Customer Reviews

Baby Bargains, 7th Edition: Secrets to Saving 20% to 50% on baby furniture, gear, clothes, toys, maternity wear and much more! (Baby Bargains)

5 star:		(219)
4 star:		(37)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Initially, this book was the end-all-be-all for us. After we found out we were pregnant with our first, several of our friends told us we MUST get this book. So we did, and the information contained within seemed all-encompassing, and like the only reference we'd ever need. As the months of my pregnancy continued on and our research on different items expanded and deepened, we started realizing that several of the Baby Bargains reviews didn't match up with reviews we were reading elsewhere, including on Amazon. The Baby Bargains authors have a tendency to review items with an authoritative tone that is not always warranted or based on in-depth research. To be sure, there is A LOT of research put into the book, but it also covers A LOT of items, so in some instances, certain items don't get the same scrutiny as others, but the reader can't really discern in which instances this is happening. It becomes more apparent as you start researching the items you've narrowed it down to using resources other than Baby Bargains. I was looking at baby monitors on Amazon the other day, and based on user review (actual parents), there were a couple monitors that jumped out at me as the best (no 1 or 2 star ratings -- all 4 and 5 stars, out of over 50 ratings). I looked up the brand in our Baby Bargains book, and found that it was rated "F"! And the reason the BB authors gave it an F is actually refuted by someone in the medical field in one of the 5 star Amazon reviews. That didn't sit real well with me, especially for something as important as a Baby Monitor. I've had other experiences like that with items recommended by Baby Bargains, where they say "get this not that", and I do some more googling, and find that parents are actually not too happy with the Baby Bargains-recommended items.

Is this book worth getting? Yes. It's a great, one-stop-shopping roadmap of sorts for all the STUFF you need / don't need, particularly useful for first-time parents. That said - it should not be considered the ONLY resource / authority on baby buying. Like all the manufacturers of all the baby stuff out there, Baby Bargains is also a business -- they're in it to make money as much as the next guy. There's nothing wrong with that, but I do think it's important to keep in the back of your head. While they don't get paid to recommend one brand over another, they DO get paid (by those of us who buy their books) for coming across as the "experts" on all things baby-related. And they simply aren't. I recommend starting with the book, narrowing it down to options you're considering, and then doing additional research on the items that really matter - crib, car seat, baby monitor, etc. Beyond that, I pay particular attention to recent reviews NOT in Baby Bargains written by folks in the medical / pediatric fields. While Baby Bargains will often say something like, "According to the American Academy of Pediatrics...", they rarely say "According to pediatrician Joe Smith..." In other words, you start to get the feeling that maybe they just googled the American Academy of Pediatrics and passively noted their regulations, rather than actually talking to a real pediatrician about a particular item. Anyway, in sum, get the book, and take into consideration what they say, but don't consider it the Gospel on baby merchandise...

The 9th edition (2011) of "Baby Bargains" is the must-buy guide to help you pick the best baby products available in the market today. Signifantly better than previous editions, it is full of product reviews, ratings, side-by-side comparisons and recommendations that will save you tons of time, money and frustration when shopping for baby items or drawing up your baby registry. Parent feedback, recall information, marketing gimmicks, and pros and cons are all explained and taken into account - simply said, no other source has this much up-to-date information at your fingertips.

New for this edition is an extensive section on the many new car seats, strollers and carriers available. The sections on individual car seats (rated by brand and model) is excellent. For strollers, however, it's worth noting that they are only rated by manufacturer. Most models usually have a one-paragraph descriptions that include price, weight and parent feedback, so if you're looking for detailed reviews on individual models (for example the City Mini vs. City Select strollers), you won't find that here - probably because there's simply way too many (Maclaren alone has nine models).

What really matters though is their analysis of overall quality for the brand, their customer service, recalls and pros/cons, all very useful if you're trying to pick between two different brands. For example, if overall quality and customer service for one brand is not be great, this will be reflected in the rating and the authors may point you to a better option for the same price.

