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Best Baby Products, 9th Ed. (Best Baby Products) | 
| Authors: Sandra J. Gordon, Editors Of Consumer Reports
Publisher: Consumer Reports
Category: Book
List Price: $16.95
Buy New: $11.53
You Save: $5.42 (32%)
Rating:  38 reviews
Sales Rank: 285347
Media: Paperback
Edition: 9
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 310
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.8
ISBN: 1933524073
Dewey Decimal Number: 649.1220284
EAN: 9781933524078
Publication Date: April 3, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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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
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| Customer Reviews: Read 33 more reviews...
 So Disappointed April 4, 2007
114 out of 118 found this review helpful
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.
 Despite the Scarcity of Ratings This Guide Is Worthwhile! April 18, 2007
18 out of 20 found this review helpful
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.
MUST have for a first time mom or any mom September 8, 2007
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
No this book doesn't tell you to go out and buy this specific stroller or crib or car seat but it does review what things to check for while you are looking. There are just way too many choices out there for them to pick one (or a couple) item from each category and tell everyone to buy that item. What works for one person may not for another. I found this book very helpful. I'm going to be a first time mom in 3 months and every time I walk through the baby aisles in the stores (or online) looking at baby supplies my head would spin from the variety and quantity of products out there. How on earth can people choose! Of course we all want what is best for our babies! I go to consumer reports when I want to make a major purchase so when I found out they published a book on all their baby products I was relieved. Nothing is more important to me than having safe, reliable products for my baby. I am so glad I got it. The book reviews everything from cribs to car seats to pacifiers and bottles, bathtubs and beyond. It also discusses what NOT to get (i.e. some products that have not been deemed safe) which is equally important. I will be going to register for my shower with this book in my hand. There is a baby basics checklist in the beginning on which I have been taking notes as I read (and sometimes re-read) this book. It will make the registering a much easier process. I am buying this book for all my friends who are pregnant! Good luck to all the new moms and dads!
Skip this book and just buy Baby Bargains October 15, 2007
8 out of 10 found this review helpful
This book was a major disappointment. I spent about 30 minutes flipping through it looking for some solid product reviews, but it really missed the mark. I just wanted to know how certain things rated, like strollers and car seats, and the book just skimmed over those topics. Skip this book and just buy Baby Bargains... I wish I had saved my money.
Not very helpful July 12, 2007
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
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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