Parents 'buy second-hand equipment'

The number of women having an abortion or unintended pregnancy is dropping worldwide

Nine out of 10 new parents are buying second-hand baby equipment in a bid to save money, a survey shows.

Around 89% of expectant mothers and new mothers are opting for second-hand equipment for some of the items they need, while 23% said everything they bought had been owned by someone else, according to classified advertisement website preloved.co.uk.

The group said it had seen a 300% increase in parents buying second-hand equipment this year, compared with last year.

The survey of 1,650 people found that 67% of new parents were buying their big items, such as prams and cots, second-hand, while 43% had sold some of their own possessions in order to raise extra money towards the cost of having a baby.