That said, I do have some small gripes - although the book mentions many new items, it also includes some products that are no longer sold at retail, like the Chicco Twin Trevi stroller which was discontinued last year. Not bad if you're buying second-hand but not great if you want to buy new. There is also about a one-year lag in terms of the products mentioned in categories other than strollers, carriers and car seats - I couldn't find popular products that work well for travel or small spaces (a big missing category) such as the Phil & Teds Traveller Crib that's a lot smaller than the Baby Bjorn travel crib they recommend, the FlexiBath Infant Bath Tub that folds flat for small spaces and can be used to age 4 (unlike the tubs they mention that are for babies younger than 6 months or huge to store), and the Kidco Go-Pod portable activity seat that folds to 30" x 8" x 8". Hopefully they will be included in the new edition.

Likewise, the authors sometimes skim over product descriptions - an Ergo Performance carrier is simply described as having a special lighterweight fabric when in fact it has a completely different fit and design when compared to the original Ergo. This doesn't happen too often though.

In terms of what you'll find - chapters include nursery essentials (cribs, bassinets, dressers, mattresses, gliders, changing tables etc.), baby bedding, baby clothes, diapers, maternity & nursing clothes, feeding (nursing, bottles, formula, baby food, high chairs), gear for around the house (monitors, gates, diaper pails, swings, potty seats, bouncers, playards, etc), car seats, strollers (singles & doubles), bike trailers and seats, diaper bags, plus an extensive section on carriers. Throughout the book, you'll find money-saving tips, wastes of money, features to look for in a product and best places to buy.

Other chapters include a reality check on costs for the first year (average vs a Baby Bargains budget), new safety rules (cribs, etc), organic baby items, what you need when, an appendix with a sample baby registry and another appendix with multiples advice (twins and more) which unfortunately is just 2 pages long and woefully inadequate (a dowload they suggest on their site from a reader contains a high chair they gave a C+ raing to - did they even read it?).

Besides the book, the authors also run the baby bargains dot com website (easy to find, google "baby bargains") where you will find a very detailed table of contents and tons of bonus material not found in the book. This includes crib maker reviews, in-depth advice on bottles and supplies, humidifiers, toys, baby proofing tips, baby announcements, mail order sources, archive of old reviews, extra stroller reviews, and advice on introducing baby to your pets. Also, it has a handy chart that lists stroller models with one-hand folds and/or height-adjustable handles and travel tips for flying with your child.

With the average cost of raising a baby at about $7,000 for the first year alone, this book will save you around $3,000 if you follow all the tips and suggestions in the book. If it doesn't save you at least $250, the publisher will give you a full refund on the cost of the book, no questions asked - details of their guarantee are in back. Even with a few faults here and there it's still an excellent book - I'm glad to say I've never had to take them up on this offer.

I highly recommend this book. I have been researching EVERY baby product to be sure that I am getting what I want at the best price. No resource has provided me better information than this book. The reviews on the rocker/gliders are very detailed. Rockers can range from $150 to $700.....this book helped us see why the high price rockers are so high priced. We found the rocker that we wanted at a baby store (for $700), but bought it online (from a website recommended in the book) and saved (no joke) $200!!!!! (same brand, quality, no shipping or tax!)
Also, they have great ratings on strollers and car seats. The authors are very factual and don't mind saying what products are overpriced.
I highly recommend this book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

At best the authors offer suggestions that anyone could figure out. At worst they advise you to buy things you don't really need and steer you towards their favorite retailers with little regard to price. I don't think they understand what the word "bargain" means. A choice example is recommending Japanese Weekend, one the more expensive maternity clothes retailers. This is not good advice for people looking to save money. Mentioning JW website has a sales page (which store doesn't?!) cannot justify recommending an high-end, overpriced store in a book about saving money.

What made me really swear off this book is their advice about never taking any hand-me-downs from friends. This quote really sums of how misguided this book is (from the section recommending a new $190 playpen): "Yes, you can search government recall lists to see if that hand-me-down is recalled, but we'd skip the hassle and just buy new." What kind of a bargain book is this?

If you're looking for a way to justify buying a bunch of stuff you don't need or can't afford, this is the book for you. If you're looking for a bargain, the best is to save $12 and "skip the hassle" of buying this book.

