Guide to Baby Products, 6th Edition (Best Baby Products) [Paperback]

The Editors of Consumer Reports (Author)

Book Description

Series: Best Baby Products | Publication Date: May 12, 1999

This revised, updated guide to value, safety, durability, comfort, and performance in baby products, by the author of Crying Baby, Sleepless Nights, includes ratings charts, an index, and fifty informative black-and-white photographs. Original.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This edition has been completely revised and updated to reflect the latest product evaluations; from baby car seats and cribs to judging the safety of older products. The inclusion of used hand-me-downs strengthens a title which will appeal to any who have a new baby in the house. -- Midwest Book Review --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Publisher

WELCOME TO BABY WORLD

There are few events in life more exciting than having a baby. And expectant parents want to welcome their new addition not just with joy and love, but also with the most secure and nurturing environment they can create. That's why baby stores all over the country are filled with future parents test-driving strollers, cuddling stuffed toys, and tracking down the most secure cribs and car seats.

Baby-product choices are heartfelt and personal. What you buy should be functional and safe, too. Consumer Reports can help by letting you know what's out there. The knowledge of its baby-products experts, based on the results of unbiased, side-by-side testing, can guide you as you gauge quality. Consumer Reports can also help you discern value, scanning the marketplace and telling you when quality is connected to the price tag, when you need to buy new, and when used is OK.

HOW THIS BOOK CAN HELP

As you decide on your own individual selections, consider GUIDE TO BABY PRODUCTS your personal shopping consultant. It covers a wide range of essential baby products, consolidating the very latest information on quality, safety, product features, and cost to assist you in making smart, informed buying decisions. It's designed to familiarize you with the broad array of baby merchandise, pointing you toward the best products and away from the less than best.

GUIDE TO BABY PRODUCTS is divided into two parts. The first delivers the big-picture advice you'll need on cribs, car seats, strollers, high chairs, baby-monitors, all those enticing toys, and more. Ther is also information on feeding products such as bottles, breast pumps, and formula, as well as diapering and bathing essentials and those cute clothes. To help you record key milestones such as baby's first steps, there's a chapter on cameras, camcorders, and baby books, old-style and online.

The second part of the book is a Reference section designed to make it easy to find information when you are ready to buy or simply need to check a fact. The product guide gives you a quick look at your shopping choices, listing major brands and models and their features in an easy-to-use format. You'll also find manufacturers' phone numbers and web addresses as well as a list of retail outlets. Toward the back of the book are the latest Consumer Reports Ratings of key equipment such as car seats and play yards; a selection of parenting organizations, publications and web sites; tips on babyproofing your home; facts on drugs commonly prescribed for children; and a list of product recalls. There are also checklists and worksheets to help you organize your shopping effort. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 328 pages
• Publisher: Consumer Reports; 6 edition (May 12, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0890439184
• ISBN-13: 978-0890439180
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,959,221 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

66 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Useful Information ... For First Time Parents Especially, April 21, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Guide To Baby Products: 5th Edition (Best Baby Products) (Paperback)

The Guide to Baby Products is a useful book in the traditional "Consumer Reports" style. For each category of baby product, there is a chapter that introduces you to the features of those types of products, issues to look for especially in terms of safety and durability, and then finally, includes a comparison of various products on a feature by feature basis. There are chapters on cribs, car seats, high chairs, for example.
If you are a new parent to be, and appreciate a logical analysis of products, this is the book for you.
I, on-the-other-hand, think that the book that you really MUST buy is Denise and Alan Field's "Baby Bargains" book. What I loved about their book was that they had strong opinions for and against certain products and were not afraid to express them. They also have lots of advice about where to buy products to get the best price.
I believe that your book preference will depend on how you like information presented. I found it useful to have both books side by side so that I could assimilate information from both.
Finally, I am so glad that there are book like the Guide to Baby Products and Baby Bargains to help us parents-to-be through the maze of baby product shopping.

45 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Worthwhile, but . . ., August 29, 2000

By 

H. Johnson "Hal Johnson" (Bella Vista, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Guide to Baby Products, 6th Edition (Best Baby Products) (Paperback)

This isn't a bad book. It has a good deal of useful information for first time parents. Still, as a long-time Consumer Reports reader, I was a little disappointed to find that more products weren't evaluated. I agree with some previous reviewers: Denise and Alan Fields' book, "Baby Bargains," offers more background information, educated opinions, and outright slams. (The sections on items to avoid is priceless for we first-timers who want the best for our babies, and sometimes get chumped as a result.) While the Fields probably haven't used the same scientific methods to arrive at their evaluations as has Consumer Reports, they have at their disposal years of feedback from their readers. If you plan to buy only one book on the subject, I'd recommend "Baby Bargains." However, the Consumer Reports book does compliment the information offered in the "Baby Bargains" nicely, and is worthwhile if you're given to seeking "too much information." (My wife's words.)

49 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Few ratings....instead try "Baby Bargains", November 29, 1999

By 

C.W. (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Guide to Baby Products, 6th Edition (Best Baby Products) (Paperback)

I was here to buy the Consumer Reports Guide, and after reading the previous reviews here, I bought both the CR and the Baby Bargains book. I was disappointed with the CR book; you can get the two product reviews it has in two previously published CR magazine issues. Instead "Baby Bargains" is much more what I was looking for. It is full of product reviews evaluating safety, cost, necessity, etc. And most of their information is emailed to the authors by current parents. Skip the CR Guide and go for "Baby Bargains".