Baby Bargains: Secrets to Saving 20% to 50% on baby furniture, gear, clothes, toys, maternity wear and much, much more! [Paperback]

Initially, this book was the end-all-be-all for us. After we found out we were pregnant with our first, several of our friends told us we MUST get this book. So we did, and the information contained within seemed all-encompassing, and like the only reference we'd ever need. As the months of my pregnancy continued on and our research on different items expanded and deepened, we started realizing that several of the Baby Bargains reviews didn't match up with reviews we were reading elsewhere, including on Amazon. The Baby Bargains authors have a tendency to review items with an authoritative tone that is not always warranted or based on in-depth research. To be sure, there is A LOT of research put into the book, but it also covers A LOT of items, so in some instances, certain items don't get the same scrutiny as others, but the reader can't really discern in which instances this is happening. It becomes more apparent as you start researching the items you've narrowed it down to using resources other than Baby Bargains. I was looking at baby monitors on Amazon the other day, and based on user review (actual parents), there were a couple monitors that jumped out at me as the best (no 1 or 2 star ratings -- all 4 and 5 stars, out of over 50 ratings). I looked up the brand in our Baby Bargains book, and found that it was rated "F"! And the reason the BB authors gave it an F is actually refuted by someone in the medical field in one of the 5 star Amazon reviews. That didn't sit real well with me, especially for something as important as a Baby Monitor. I've had other experiences like that with items recommended by Baby Bargains, where they say "get this not that", and I do some more googling, and find that parents are actually not too happy with the Baby Bargains-recommended items.

Is this book worth getting? Yes. It's a great, one-stop-shopping roadmap of sorts for all the STUFF you need / don't need, particularly useful for first-time parents. That said - it should not be considered the ONLY resource / authority on baby buying. Like all the manufacturers of all the baby stuff out there, Baby Bargains is also a business -- they're in it to make money as much as the next guy. There's nothing wrong with that, but I do think it's important to keep in the back of your head. While they don't get paid to recommend one brand over another, they DO get paid (by those of us who buy their books) for coming across as the "experts" on all things baby-related. And they simply aren't. I recommend starting with the book, narrowing it down to options you're considering, and then doing additional research on the items that really matter - crib, car seat, baby monitor, etc. Beyond that, I pay particular attention to recent reviews NOT in Baby Bargains written by folks in the medical / pediatric fields. While Baby Bargains will often say something like, "According to the American Academy of Pediatrics...", they rarely say "According to pediatrician Joe Smith..." In other words, you start to get the feeling that maybe they just googled the American Academy of Pediatrics and passively noted their regulations, rather than actually talking to a real pediatrician about a particular item. Anyway, in sum, get the book, and take into consideration what they say, but don't consider it the Gospel on baby merchandise...

A friend of mine recommended this book because, as a first-time mom, I don't know what babies actually need versus what's just hype. And this book is absolutely GREAT for that!

However ... the Kindle version is missing large chunks that appear in the table of contents, and that I assume also appear in the print version. For example, in Chapter 2 (Nursery Necessities), the first 16 sections are there (about what baby stores are the best, registries, and some general guidelines on how to buy a crib); but after "Not Made in China," it skips straight to Chapter 3! There are TWENTY-EIGHT missing sections in Chapter 2, including the actual reviews of various crib manufacturers and all the sections about other nursery furniture like changing tables, gliders, bassinets and co-sleepers. So despite having paid for this book, I actually still have no idea what to look for in nursery furniture.

If everything listed in the table of contents were actually in the book, this would DEFINITELY be a five-star product; but so much of it is not there that I'm going to have to buy a different book to do the same thing, so it was a complete waste of money for me and therefore only gets one star.

The 9th edition (2011) of "Baby Bargains" is the must-buy guide to help you pick the best baby products available in the market today. Signifantly better than previous editions, it is full of product reviews, ratings, side-by-side comparisons and recommendations that will save you tons of time, money and frustration when shopping for baby items or drawing up your baby registry. Parent feedback, recall information, marketing gimmicks, and pros and cons are all explained and taken into account - simply said, no other source has this much up-to-date information at your fingertips.

New for this edition is an extensive section on the many new car seats, strollers and carriers available. The sections on individual car seats (rated by brand and model) is excellent. For strollers, however, it's worth noting that they are only rated by manufacturer. Most models usually have a one-paragraph descriptions that include price, weight and parent feedback, so if you're looking for detailed reviews on individual models (for example the City Mini vs. City Select strollers), you won't find that here - probably because there's simply way too many (Maclaren alone has nine models).

What really matters though is their analysis of overall quality for the brand, their customer service, recalls and pros/cons, all very useful if you're trying to pick between two different brands. For example, if overall quality and customer service for one brand is not be great, this will be reflected in the rating and the authors may point you to a better option for the same price.

That said, I do have some small gripes - although the book mentions many new items, it also includes some products that are no longer sold at retail, like the Chicco Twin Trevi stroller which was discontinued last year. Not bad if you're buying second-hand but not great if you want to buy new. There is also about a one-year lag in terms of the products mentioned in categories other than strollers, carriers and car seats - I couldn't find popular products that work well for travel or small spaces (a big missing category) such as the Phil & Teds Traveller Crib that's a lot smaller than the Baby Bjorn travel crib they recommend, the FlexiBath Infant Bath Tub that folds flat for small spaces and can be used to age 4 (unlike the tubs they mention that are for babies younger than 6 months or huge to store), and the Kidco Go-Pod portable activity seat that folds to 30" x 8" x 8". Hopefully they will be included in the new edition.

Likewise, the authors sometimes skim over product descriptions - an Ergo Performance carrier is simply described as having a special lighterweight fabric when in fact it has a completely different fit and design when compared to the original Ergo. This doesn't happen too often though.

In terms of what you'll find - chapters include nursery essentials (cribs, bassinets, dressers, mattresses, gliders, changing tables etc.), baby bedding, baby clothes, diapers, maternity & nursing clothes, feeding (nursing, bottles, formula, baby food, high chairs), gear for around the house (monitors, gates, diaper pails, swings, potty seats, bouncers, playards, etc), car seats, strollers (singles & doubles), bike trailers and seats, diaper bags, plus an extensive section on carriers. Throughout the book, you'll find money-saving tips, wastes of money, features to look for in a product and best places to buy.

Other chapters include a reality check on costs for the first year (average vs a Baby Bargains budget), new safety rules (cribs, etc), organic baby items, what you need when, an appendix with a sample baby registry and another appendix with multiples advice (twins and more) which unfortunately is just 2 pages long and woefully inadequate (a dowload they suggest on their site from a reader contains a high chair they gave a C+ raing to - did they even read it?).

Besides the book, the authors also run the baby bargains dot com website (easy to find, google "baby bargains") where you will find a very detailed table of contents and tons of bonus material not found in the book. This includes crib maker reviews, in-depth advice on bottles and supplies, humidifiers, toys, baby proofing tips, baby announcements, mail order sources, archive of old reviews, extra stroller reviews, and advice on introducing baby to your pets. Also, it has a handy chart that lists stroller models with one-hand folds and/or height-adjustable handles and travel tips for flying with your child.

With the average cost of raising a baby at about $7,000 for the first year alone, this book will save you around $3,000 if you follow all the tips and suggestions in the book. If it doesn't save you at least $250, the publisher will give you a full refund on the cost of the book, no questions asked - details of their guarantee are in back. Even with a few faults here and there it's still an excellent book - I'm glad to say I've never had to take them up on this offer.