Customer Reviews

Consumer Reports Best Baby Products, 8th Edition

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

I will say that there is a fair amount of information provided if you are the type that likes to do all your own research while following general guidelines. With this book, you will actually have to go to the store, book in hand, and examine every product to see if it has the features you want. Consumer reports doesn't really recommend certain features over others- that is up to you. It just tells you what's out there. Overall, this book is surprisingly scant on actual ratings of products. Some categories only have one or two items rated. Many categories don't have anything at all rated or recommended, just information on what's available in the enormous baby market- which just left me more confused on what to get and why. There are so few things reviewed and some of the reports are pretty old- they actually have things rated that have been discountinued for a couple of years- and they say so! I just think it's pitiful to put out a "updated" book and knowingly give information on discontinued goods that none of us can buy. I have heard that they only review products that have been sent to them from a manufacturer so that it can be reviewed and published; I don't know for sure if this is true but maybe that's why there isn't much in it. I am a first-time mom and found this book no help at all- I learned more from salespeople at stores and shopping around online. Get "Baby Bargains"- the amount of detailed, updated information is remarkable and incredibly helpful (see my review). It tells you flat-out what you need and has brand recommendations and ratings for every item imaginable. Everything that is in the Consumer Reports book (except cars and cameras/camcorders) is well covered in the Baby Bargains book so don't worry about missing anything. The huge number of brands reviewed in Baby Bargains puts Consumer Reports to shame.

I expected this guide to give recommendations. Each chapter was quite brief, however, and didn't delve much into the actual pluses and minuses of the different products. Many of the products weren't even tested; they just gave a listing with the manufacturer's write-up. I found Baby Bargains by Denise and Alan Fields to be a lot more useful.

I would not recommend this book because the information it provided is readily available on the internet. I was hoping to find more specific recommendations for specific products. Instead, the majority of the items are defined and safety features are suggested without the specific products listed that have all of those things.

I was disappointed. The book provides a lot of information on "how to buy" (buying guides), but little information on "WHAT to buy" (recommended brands). Most items are NOT actually tested/reviewed ... the book merely provides a list of brands available - which I could get by walking into any baby store. Hoping 9th Edition is more complete.

I was thoroughly disappointed in this book. Very few of the items are actually reviewed, most don't have any listing of their features AND in the book they tell you the items that are reviewed CR didn't even evaluate themselves! A complete waste of $15.

I had a whole list of what to buy for my twins (due any day), but I had to revamp it after I read Best Baby Products. The book made me rethink what I needed, what I didn't and even pointed out products on the market that are actually unsafe. The product ratings were helpful, too, in terms of helping me narrow the field and determine what's safe and what performs highly in product testing. Definitely worth the $16.95, or whatever you pay for it.

I'm due in a couple months but have already completed my baby registry. After reading this book, I ended up having to re-do my registry, delete items, add items, change items. I've been looking for a buying guide like this and not even any of the parenting websites I visited has as much useful information as this book has. I think it is an excellent guide for new parents that feel overwhelmed when it comes to shopping for baby products. After all, you don't want to go buy looks and price alone.
Just keep in mind though that this book rates only the essentials and that not all the items they discuss are actually rated. But at least the book makes recommendations based on safety factors.
But the best thing I learned from this book was that just because an item is expensive, it doesn't mean it's the best or safest product for your baby.

At one of my last prenatal appointments, I was telling my OB about how overwhelmed I was with having to buy baby stuff and register for my baby shower. As a first-time mom, I was getting lots of conflicting advice from friends and coworkers about what to buy, what to skip, what products were good, etc. Having giving birth recently herself, my OB mentioned this book. So I went out and bought it. I found it to be EXTREMELY helpful. It gives good, solid unbiased buying advice for all the baby products you'll ever need, as well as specific product rating information, which is what Consumer Reports is known for--from diapers and diaper pails to car seats and strollers. You even get baby-proofing pointers. After that, I started shopping and registering with this book stashed in my purse. I felt so much more in control because I knew what makes and models of products I was looking for. I had a totally targeted list. (Even the salesperson was impressed. He actually said to me, "Wow, you really know what you're doing.") I can't imagine preparing for a new baby without this book. It's definitely $16.95 well spent.

I bought this book for my daughter who just gave birth to our first grandchild three weeks ago. I chose it because it has Consumer Reports behind it. My daughter has used it to buy a crib and a mattress and safety gates as well as a new car. The other books tell you what to buy based on their testing, but I don't know how they can compete with Consumer Reports, when they're not a major consumer advocacy organization who has been in business for decades. My feeling--when it comes to babies, especially my grandchild, go with the pros!

I am a big fan of the Consumer Reports organization, so this book was really disappointing. The whole point of referring to CR is not only that they summarize product features in one place, but also that they TEST products and tell you:

~ Which had features that worked as advertised
~ Which had features that did not work as advertises
~ Which products don't hold up over time
~ Which brands/items have the best safety records

Most of the sections of this book featured products that were not tested and therefore not rated. The section on breast pumps, for example, is several pages long and the pros and cons of the different types are discussed, and some brand names are mentioned, but there is no mention of how they actually functioned in testing or over time.

Of the few product segments that were tested and rated, the items were limited - only about 8 cribs are listed, for example. I learned more by reading on-line reviews from people who had bought the products than I did from this book.

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