Product Description

Oh baby! With the average newborn racking up $6000 for the first year alone, expectant moms and dads need all the creative cost-cutting ideas they can find. Baby Bargains is the answer. Inside, parents find detailed ratings and reviews of baby gear, plus handy charts that compare brands and models.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #219 in Books
• Published on: 2007-04-25
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 608 pages

Amazon.com
Congratulations, you're expecting a baby! What you may not be expecting is all of the requisite gear you "need" to look after your dear bundle. Fear not. Denise and Alan Fields, authors of Bridal Bargains, are here to tell you what's super and what's silly, and how to find it at the best price. You'll learn all about how (and where) to shop for a crib and dresser (including how to get European styling at reasonable prices), what you need in bedding and what can be skipped (a hint: no baby requires the $200 quilt!), which clothing brands are safest and least expensive, and how to shop for monitors, toys, car seats, strollers, books, videos, and more. The authors have field-tested every major brand (and several of the minor ones), and they provide star ratings and annotations at the end of every chapter. A helpful feature in each chapter called "Wastes of Money" will steer you away from $35 Baby Air Jordans and frilly diaper stackers that match your bedding. If that's not enough, they offer a money-back guarantee: If the book doesn't save you at least $250 in baby expenses, they'll refund the price of the book. Well researched and written in a witty and comfortable tone, Baby Bargains should be required reading for every safety- and money-conscious parent-to-be. --Rebecca A. Staffel

Customer Reviews

Great book for new parents!
My cousin, who is also a first time mommy, recommended this.
It is very refreshing to find a non-bias source of information in this crazy baby industry.
We are parents-to-be on a budget and this book really helps to put things in order. There is also a website with updates and forums that you should check out.
For all new parents out there - this is the book to get!

Really Worthless
At best the authors offer suggestions that anyone could figure out. At worst they advise you to buy things you don't really need and steer you towards their favorite retailers with little regard to price. I don't think they understand what the word "bargain" means. A choice example is recommending Japanese Weekend, one the more expensive maternity clothes retailers. This is not good advice for people looking to save money. Mentioning JW website has a sales page (which store doesn't?!) cannot justify recommending an high-end, overpriced store in a book about saving money.

What made me really swear off this book is their advice about never taking any hand-me-downs from friends. This quote really sums of how misguided this book is (from the section recommending a new $190 playpen): "Yes, you can search government recall lists to see if that hand-me-down is recalled, but we'd skip the hassle and just buy new." What kind of a bargain book is this?

If you're looking for a way to justify buying a bunch of stuff you don't need or can't afford, this is the book for you. If you're looking for a bargain, the best is to save $12 and "skip the hassle" of buying this book.

Lots of great tips
I bought this book on a recommendation of a friend, and I'm glad I did! This book shares lots of great tips on how to get the best deals on all kinds of baby products, from maternity clothes to nursery furniture and everything in between. As a first-time mom-to-be, I found it particularly helpful to decide what I really needed, what I should spend more money on (as opposed to trying to buy on the cheap), and what is a waste of money. The only gripe I have is that I have been having a hard time finding a few of the products/brands that they recommend in the book, but I guess that's really not their fault.