “In 2018,  we decided to leave everything behind in France to move to the US. We didn’t know where we wanted to live so we drove across the country for a month and decided to settle in Denver .” We’re lucky they landed at Good Buy Gear.

And now onto their impressive DIY nursery story. 

American vs European Buying Habits—How Do They Stack Up? 

A common stereotype is that Americans are big consumers. Everything is bigger here—our meals, our suburban homes, our country—and our online shopping carts of course. We turned to the couple to see if this common perception held true compared to the amount of nursery decor and gear parent’s prioritize in France. 

“I discovered in America the different swaddles, sleepsacks and DockATots. I’m used to seeing babies sleep in a sleepsack in their crib from birth” Aude says. 

“Another good example are strollers. In Europe people buy just one (because they don’t have the space for more). In the US you will buy a standard, a jogging, and a travel one!” Nicolas adds. 

 Why Used Baby Furniture? 

There are many reasons to buy used baby furniture and gear. Reusing an item rather than buying it new can reduce its carbon footprint by up to 82%. In addition to the environmental impact, parents can also save money buying used. Considering that the average family in the US spends between $20,000-$25,000 on their baby in the first year, Aude and Nicolas may be onto something. 

“Babies and kids only use their stuff for a couple months or a year, so why spend $400 on a brand new crib that she’ll use for 3 months” she explains.

Their love for secondhand expands beyond just baby Jade’s stuff, “We bought a house last year and our challenge was to buy everything secondhand. And we did it!” 

Now that’s impressive. 

What’re Your Favorite Items You Purchased Used? 

“I won’t lie,  the diaper pail. I would never have spent $45 for a diaper pail. We got it for $9 with Good Buy Gear and that’s typically not an item you care if it’s been used or not” Aude says. 

“It’s hard to choose, but I’d say our strollers. Thanks to the open box condition, we could get a “like new” stroller for a discounted price” Nico adds. 

The couples’ favorite nursery items are a crib that can evolve with their growing baby, a changing table and blackout curtains. The items that they could do without? A nice rug and a baby bathtub. 

If you’re unsure about which items you want to purchase new vs used, our Wingmoms took the liberty of breaking down the top five baby items to buy used. 

What’re Your DIY Nursery Ideas on Budget?

If you're hoping to pull a Chip and Joanna makeover with a Design on a Dime budget, DIY options, in addition to buying used, is a great nursery hack for parents.

“I actually made most of the decor myself. I found a curtain with animals at Goodwill, some embroidery hoops at Michaels and Tadaa! A decision we made that ended up saving us a lot of money was to not buy a dresser but only use closet organizers” she says. 

“Also a good thing to keep in mind, is to adapt to your baby. Maybe he/she prefers seeing this decor from his/her bed so you will change it. We made lots of changes (location of the crib, decor on the wall), so it’s a good thing to be prepared, but you need to adjust it based on what your baby likes” he says. 

Moral of the story, every baby is different and they grow quickly! By investing less upfront by buying used nursery furniture and getting creative with DIY projects you can create a tranquil and unique nursery for your little one. Plus, parents can use all that money saved to buy the next phase of furniture and gear their children needs as they develop—guilt-free.

Hot Items from Aude & Nicolas’ Nursery 

• Crib - Babyletto Modo 3-in-1 Convertible Crib, White with Colgate Dual-Sided Mattress  - Retails for $329 | GBG = $97.76, just Scratches on the top rails
• Crib sheets
• Rookie Humans Fitted Crib Sheet, Underwater Love - Retails for $34.99 | GBG = $15.92 - Open Box
• Pottery Barn Kids Fitted Crib Sheet, Elephant Pink - Retails for $38.99 | GBG = $12.61 - Gently Used
• Blackout curtains : Pillowfort Blackout Curtains, Gray Clouds 94” x 42”-  Retails for $34.99 | GBG = $15.92 - Open Box
• Rug - Lorena Canals Washable Rug, Aztec - Retails for $239.00 | GBG = $34.13 - Gently used, just one stain that we can’t even see 
• Bundle of Books - $9.99 for 4 to 5 books
• Changing Table - IKEA SNIGLAR Changing Table - Retails for $34.99 | GBG = $12.64
• Diaper Pail - Diaper Dekor Classic Diaper Pail - Retails for $45 | GBG = $9 - Loved