Customer Reviews

1000 Best Baby Bargains (Complete Book of Baby Bargains: 1,000+ Best Ways to Save)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I wanted to clear up the confusion between this book and the Baby Bargains book by Allan and Denise Fields. I have both books. This one goes so much further in creative ways to actually save money day-to-day. This book is a great resource for information on making your own baby products, extending the life of what you have, and how get the best deals on new items. The author tells you which internet sites to sign up on to get free cans of formula, how to get formula coupons and find discounted formula (nowhere does it tell you to water down formula, as one reviewer previously stated). There is a whole chapter on shopping for cribs, strollers, and other baby gear. Instead of telling you which $500 stroller to buy (like the other book) this book gives you hints on what time of year to buy to get discounted models, how to create a double stroller using stroller extensions, and which retail stores and websites have the deepest discounts. Also included: online coupon site resources, how to effectively use eBay, and where to get samples and freebies. I personally like the chapter on buying baby clothes, where the author describes the markdown process at Gap, Target, Old Navy and Gymboree and how to be the first to get their deals. If you want creative ways to save serious money, buy this book. If you're looking for a buying guide for expensive baby gear, buy the other one.

My pregant friend told me about this book so I decided to read it. I'm not pregnant yet. There are 1,000 ideas in list form throughout the book and most of them I find to be very helpful. There are web sites listed in the book where you can sign up and receive coupons for all sorts of baby items. Instead of doing your own searching to compile a list, they are already there in the book for you.
I do think this book could have been shortened a little to maybe 850-900 ideas since some of these "bargains" are just practical things you would have thought of or done anyway. That's the reason I didn't give it five stars.
Overall, I think it's a great informative book for those who are trying to save a little money. I will reread this book again when pregnant.

Great read. I bought this book and the Baby Bargains book (mentioned in the review before me) and I have to say, there are SO SO SO many more tips and tidbits on how to save money in this book. If you are on a budget, this is the book to buy. This book is true to its' title. That other Baby Bargains book by Denise and Alan Fields has horrible reviews and I read that the authors write their own 5 star reviews and then slash all their competitors books with bad reviews just to try and get their rankings up higher. I think buying a book about good content is just as important as buying a book written by good people. This book is it. I also really liked the book,
called The Baby Rules-- it's a quirky fun read and now the book I buy my friends when they are about 8 months pregnant ready to give birth the first time!

A quick, easy read packed with truly GREAT ideas, information, and suggestions. I've read a lot of books on bargain hunting, but I still found plenty of gems that I hadn't seen before, like discovering that Stride Right also makes shoes for Target and Sears. My favorite tip: using puff paint to turn regular socks into the non-skid type. Now all the cute socks that came with all the cute outfits will be safe for my daughter to wear as she learns to walk. Thanks, Kim!

This book is so great. There are so many ways to save money on baby stuff that I hadn't even thought of. From making your own electrolyte solution to making your own baby wipes this book has got you covered. Plus there is great advice in helping you decide what you really do and don't need when it comes to your baby. I would definately recommend this book to any mom. I just had my fourth baby and wish I had this book for the first. It makes for a great baby gift as well.

There are many problems with this book ranging from harmless to disconcerting. If you have done your homework by reading other books/leaflets, you will probably wish that this book was entitled "Do It Yourself Baby Rearing At Your Own Risk" instead of "1000 Best Baby Bargains". Here's a short list of the most troubling aspects of the book:

1. Overpriced for something that can be quickly read in an hour or two. Especially since most of the info is available for FREE if you go to Planned Parenthood (re: WIC), your OB, or your hospital's FREE intro sessions (e.g. in California they will give you a First 5 kit with even more valuable local support resources).

2. Even many of the do-it-yourself suggestions are not novel. If you're into sewing, you couldn't possibly miss the baby sections of the pattern catalogs. If you're not already into sewing, now is probably not the time to start for most people given that there is a learning curve, shopping, raging hormones at play, and perhaps unrealistic expectations about how great the final product will look on your first try.

3. The safety suggestions lack explanation and completeness. It is even shallower than what you will find in the FREE parenting magazines at your doctor's office.

4. Some info is downright wrong. Reusing breastpumps is not recommended because some of them, like the super popular Medela Pump-In-Style is not a closed system and thus there are some parts, exposed to breastmilk, which cannot be replaced. The replacement tubing offered by some hospitals cost upward of $70 (so new but simpler pumps may be cheaper). You can find this info for FREE at retail websites or through Medela's own FREE literature that is handed out at hospitals.

5. Some of the recommendations, e.g. modifying the holes in bottle nipples runs directly contrary to the manufacturer's recommendations printed on all nipple packaging. Sure, you can try to do it carefully as the book suggests but I think your baby is worth more than the $1 or less that you will save per nipple. Certainly you'll feel like an idiot if something truly awful happens.

I didn't read the entire book but what I read would indicate that one should be reading other books... in which case, why bother with this one? Btw, I found this book at my local library for FREE.

While many books told me all the things I'll need when our baby came, I appreciated a book that told me what we wouldn't need! This book is super easy-to-read, broken down into easy-to-access topics/chapters and full of easy-to-implement tips. Every time I flip this book open I manage to find a few new ideas or am reminded of something that we should, or could be doing, to save money or help simplify my life as a busy stay at home mom! I highly recommend this book!! Thanks!

I just became a stay at home mom after quitting my job 3 weeks ago. We've been trying to find ways to cut corners without becoming too obsessed with money-pinching. We want to enjoy this time with our baby without too much hassle worrying about money. I've already applied a few things from the book and I just got it a few weeks ago, like starting a coupon exchange with other mothers, putting cut tube socks over my baby's knees to hold his sleepers in place (he tends to wind up with his feet up in the crotch part and dragging the footed part behind him...if he can move at all by that point) and save the knees while he crawls all over the place, etc. I've got more I'm going to do and it's so easy -we don't feel like we're wasting time trying to save money...and it's more than mere pennies that we're saving. I'll be getting this book for other new mothers. Wish I'd gotten it before my baby was 9 months old...I would've probably decided not to go back to work at all after maternity leave!

It's not too bad. There were a few helpful tips in there, but some of it was common sense and a lot of it you can find on online forums instead of buying the book. It was also missing a lot of information I got from online forums so overall it wasn't really worth it.

My husband and I are on a tight budget right now and this book has been very helpful, especially for first-time parents. It provides lots of practical advice and while some previous reviewers may claim it is all common sense, that is just not true. They have suggestions of things I would never have dreamt of (but are creative and useful from people who have already been there and have good suggestions to share.) I choose the tips that will be most useful to me and I am sure that I will come back to this book again and again.