When I first announced I was pregnant, several of my coworkers all recommended this book to me. I was skeptical at first. I'm not usually one to run around trying to save a few cents here and there. So I really wasn't sure how useful a book called "Baby Bargains" would be. But after it was recommended to me time and again, I figured I ought to check it out.
It was great. But not for the reasons I expected.
Yes, it has some hints and tips on ways to save money for baby. It also has suggestions for what baby gear is essential and what you can probably do without. But the best part about this book is the product reviews. I love the product reviews, and I'm not sure what I would have done without them!
For any given category of baby gear (cribs, high-chairs, play yards, car seats, you name it!), Baby Bargains first gives a category overview, then provides a review for each of the major manufacturers and models. Reviews include a paragraph about the product and a letter grade. At the end of the chapter there are recommendations for "good", "better", and "best" products, along with recommendations for grandma's house (i.e. secondary products you'll only use now and again) and recommendations for products if someone else is paying or money is no object.
I found this book to be tremendously helpful while preparing for my daughter's arrival. I learned a lot about the product categories that really interested me. I took their recommendations at face value for items that didn't matter to me quite as much. And I've been happy with all of my purchases.
I also have to add that perusing this book makes you feel like you're being incredibly productive, especially when you're pregnant and too tired to actually go pounding the pavement from store to store. Knowing what you want to buy is just as good as buying it, right? And now that so many baby registries let you add products online, you can sit at your computer with this book in hand and make significant progress on your registry.
Finally, I've found this book helpful even after my daughter was born. Certain categories either didn't catch my eye the first time around or weren't worth thinking about at the time, but were very useful several months down the road. For example, there is a nice discussion of baby food brands. This is something new parents don't need, but something that may confound parents of a six-month-old. Ditto for booster seats for the car(I haven't yet reached that stage of parenting!). So I've found myself flipping through Baby Bargains over and over. It's definitely one of the most helpful books in my library.
Final Rating: Buy
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