I've now had this book for a year. I received it before my twins were born and they are now 9 months old. I carried this book with me at all times while I was pregnant and used it almost on a daily basis. As a first time mom (carrying twins, no less), I was clueless as to what I needed and which brands were the best. The car seat section alone is worth the price of the book. However, I picked up the book yesterday to check out their recommendations for baby gates, and after flipping through it, I was reminded about all of the stuff the authors scared me to death about. For example, they basically say that doorway jumpers and walkers are death traps. Well, I'm pretty sure almost anything can be a "death trap" w/o proper supervision. My babies love the doorway jumper and walker (they also have an excersaucer too, which the authors do recommend). My mother told me I lived in my walker, and I'm still alive :-) Also, they say not to use bumpers in the crib. I know the medical community also advises against this. I didn't use bumpers (and didn't really need them) until my babies were about 8 months. Now it's a necessity in order to avoid heads getting bumped on the crib rails. I don't really think this book saved me any money...I do my own bargain hunting online. Also, I think future editions should include more recommendations for products for twins, triplets, etc. All said, this book is definitely worth buying, but don't let the authors' scare tactics stress you out.

A friend of mine had recommended this book to me when I first became pregnant. Initially I was a little skeptical because my husband and I already have a subscription to Consumer Reports and read on-line product reviews prior to making most purchases.
However, this book is fantastic. Doing research of all the items you'll need for your baby can be quite overwhelming. We are first time parents and I think that we would have registered for/bought a number of "unnecessary" items for the baby had it not been for Baby Bargains. This book is also very instrumental with its review of brands of all the important baby items. We would have probably spent more money if we would have bought some of the poorly made products first, and then having to replace them later on. Of course I also got baby advice from friends and family who already have young children. This is what I got from this book that Consumer Reports or other product reviews could not offer:

1) The authors tell you which baby products (i.e. bottle warmers, sleep positioners, etc..) you can forgo and are pretty much a waste of money. Whenever I felt that I "needed" something that I didn't already have on the registry I knew that I could go back to Baby Bargains and read about whether it was necessary to purchase that product or not.

2) The authors review which products you can/should buy used (after all they are trying to save you money) without compromising your child's safety. For example, they warn parents against buying used cribs and sharing breast pumps between moms (unless you rent a hospital grade pump). As you can see cribs and breast pumps are some of the big ticket items. Consumer Reports may actually have a section on this as well, although I liked the way it was presented in Baby Bargains.

3) The book is well organized and easy to take with you to the Baby stores. It does have a sample registry in the back, which you may or may not want to follow. Some of the registry items we picked out were the top rated products by Baby Bargains.

4) The authors also give you an idea of which baby clothing items you'll need right away, in what sizes and quantities. I wanted to avoid too many unworn clothes sitting in the baby's closet.

What a god-send this book is! Baby Bargains, 7th Edition, is a must read for new mothers. I bought this book for my daughter who is having her first child and my first grandaughter! With so many choices in everything in the baby department at stores, it can be overwhelming to find what is REALLY needed for a new baby. This book has helped her make some good choices and has saved she and her husband money! I hope other Grannies out there will buy this book and pass it on to their daughters!

Baby Bargains, 7th Edition: Secrets to Saving 20% to 50% on baby furniture, gear, clothes, toys, maternity wear and much more! (Baby Bargains)
Wonderful for new parents who want to sift through the thousands of choices and make decisions based on safety, quality, and affordability!

I was looking for a book that would provide some guidance on what items were actually necessities and what features to look for when selecting baby items. I selected this book based on the reviews here.

The book is very easy to read, and provides great information about various products and brand names. For those of us new to baby products, the book does a great job of listing the pros and cons of various features available on each product.

I found the authors sometimes made recommendations based on faulty logic, but the authors' comments on the products were still useful in gathering information to come to our own conclusions.

As an example, the authors do not provide any information regarding walkers and jumpers. The authors claim that these products are inherently dangerous and should be banned. For purposes of injury tracking, the Consumer Product Safety Commission lumps walkers and jumpers into the same category so both items are included in the same statistics. I did some research and learned that the majority of reported injuries occur with jumpers, not walkers. And of injuries and deaths connected to the use of walkers, those incidences were almost entirely related to children falling down a flight of stairs while using a walker. Based on that data, we determined that walkers are not dangerous, although some parents seem to be.

I would have appreciated it if the book included a complete checklist of the items needed to stock a nursery, and how many of those items to have on hand. That would have been helpful when we were registering for baby items.

While the book is potentially useful in finding bargains, I think it is most valuable for the advice it provides. It delivers very practical information.

i'm a ratings-junkie (consumer reports, tripadvisor, etc) so this book was just up my alley. great for a first time mom and especially helpful when trying to register for my baby shower. i'm passing it along to friends who are also first-time moms.