Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(58)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Put this one in the "I shoulda payed attention" category. I noted, while checking the reviews to the Consumer Reports book "Guide to Baby Products," that the Fields' book was clearly given the nod as the better book. Still, I've been a Consumer Reports subscriber for many years, and I reasoned that "Guide to Baby Products" must surely have information that "Baby Bargains" lacked. So, I bought both of them. My advice? Those other reviewers were right. "Baby Bargains" is as least as complete in its evaluations of products, and it's a much better source of background information. To boot, it's warmer in tone, funny, and a more enjoyable read all around. Buy "Baby Bargains" and skip CU's book.

It will be my baby shower gift from now on! This book is EXCELLENT - great for 1st time parents or parents who want to buy the best stuff at the best price. It's also useful for ensuring good baby gifts, especially baby clothes. People who don't have babies buy all the wrong clothes - no easy diaper access, snaps in back & not front, etc. So be sure to share the baby clothes tips!

Some readers complain that a lot of the recommended brands are pricey - like Peg Perego strollers. True, but you need to read ALL the recommendations. Peg Perego is said to be the best stroller. However, the text notes that only city-dwellers really need a stroller this light and durable. For suburbanites, the 4-in-1 travel system from Century is recommended, and it is cheaper than Peg Perego. I have a 4-in-1 Century Travel System, and I'm very happy with it. I bought it based on Baby Bargains' recommendation. Sometimes the book is wordy or confusing but this is a minor complaint. Read and reread this book - there's alot of info here - too much to memorize. Take it with you on shopping trips for quick reference! And be sure to check their website for updates!

Every new parent can relate to the huge money drain that comes with a new infant. We want our children to have the best, and it just seems the list of must-haves is never-ending. Many of us choose to do without certain items or find them second-hand, but there are certain things, like car seats, that are often better to have new. Thus the dilemma: how to find new items at the cheapest prices. Furthermore, how does one choose between the multitude of companies, brands, and styles of endless baby stuff? Baby Bargains to the rescue! This book is about "how to save money and still buy the best." If you're looking for a detailed comparison of brands and how they rank up, you`ll love poring over the chapters that range from Nursery Necessities to Maternity and Nursing Clothes to Catalogs, The `Net, Child Care and more. They also include lots of up-to-date safety info, "email from the real world" (letters from parents-they interviewed over 1000!), and they even tell you where to find specialty items like African-American bedding, affordable art prints for baby's room and rental baby equipment when you're on vacation. On top of all this, they include Smart Shopper Tips, a Phone/Web Site Directory, and they have a web site of their own

This book was wonderful. I feel like I'll be spending more than I would have, but I'll be spending it for quality and safety. To their credit, the authors helped me sort through an endless sea of products and narrow my choices considerably. They also provide an invaluable list of business names, phone numbers, and web addresses. Though I agree with the review that stated guilty feelings over not going with the best recommendations in the book, you have to make decisions based on your budget. This book will give you the information on safety, quality, convenience, and price that will help you make well-informed decisions. Hey, maybe you can't always buy the very best in style and quality, but wouldn't you want to know that spending $25 more bucks on crib B instead of buying crib A might save your baby's life? I know now, and I'm not guessing when I walk into stores. Are you? So the title of the book isn't the most accurate, but who cares? I saved a few bucks in not buying cutesy things that I don't need that I once thought I did, but, more importantly, I learned a lot. I recommend that everyone expecting a baby buy this book. In fact, in a couple of years, when I hope to have another baby, I'll be buying the new edition.

I can't say enough good things about this book. For my wife and I, it was like having a super-savvy friend walking with us up and down the aisles of "Babies-R-Us" and all the other stores that can overwhelm first-time parents. The Fields' do a great job telling you about items that will be almost certain WASTES of money -- I had no clue. So often people get caught up in the purchasing/registering frenzy that they don't really think through what they will really need when the little one comes. This book helped us to avoid some costly miscalculations.

The authors' reviews of the big-ticket items -- cribs, strollers, high-chairs, etc. are all indispensible and frankly, they beat the plastic pants off Consumer Reports' Baby Guide. This book will always hold a hallowed place in our home for the wisdom it gave us dummies as we headed in to the $$$baby-zone$$$. It turned out not to be so expensive after all. Thanks Alan and Denise! Highly highly recommended.

