Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(122)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(31)

 

 

I'm not sure what's going on with the melodrama in some of the other reviews, so I'm just going to give it to you straight. There are some great things about this book and it did save me a lot of money. There were also a few things I didn't like about it. I'd recommend that anyone in doubt go to a bookstore, and try to decide on a stroller or carseat based on what they find in the book. It really was helpful to me.

PROS-
1. The absolute best thing about this book is how it helps narrow down the choices in the loads and loads of available baby products. This was especially helpful with strollers and carseats. It tells you what options are available and what the good and bad in each option is. They include stuff that you might not think matters but really does, like how heavy an item is, whether or not you can take it on a plane, etc. Before you become a parent you don't think about how tired you can get lugging a too-heavy seat around or how uncomfortable it is to sit next to a huge carseat on the plane. I ended up picking my carseat based on the safety rating and price, and I picked my stroller based on features (basket, parent tray) and price. Once I decided those factors were what was important to me, the booked helped me to narrow down the options and make a choice. I've been really happy with everything I bought on the book's recommendation.

2. They usually tell you what the customer service from each company is like. I'm willing to pay a bit more for a product when I know that customer service won't be crappy if I run into any problems.

3. It reads well. They're funny.

4. It defines things that non-parents might not have a clue about. I had no idea what a onesie was until I read this.

5. Backup support. When I was putting our crib together, I found out I had no casters. I called the crib company to tell them they were missing, and they informed me they didn't give them out anymore unless consumers asked for them. New mom, hormones, I freaked out. I wondered if this shoddy service meant they made a crappy, unsafe crib, and I wondered if adding on the casters made it unsafe. I emailed the Fields and they kindly calmed me down and answered my questions. The "baby" is three now, and the crib was perfect for him.

I also love the boards they have. I popped in there to ask about a jogging stroller that I saw on clearance and I got a ton of informative answers from the other parents there.

6. I worked in a bookstore while I was pregnant, and I'm kind of a research girl, so I'd spend my lunch hours sitting on the floor in the pregnancy/parenting section reading through every book on the shelf. Yes, every book. This one ended up being my favorite for registering/buying purposes.

7. They review a lot of stuff! I ended up NOT buying a lot of things because of them giving a bad review (the one that comes to mind was a wipes warmer).

CONS

1. The books saved me money, but not by pointing out the cheapest stuff. Instead, it saved me money by pointing out the BEST stuff so I didn't have to replace things like a lot of my Mom Friends had to. Point in fact, some of the stuff recommended here is extremely expensive. I usually bought the item that they recommended as a good buy and passed over the expensive Peg Perinos, Britax, etc.

2. Guess I only had the one con!

And to the reviewers who are complaining that the authors don't even have a baby, I wanted to add that they do have kids. They USED to have a baby. Two, in fact. But ya know what, kids grow. Do they have to continue to have babies in order to remain a credible source?

I learned about this book from my prenatal class and bought it at a bricks and mortar, so I was stunned when making my essentials for baby listmania list to see the controversy surrounding this book on Amazon.

Simply put, I think that the negative reviewers say very little negative about the book, but say negative things about the authors. I was on bedrest for nearly 2 months before my son was born and live a very rural area of Wyoming, so I was not able to shop for my nursery items in a traditional way. This book ensured that I bought safe things that I needed. We made wise purchases with the help of the baby bargains book. I think that the real value lies in the fact that we didn't buy things that we don't use.

Good luck deciphering though this reviewing mess, but I think the book is a great help if you aren't able to get out and hit the pavement, or are a first time mommy and don't know what you need.

If your like me you read reviews before you buy products. And since your reading this right now that shows that this is a GREAT book for you. Obviously you are concerned if you are buying the best product and that is EXACTLY what this book does for you. My mother-in-law had a patient that HIGHLY recommended this book to her and I must admit I was a little skeptical at first. I personally have never been big on 'eck' research! But when it came to my child I wanted the best and safest products! Without this book I would NEVER have been able to find that. My husband and I took this book EVERYWHERE we went shopping and I was constantly flipping through it while I was shopping online! It is well written, easy to follow, and even has great anicdotes. If you read the book you'll see its not just the writers' opinions but they have done the research (you can even verify their safety data websites provided in book). When I had issues or needed help with a product. I typed in baby bargains on google and found windsorpeak.com! Here I was able to email the authors w/ my questions (about new baby stores, products, etc) and I always got a quick EXTREMELY helpful response! I am so thankful that this book was given to me that I have bought SEVERAL copies for my close friends that are expecting/have children!!! GREAT BOOK!!! *I think the negative reviews HAVE to be written for a different book!

