Amazon.com: Best Baby Products, 9th Ed.: Sandra J. Gordon, Editors of Consumer Reports: Books

Product Description

More than two decades of new parents have turned to Consumer Reports Best Baby Products, the A-Z guide for everything they need to know about getting the best value on the safest products for their babies. This ninth edition is updated with the latest safety and product buying advice and exclusive Consumer Reports Ratings.

Consumer Reports is the only publisher that conducts its own independent, unbiased safety and effectiveness testing on products for babies. We accept no advertising in our publications. Everything we test is purchased by secret shoppers in the same stores that new parents shop in. We’ll tell you not only which products are best, but also which products to avoid because they are not safe, or simply are a waste of money. As a result Consumer Reports Best Baby Products is the indispensable companion for new parents navigating the complex maze of hundreds of available baby products.

What are the features to look for to make sure the crib you buy is a safe one? All-terrain strollers, stroller frames, umbrella strollers, travel systems? We’ll help you buy the parent-powered transporter that best suits your needs and budget. Does a pacifier really prevent sudden infant death syndrome? Written with warmth, wit and authority, Best Baby Products will help alleviate some of the anxiety caused by all the questions running through a new parent's mind. Consumer Reports buying advice and ratings allows buyers to streamline the selection process, avoid shopping pitfalls, and help keep the baby budget in balance.

Here is everything you need to know about: Baby bottles - Baby food - Backpack carriers - Bathtubs - Bedding - Bouncers - Breast Pumps - Cameras - Car seats - Changing tables - Clothing - Cribs - Diapers - Diaper bags - Diaper pails - Formula - Gates - High chairs - Kid-friendly cars - Mattresses - Monitors - Nursing Bras - Pacifiers - Play yards - Rocking chairs and gliders - Soft carriers - Stationary activity centers - Strollers - Stuffed animals - Swings - Toys - and more!

Plus:
          -How to administer medications to babies and children
          -Child-proofing and home-safety tips
          - Recent safety recalls

About the Author

Best Baby Products comes to you from Consumer Reports, the testing and consumer information source best known for product ratings and buying guidance. Since 1936, the mission of Consumer Reports has been to test products, inform the public, and protect consumers.

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Product Details

Paperback: 310 pages
Publisher: Consumer Reports; 9 edition (April 3, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1933524073
ISBN-13: 978-1933524078
Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (43 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #178,675 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	44% buy the item featured on this page: Best Baby Products, 9th Ed. 3.0 out of 5 stars (43) $12.20
	30% buy Baby Bargains, 8th Edition: Secrets to Saving 20% to 50% on Baby Furniture, Gear, Clothes, Toys, Maternity Wear and Much, Much More! 4.4 out of 5 stars (767) $11.43
	17% buy Best Baby Products, 10th Edition (Consumer Reports Best Baby Products) 3.6 out of 5 stars (9) $11.53
	6% buy Baby 411, Third Edition: Clear Answers & Smart Advice for Your Baby's First Year (Baby 411: Clear Answers and Smart Advice for Your Baby's First Year) 4.8 out of 5 stars (65) $10.15

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Customer Reviews

43 Reviews

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(11)

Average Customer Review

3.0 out of 5 stars (43 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

122 of 126 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars So Disappointed, April 4, 2007

By	Keith Blair (FL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I'm about to be a new parent and when I started buying stuff for my daughter, I figured I would turn to Consumer Reports to get some unbiased, properly tested ratings. I've spent way too much time on Amazon and eOpinions reading mixed and often conflicting reports on baby items. I saw this book in a magazine and thought, bingo! Just what I need. And a brand new version to boot!

Then today it arrived. It's hard to be objective when you're so utterly disappointed, but I'll try.

There are 368 pages total in the book. Of those 368 pages, there are a total of 141 ratings. Here are the categories included (along with how many product ratings you will find in each category):

Autos - 0 ratings *
Bottles/Nipples - 0 ratings
Baby Food - 0 ratings
Backpack Carriers - 4 ratings
Bathtubs - 0 ratings
Bicycle-mounted Child Seats & Trailers - 3 ratings kids helmets - 0 ratings for the chapter titled items
Bouncer Seats - 4 ratings
Breast Pumps - 0 ratings
Car Seats - 0 ratings **
Changing Tables & Dressers - 5 dressers, 5 armoires, 3 bookcases, 4 tv stands
Clothing - 0 ratings
Cribs - 0 ratings
Crib Alternatives - 0 ratings
Crib Bedding - 0 ratings
Crib Mattresses - 0 ratings
Diapers - 7 ratings
Diaper Bags - 0 ratings
Diaper Pails - 0 ratings
Digital Cameras - 0 ratings
Formula - 0 ratings
Gates - 11 ratings
High Chairs - 19 ratings
Humidifiers - 0 ratings
Monitors - 10 audio, 3 video
Nursing Bras - 0 ratings
Pacifiers - 0 ratings
Play Yards - 8 ratings
Rocking Chairs & Gliders - 0 ratings
Shopping-cart Covers - 0 ratings
Soft Infant Carriers - 8 carriers, 4 slings
Stationary Activity Centers - 3 ratings
Strollers - 6 ratings, 8 jogging, 8 all terrain
Swings - 0 ratings
Thermometers - 8 ratings
Toys - 0 ratings (16 battery ratings)
Walkers - 4 ratings
Stuffed Animals - 0 ratings

* - to be fair, it does show which vehicles placed first in each category of automobile.

