Consumer Reports Best Baby Products, 8th Edition

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Summary: Money well spent--don't buy BABY BARGAINS!
Review: I'm picky when it comes to baby products and I couldn't disagree more with the previous reviewer's comments.
I thought CONSUMER REPORTS' BEST BABY BARGAINS was much better than other baby books because it includes solid ratings for lots of baby products. We just got the book as a late shower gift (our son was just born 2 weeks ago). I took the book with me when I went shopping and I found it so helpful because it tells you how to buy as well as what to buy. And, how do the folks at BABY BARGAINS do their product testing? How do you know their information isn't biased? When it comes to making sure I buy the safest and best product for my baby, I chose CONSUMER REPORTS BEST BABY PRODUCTS because their advice is based on scientific product testing. I was happy with the book and I plan to use it on more shopping trips, as I add to what I've already bought.

Rating:
Summary: Save your money
Review: My wife and I are having our first baby. After reading this book I feel I did not learn anything I did not already read in the regular baby magazines. Limited product reviews. Save your money and subscribe to one of the pregnancy or baby magazines. You will learn just as much and get more recent product info.

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Summary: Helpful in getting set up for a new baby in the house
Review: My wife and I had been on a few shopping trips for our new baby girl, who is due in the spring, and we found the baby superstore overwhelming. So we bought this book and did our homework before we even set foot in a store again, a made a detailed list, just like we do when we go grocery shopping. We found the book especially helpful in picking out a car seat, a stroller, a crib and a crib mattress and a play yard. It also helped us select the right little things, like baby bottles and the clothes we'll need to have on hand from day one. We plan to use it again, when my daughter is four months old, or so, when we'll probably need to buy a new round of baby items for the next stage. I'll never go baby shopping again without it.

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Summary: A sanity saver--with recent product reviews!
Review: Since baby products change quickly, I bought BEST BABY PRODUCTS because it's the most recent baby products book on the market, plus it's by Consumer Reports and I'm a long-time subscriber to their magazine. Go with this book if you want up-to-date baby product advice. I used the book to restock some things we needed to replace. My wife is about to give birth to our third daughter and we needed a new infant car seat, baby bath tub, and a stroller. But I also used the book to narrow the field on which digital camcorder to buy so I could record the birth. The book was invaluable!!! If you want to save your sanity in the baby products store and the camcorder department--don't go shopping without it!

Rating:
Summary: Save your money
Review: This book seems to promise a lot - who wants to pay for a subscription to all of Consumer Reports when all you want to know is what's the best product for your baby? That being said, the book promises a lot that it doesn't actually deliver on. There are ratings for items like strollers and car seats, but nothing on other essentials like high chairs, cribs and mattresses. The editors just tell you what they 'would' do IF they rated these items, and then go on to list several manufacturers and the prices. And they offer these gems of wisdom (paraphrased), 'Higher prices don't mean its necessarily better/safer, only that more expensive materials were used in the manufacturing.' It may be helpful to some people, but i found nothing that I couldn't glean from pregancy/child-care web sites.

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Summary: Relieved To Finally Have Some Facts!
Review: This book was mentioned to me by my pediatrician's nurse and it has been a bible to me. Like most new parents I shop with the highest concern for quality and safety when I shop for my baby - hard to do while being overwhelmed with my "new job" as a Mom! I needed facts delivered n an easy to digest way and I really got what I was looking for in this guide. This book did all the homework for me before I hit the stores. I found it organized, objectively written - backed by plenty of testing ala Consumer Reports. I highly recommend it!

Rating:
Summary: good reference in combination with others
Review: This book was quite useful to me in making selections of products, but I was somewhat disappointed that not all baby products were tested by Consumers Union. (This does make some sense: where would you find enough willing testers for each type of breast pump?) For each type of item, there was--at the very least--a list of features to look for or to avoid. Many items WERE fully rated as I expected from a Consumer Reports publication. As I always like to have several sources of info, I took this book and Baby Bargains (by Denise and Alan Fields) to the stores with me. I am happy to have both.

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Summary: A trusted baby gear bible
Review: With my first child, I used Baby Bargains to stock up on baby gear because it was given to me by a friend. But in preparing for my second child, who is due in the spring, I received Consumer Reports Best Baby Products as a shower gift and found it much more targeted and informative. It's true that not every product is rated, but that didn't bother me. What's comes through is clear, concise and unbiased buying advice from car seats to toys. I started bringing it along with me during quick hits to the baby product superstore and it has made shopping so much easier. I wish I had had Consumer Reports Best Baby Products the first time around!