I don't know what is going on with these reviews, I read some of them and I absolutely do not agree. My wife and I used to the book at Baby r Us as we walked isles registering for gifts. It was very helpful and well worth the investment.

If you think this is a fake review you can email (scholl734@yahoo.com) me or look up our baby registry, right here on Amazon.

I had the Bridal Bargains book when I was getting married and was a bit worried about the baby bargains book. For instance, Bridal Bargains said to not buy anything from David's Bridal and I got an amazing dress there for $450. It was new (never tried on), perfect size and didn't need adjustments.

However, I kept hearing how good the Baby Bargains book was for registering, so I got it. I was worried about not getting the Graco Travel System and instead going with a Peg Perego Pliko P3. However, I am so happy I did. I watch other moms struggle with the heavy Graco strollers and count my blessings as I lift my P3 into my car with one hand.

I also ended up buying a lot of stuff at Baby Supermart because when I walked in, they said they only stock the highest rated stuff. As I kept checking the book, I found that every item there was highly rated. I love our Baby's Dream furniture set and my Arm's Reach Co-sleeper.

I do not think the book steered me wrong at all. Well, they did say to buy 100 newborn diapers and my son was almost 10 lbs, so came home in Size 1's from the hospital. However, I returned the newborn sized bags and got size 1's with no problems.

My son is now 6 months old and I think I will be checking the book for ratings for a while. Real moms rate the products, so while the best rated products end up not being the cheapest, I don't find myself replacing anything with a better item.

I didn't get the Consumer Reports book because they rated the Dyson vacuum cleaner lower than the hoover and I just happened to have replaced my terrible hoover with the Dyson and loved it. I've had the Dyson for 3 years now and still love it. And we have 3 cats and 3 dogs.

I think Consumer Reports tests their products in their labs and while some products perform better in a lab, at home it's a different situation.

I always refer to this book before I make any major (or not so major) baby purchases. It offers practical advice on product features and product quality. I buy it for all of my friends who are expecting. It's well worth the money.

This book really helped me figure out what type of stroller I needed and helped me make some decisions on a variety of other items including our car seat, crib and high chair. I thought it was a great resource, but I did do other research on some of the items just to help make up my mind. I would recommend this book to someone who is having their first child and is overwhelmed by all of the baby products and brands out there.

If you want someone to tell you exactly which brands & products to purchase and which to avoid, get this book- it's so thorough and detailed that you really don't have to do any research on your own. Assuming you trust the writers and you don't want to spend the time researching, then I recommend Baby Bargains. Some people like to do their own leg-work and that's understandable so you may like Consumer Reports too. However, I also bought Consumer Reports and was really dissapointed with it- some of the reviews are old and the products aren't even on the market anymore. Additionally, there are very few actual ratings though it does provide a fair amount of information if you want to go out and test everything yourself using their guidelines. I am a first-time mother and have been totally overwhelmed with the amount of baby stuff on the market, not knowing what I do and don't really need, and all the different brands. Plus, since I work full-time, I don't have time to go out and research everything with my own hands and eyes. The book breaks down which brands are good, which items are necessary and not, and price brackets so you don't overpay. I love the checklists and summaries. I've kept my sanity (and some extra money in the bank) because of this book. My husband also really appreciates and likes the book. It really has made the process of building a nursery and getting all material goods ready for the baby easy.

I'm pregnant for the first time and am happy that I bought this book. I was feeling overwhelmed by the multitude of baby products availabe and found this book helped me figure a lot out. I'm still struggling, trying to figure out what's needed and what can be skipped, but this was a great starting point. Unless you're an expert on buying for baby this book is well worth purchasing!

I was the first of my friends to get pregnant, so I didn't really have anyone I could ask for recommendations. This book served that purpose and then some. It was a great jumping-off point to know what to look for and where to find it in the MASSIVE world of baby products. I do think it should be called "Baby Values" instead of Baby Bargains, because what the authors recommend are not the cheapest products, but the best value for the money.

For example, instead of buying a pretty-much disposable Graco stroller for $90, the authors recommend higher-end strollers like Peg Perego and Inglesina, which (if cared for properly) can be resold for close to what you pay for them. I followed their advice, spent $215 (with a coupon) on a $300 Inglesina Zippy, then turned around and resold it on Craigslist for $185. End cost to me for awesome stroller: $30. Now that IS a bargain.