Rating: 
Summary: Definitely skip this one!
Review: As stated by other reviewers, this book contains very little specific product information and only cursory bits of advice on what to look for when shopping for baby things. I also bought the Baby Bargains book and it was much more helpful.
Rating: 
Summary: Helpful......sort of
Review: Book is very informative about most baby products but it really wasn't what I thought it would be. I was looking for a book rating all baby products. While it did rate some products, it did not rate many so it didn't really help me out too much.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but... There's a better resource
Review: Briefly put, this book is fine, but too general. I buy Consumer Reports for cold, hard facts. This book more closely follows their Buying Guide format, rather than their magazine format. If you want generalities, this buok is fine for you. If you want real-world experience with the latest baby products, with a heaping helping of practicality and common sense, check into "Baby Bargains" by the Fields. Their book sure cleared up the confusion for this soon-to-be first-time dad!
Rating:
Summary: No product ratings
Review: Face it. The reason you buy Consumer Reports is for the comparison ratings. Unfortunatly, there are none in this book. Being a first time parent, I bought it with the intention of using the book as a comparison guide for car seats, cribs, strollers, etc. It's not in there. If you need a book to define the features on various baby products, use BabyCenter.Com as a better resource. PS I still recommend Consumer Reports Magazine
Rating: 
Summary: Injuries to Children From Home Fitness Equipment
Review: Have you heard of the Care Corral? Did you know that thousands of infants and toddlers are taken to hospital emergency rooms annually according to the CPSC? Thousands suffer amputation and other forms of mutilation and even death. The Care Corral is a new child safety gate especially designed for home exercise equipment to allow the parents of new borns to exercise whenever they want in the presence of their young ones. Babies can now be safe while their parents work out.
Rating:
Summary: This book is not of Consumer Reports quality!
Review: Having found large quantities of current or nearly current information on infant safety and necessities (crib, stroller, etc) on the web, I found this book to be too generalized and out of date to be of much use. Certainly not worth full price. My wife and I were certainly disappointed by what we did NOT find in the book - few comparisons of manufacturers or models of cribs, strollers, etc. We are used to the CR magazines and other guides that are loaded with current and detailed information. Hopefully they will update this soon (current edition is from 1996). In my opinion you are better off with "Baby Bargains". Happy shopping
Rating:
Summary: not a very helpful book comparing to others
Review: I bought this book, read it and... still was pretty clueless on what what to buy. The book gives you only generic idea on "what to look for". I exchanged it for "Baby Bargins". This book is far more comprehensive, has much more details and rates a lot of specific brands of baby gear. I also just bought the new (third) edition of this book and I recommend it to every new parent.
Rating:
Summary: New Mom-to-be
Review: I cannot stress strongly enough how much you do not want to buy this book. I don't think that I could give this copy that I bought away! I bought it to buy baby products, starting with a simple crib and carseat. I was more concerned about how the brands ranked...unfortunately the writers of this book were not. The good thing that they did offer were tips on how to select a good crib/stroller/carseat/etc. So if you want the how tos on buying this is a good reference. If you want the "what to buy" stay away. I went out and bought the book "Baby Bargains." I found it extremely useful in telling you the history of brands and rating them all clearly on a A to D scale. However that book wasn't very helpful in tips on how to check for a sturdy crib, or strong carseat.
Rating:
Summary: Do not buy
Review: I cannot stress strongly enough how much you do not want to buy this book. I don't think that I could give this copy that I bought away! I bought it to buy baby products, starting with a simple crib and carseat. I was more concerned about how the brands ranked...unfortunately the writers of this book were not. The good thing that they did offer were tips on how to select a good crib/stroller/carseat/etc. So if you want the how tos on buying this is a good reference. If you want the "what to buy" stay away. I went out and bought the book "Baby Bargains." I found it extremely useful in telling you the history of brands and rating them all clearly on a A to D scale. However that book wasn't very helpful in tips on how to check for a sturdy crib, or strong carseat.
Rating:
Summary: Doesn't include much of what CR is known for - RATINGS!!
Review: I just bought the newer version of this book. The 7th edition came out this summer, but I haven't seen it on Amazon yet. I was surprisingly disappointed. I'm a subscriber to Consumer Reports, and generally find their ratings very helpful, but this is not as helpful a resource as I had hoped. Though it goes on for 189 pages telling you about "what's available out there" for everything from breast pumps to cribs, there are very few items actually rated. The following items are the ONLY ones rated, and beside it, the number of products tested by CR: CAR SEATS infant 9, convertable 13, booster 8. and though Fisher Price gets high marks, it even says in the text that these are no longer made because FP got our of the carseat market (??!!!) TRAVEL SYSTEMS 4 (Only 4? - Yep, you got it!) PLAY YARDS 9 SOFT CARRIERS 10 That's it - no kidding! Out of literally HUNDREDS of types of baby stuff out there, there is a grand whopping total of 4 catagories that were actually rated. And lets be honest - isn't that what most of us want? CR's opinion for the best products out there? You can find out what's out there on your own! The ONLY reason I gave this book three stars is because it includes a reference section for pediatric drugs, which many parents might find helpful (the only thing that kept it from being returned!) It also includes a 30 day free access to CR online. If you want straight- forward opinions about every imaginable baby product, save the money from CR and buy Baby Bargains by Denise and Alan Fields. More info for less money! It includes ratings of companies for just about everything you'll need. Included in my copy of the 3rd edition are: cribs, matresses, dressers/ changing tables, baby bedding, clothes, diapers, maternity clothes, nursing clothes, breastfeeding supplies, baby monitors, toys, bath, foods, high chairs, swings, monitors, bottle warmers, car seats, strollers, bike trailers, diaper bags, baby proofing stuff and baby gifts. And there's still more info on where to buy for the biggest price savings, what you can do without, and how various companies handle customer service problems and recalls. I read the CR reviews below, and really couldn't believe the book wouldn't be very helpful, and insisted on buying it out of faith in the company. I was wrong! Don't waste your money!
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