** - also to be fair, there is a story on CRs web site indicating that they withdrew their most recent car seat tests due to testing issues. It still would have been more useful to have older ratings than none at all.

So for useful items like Bottles, Bathtubs, Car Seats, Cribs and Swings? 0 ratings. Combined. For baby video monitors they don't include Summer Infant monitors, which here on Amazon are amongst the highest customer rated.

Two items which I have not purchased as of yet (bassinet and swing)no reviews, but simply said things like "Look for a swing that has a sturdy, stable frame". I'm glad I had someone to tell me that, I never would have known otherwise.

Personally I couldn't recommend this book to anyone. It tries to cover a somewhat broad range of topics and does none of them well enough to be worthwhile. Reading reviews on Amazon or eOpinions will give you better information on which products to buy or avoid than this book even attempts to do. If you disagree, I strongly urge you to at least take a trip to a bookstore and flip through it before making your decision.

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20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Despite the Scarcity of Ratings This Guide Is Worthwhile!, April 18, 2007

By	Kathryn P. Harper "Mindful One" (Santa Clara, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

My husband and I have found this book to be invaluable. The guide is a thorough introduction to what kind of gear parents need for their baby, and it provides a good overview of the myriad products. We are expecting our first child, and we never would have known, for example, that silicone pacifiers exist and are generally recommended over latex (since latex can trigger allergies). Another example is the useful information given on the types of formula (cost, ease of use) and breast pumps; it's helped us clarify how we want to feed our child (breastfeed), what kind of pump to choose (manual or electric), and whether to rent or purchase a pump.

To be sure, there aren't a lot of specific product ratings. However, this market is in constant fluctuation, with changes to product designs and new products introduced frequently, so it's understandable why there aren't many ratings. The book would become outdated very quickly. And besides, there are some things that don't require ratings, such as stuffed animal toys. The book recommends what to look for in general, such as no small parts that could be choking hazards. It really isn't feasible to rate all the brands of stuffed toys that exist.

We went to stores and tried out gear, such as strollers, to learn about their ease of use. What the guide recommended as the best (Graco Quattro) I hated. It was too bulky, heavy, and not left-hand friendly. It's very important to handle the devices to see what works best for you. We have also done a lot of reading at Amazon and Epinions to see what customers say. Reading user feedback is far more helpful than the ratings in the guide would be, since laboratory testing is no match for real-life usage.

This is definitely worth purchasing, especially if you're new to parenthood.

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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not very helpful, July 11, 2007

By	David Morrison "microwave15" (Arlington, VA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I'm not impressed with this book...CR's botching of the child seat tests should have been corrected and updated. This book has no ratings of child car seats....nothing, and it's one of my upcoming purchases I am most concerned about. I also checked their website, and there's still no data.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Buy Baby Bargains Instead
I was given the Consumer Reports book and the Baby Bargains Book (by Denise and Alan Fields) as gifts. Read more

Published 2 months ago by ehf

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book for Guidance
I highly recommend this book to anyone that is looking for guidance on buying baby products. It does a good job with covering the basics. Read more

Published 4 months ago by Mom and Engineer

1.0 out of 5 stars Best Baby Products Consumer reports
This book was ordered as used on Jan 11 and have not received as yet. Very dissapointed.

Published 5 months ago by disappointed

5.0 out of 5 stars Very helpful
Good book from consumer reports. Has great lists of things you really need and it compares many different brands within each category.

Published 5 months ago by AP

5.0 out of 5 stars Good choice for new moms!
For me, there was only so much I could read about pregnancy. This book is a great tool to use before creating a baby registry. Read more

Published 5 months ago by Jamie S. Snead

2.0 out of 5 stars Ratings Deficient but Decent Reference
This is a decent general reference for first time parents; however, the claim that it includes ratings is a little misleading. Read more

Published 15 months ago by V. Windham

3.0 out of 5 stars My review of the Best Baby Products book
This wasn't exactly what I was looking for in a Baby Products book. I thought they would make it very clear on exactly what products you should buy, and rate them with stars... Read more

Published 15 months ago by S. Oakes

1.0 out of 5 stars Another disappointed reader
I will never buy another resource book w/out reading the reviews. I also thought this book would be the answer to the endless stressful research behind buying all of the... Read more

Published 15 months ago by amy ec

4.0 out of 5 stars A good book. However, a little disappointing...
There is very little information I can give you that hasn't already been covered. Like a previous reviewer I too was more than a little disappointed that this book lacked detailed... Read more

Published 16 months ago by " Anti Microchip "

3.0 out of 5 stars take it or leave it
difficult format to follow. i think the best advice comes from other moms, talk to them in terms of what they bought and why. Read more

Published 16 months ago by J. McIntyre

› See all 43 customer reviews...

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