We are expecting a our first baby in June 2000 and were totally lost about buying baby products. This book was extremely helpful. It was a wonderful source of information, and I will be taking it with me when I go shopping for all my baby needs. I especially liked that the book recommended the best QUALITY items for the most reasonable price. Instead of being concerned with cheap items, the book pushed quality. I couldn't be happier with this purchase.

I have not calculated how much I saved with this book but I am sure it's well over $250. I shopped on babycatalog.com for a stroller and saved $50.I bought Simmons Crib and pais $200 for it instead of $450 for another crib which actually got a C rating in this book but was recommeded to me by a salesperson.The advice for baby layette is also great.I highly recommend this book to those parents who want the best for their kids but at reasonable cost.I would not recommend it for the parents who think that if they pay the very top dollar, they are getting the best and for those who think that their kids should only wear designer clothes(realize,it's more to show off to strangers than to make your kid comfy) Definitely search the web sites that Fields recommend. I am very superstitious so we did not buy any items before the baby was born. Using this book, however, we went to the store a month before baby was born and selected big ticket items such as crib,stroller, car seat and mattress. I then prepared a list for my husband with item description,manufacturer,cost, quantity, etc. As a result,he and my mom in law spent only 2 hours doing shopping for the baby instead of 10 of they did not have the list. This book starts you off right in the long journey which not only requires your love but your money as well. While we should give our children unlimited love, we can sure limit how much we spend.

There's a lot of baby equipment out there.. Just walk into Babies R Us and you can quickly get overwhelmed!

Thankfully, I went armed with this book! It is true that many of the top suggestions are pricey, but I have found that you often (though not always!!) get what you pay for in terms of quality and features. If you get a less expensive and poorly constructed item, you may end up having to buy another to replace it. The authors do consider value in their ratings, so a less expensive and good quality product would get a better rating than a more expensive and good quality product.

I used it mainly as a ratings guide and to figure out what safety/convenience features to look for when shopping for baby equipment and what to avoid. I also liked their listing of outlets.

Sometimes I felt the authors let their personal design preferences affect their ratings, especially in the sections on bedding and clothing. Also, since they have two boys, they are more familiar with boy's stuff. In some areas, they only list one or two options, and a couple of times I have disagreed with their choices, based on experience.

Some of the information and pricing is outdated, but thankfully they have a website full of updates. Nowadays you can get great deals online with coupons and rebates: their next issue should have more information on online shopping. Since I bought this book, I have emailed the authors a few times to ask questions about baby products and, miracle of miracles, they actually replied with a personal and useful response!

I always recommend this book to my pregnant friends and relatives!

I have really enjoyed this book. I basically read it cover to cover and then used each section as I was ready to purchase. I liked their ideas for finding quality merchandise at lower prices. I wasn't looking for the "cheapest" products, just the best and safest at the lowest price. The rating systems they use with furniture, bedding, and baby products is extremely helpful since there are so many to choose from! It did lead me to a few companies I would not have thought of and reassured me on some of the products and companies I had already chosen.

I found this book to be complete and very helpful in buying items for my first baby. I don't have many friends or close family memebers with babies so I was looking for a book which would offer advice on the multitude of baby products on the market! It can be discouraging relying on salesmen (who are clearly trying to sell you a product) or on guesswork to figure out the best stroller, high chair, etc. for you. This book not only compares products and gives you "good, better & best" choices, it gives you information to make a decision about a product which may not make their top list but fits your needs adequately.

I am very budget conscious and found the authors' advice to be sympathetic to my budget as well as practical about where to pinch pennies and where to put the big bucks. It also helped me create a (hopefully) comprehensive list of items I need before the baby arrives and items that can be added later. This helps to spread purchases out over time and allow room in the budget for things --- only when they're necessary. I have used BABY BARGAINS to register for my showers and cannot imagine a store clerk spending the necessary time with me to go over each and every item in such detail. Also, the authors have researched companies and products so they are familiar with recalls and potentially dangerous products. Imagine getting that information from a sales person!

BABY BARGAINS is a useful, informative and comprehensive book that is definately worth the money. It will continue to be useful as my baby grows, too.