Baby Bargains: Secrets to Saving 20% to 50% on Baby Furniture, Equipment, Clothes, Toys, Maternity Wear and Much, Much More! [Paperback]

Denise Fields (Author), Alan Fields (Author)

Book Description

Series: Baby Bargains: Secrets to Saving 20% to 50% on Baby Furniture, Equipment, Clothes, Toys, | Publication Date: March 2003

One of the little details of having a baby that is sometimes forgotten is the cost. In this comprehensive guide, Denise and Alan Fields show how to keep these costs manageable. This newly revised, updated and illustrated edition covers such topics as how to avoid wasting money with baby clothes, and which brands are best; the truth about strollers, and which are the wisest choices; the ten best baby gifts (along with the five worst); name-brand reviews of toys, monitors, high chairs, latch car seats, and diapers; and much more. Baby Bargains is the best-selling guide to the very best deals on all of baby's needs. It includes everything necessary to turn bewildered, cash-crunched parents into savvy bargain hunters.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Denise Fields and Alan Fields write a monthly column for Baby Talk magazine. They have written several best-selling books, including Baby Bargains and Bridal Bargains. They live in Boulder, CO.

Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Windsor Peak Press; 5th ed. edition (March 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1889392146
• ISBN-13: 978-1889392141
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 4.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (109 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #159,931 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

135 of 141 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars seasoned mom rethinks opinion on book, April 13, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Baby Bargains: Secrets to Saving 20% to 50% on Baby Furniture, Equipment, Clothes, Toys, Maternity Wear and Much, Much More! (Paperback)

If I had reviewed this book during my pregnancy (as it appears many do), I would have given it 5 stars. The book was helpful in providing reviews of many products. When I was doing my pre-baby purchasing, this book was my "bible". I recommended it to several others.

However, post-baby, I found that many of the products even the authors said I "needed" were a big waste of money. I also strongly disagreed with them on a number of products, and ended up giving away or returning several highly-recommended products in exchange for others. Most of the book seems to be their opinion, and doesn't jive well with many seasoned parents that I know.

Furthermore, their tips for saving money are mainly common sense, or impractical. For instance, to save on maternity
clothes, they recommend getting ONE outfit with a skirt, pair of pants, and top, and switching them around... don't think most of us need a book for that.

If I had it to do over, I would buy a car seat, clothes, diapers, some baby wash , bassinet...and wait to see what else I'd really need and want til after baby was born. This book tends to promote unnecessary consumerism to vulnerable first-time parents.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best!!, June 9, 2003

By 

kelly gill (Phoenix, AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Baby Bargains: Secrets to Saving 20% to 50% on Baby Furniture, Equipment, Clothes, Toys, Maternity Wear and Much, Much More! (Paperback)

As soon as I started looking through this book, I realized how valuable it would be to me and my husband. We take it with us whenever we go shopping for the baby because it is so helpful and objective. The "Wastes of Money" sections are great for our budget and while you can get details on the products throughout the chapters, you can also get succinct ratings on products at the end of each section. We registered with this book in hand and so far we feel like it has really been the most useful tool. The clerks at Babies 'R Us were impressed with our knowledge and could have conversations with us about the products without "upselling" to us. I think they knew we wouldn't go for anything the book didn't recommend! I'm am giving this to my friends when they get pregnant- it makes a great gift!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book for ANYONE buying baby products..., December 15, 2003

By 

mom, wife, chick (Chicagoland, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Baby Bargains: Secrets to Saving 20% to 50% on Baby Furniture, Equipment, Clothes, Toys, Maternity Wear and Much, Much More! (Paperback)

...NOT just those people looking to save a few bucks! When my hubby and I were getting married, I bought the Fields' Wedding Bargains book and found that the best thing about it was the number of ideas and resources it gave me, when I had no idea where to start looking. I find the same to be true with this book, especially since this is our 1st child. Friends and family members can all give you advice but I find that 1) it is sometimes a bit outdated (and this can even be true of products just a few years old) and 2) is always biased. Now, having a "point-of-view" on a product is great, but I worry that parents who set out looking for the cheapest or most convenient baby product may not have done quite the research these authors have on things such as safety. The greatest thing is they take real-world use AND safety into consideration, and then compare it to lots and lots of brands (some you and your friends have never heard of but should not dismiss). They even review a companies customer service, something most of us don't think about while browsing in a store. I find often times that their rec's tend to match with the reviews on Amazon, but they offer additional advice that can put an overwhelmed new parents mind at ease. They also offer great tips and advice on lots of other baby and pregnancy topics, such as where to get great deals on maternity clothes, where the best garage sale deals are and most importantly WHAT NOT TO BORROW OR BUY SECONDHAND!!! Well-meaning friends and family may offer lots of things to you, which sounds great when you're on a budget, but risking a child's safety is never worth saving a few bucks. Instead, they tell you what the REAL value of an item is (if it lasts longer and comes with more, USEFUL features, it's cheaper in the long run than say a cheaply made basic model) and give you ways to save money in other areas that you can safely shop for bargains on. There is almost no topic left untouched in this book. You may think you can just find this all on the web but advertising and an overwhelming amount of unorganized info is enough to leave any parent-to-be confused and misinformed. I highly recommend the latest version of this book for any parent to be (start reading it ASAP!!!) and a visit to their website :)