Each chapter contains fairly complete information on your brand options, advantages and disadvantages of each brand, company contact and website info. Moreover, the authors guide you towards money saving mail order and website sources. Other reviewers critique the "best" rated brands as pricey and they are. However, the "best" rated brand may not be what is best for you and your family. You simply garner the information and make decisions based upon your needs and budget.

Perhaps my greatest disappointment with the book is that the biggest savings are either overlooked or outright dismissed. Most dismaying was the lack of discussion on savings provided by breastfeeding, homemade baby food, cloth diapering, and homemade baby wipes. After all, we're talking about Baby Bargains and you'd be suprised how much these "repeat" necessities add up!

All of these "cost savings" techniques are easier than you think, but the authors either never touch on the subject or if they do, they dismiss it. For example, homemade baby food is never touched upon. I'm not implying that we must all make all of our own baby food; however, there are some cost effective ways to decrease what you spend on baby food (i.e. mash single food ingredients instead of buying them premashed in baby food jars, etc. . .) An excellent book based on the subject is Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron. It is based on the premise that you can spend as much or as little time making baby food.

Moreover, it is clear from their tone ("Cloth diapers can't hold a candle to today's super-absorbent disposable diapers.") that the authors have never cloth diapered their children. The authors mention that Mother Ease has a following. Granted, they make some nice (and pricey) diapers, but they're not the only way to go (just like every family doesn't need a Peg Perego stroller).

Many cloth diaper users use inexpensive Chinese prefolds, no pins, and snap or velcro wraps. The authors claim you'll spend more because of the various sizes . . . hogwash . . . most of us are able to safely skip sizes. I know, my son is comfortably wearing the same size cover at 7 months that he wore at 1 month. We invested approximately $100 7 months ago and are still going strong!

Granted, cloth diapering is not for everyone, but it is easier and more convenient than most people think. Our biggest difficulty was the first couple of weeks . . . figuring out what diapers worked for us and how to care for them. Three dozen prefolds and an extra 2 loads of laundry a week. From the pail to the wash, I never realized how easy it could be. It's a shame the authors didn't try it themselves before dismissing it as "costing as much" as disposables and "most folks don't have the time or energy". It just isn't so!

Finally, Baby Bargains totally misses the mark when it comes to coupons, particularly those available online. There are a plethora of sites dedicated to discounts, online coupon codes and rebates for the baby stores you're most likely to shop at. Had I known about these sites when we did our shopping last year, we'd have saved hundreds more than the initial savings we realized from Baby Bargains.

Overall, I would recommend purchasing Baby Bargains. After all, it is a *really* good book for product information, what you need and what you don't. However, it could definitely go farther in saving you money with low cost alternatives and online coupon website recommendations!


A better resource than the Consumer Reports version.   August 29, 2000
 160 out of 192 found this review helpful

Put this one in the "I shoulda payed attention" category. I noted, while checking the reviews to the Consumer Reports book "Guide to Baby Products," that the Fields' book was clearly given the nod as the better book. Still, I've been a Consumer Reports subscriber for many years, and I reasoned that "Guide to Baby Products" must surely have information that "Baby Bargains" lacked. So, I bought both of them. My advice? Those other reviewers were right. "Baby Bargains" is as least as complete in its evaluations of products, and it's a much better source of background information. To boot, it's warmer in tone, funny, and a more enjoyable read all around. Buy "Baby Bargains" and skip CU's book.


Great Bargains & Reviews, but read carefully!   December 18, 1999
 79 out of 85 found this review helpful

It will be my baby shower gift from now on! This book is EXCELLENT - great for 1st time parents or parents who want to buy the best stuff at the best price. It's also useful for ensuring good baby gifts, especially baby clothes. People who don't have babies buy all the wrong clothes - no easy diaper access, snaps in back & not front, etc. So be sure to share the baby clothes tips!

Some readers complain that a lot of the recommended brands are pricey - like Peg Perego strollers. True, but you need to read ALL the recommendations. Peg Perego is said to be the best stroller. However, the text notes that only city-dwellers really need a stroller this light and durable. For suburbanites, the 4-in-1 travel system from Century is recommended, and it is cheaper than Peg Perego. I have a 4-in-1 Century Travel System, and I'm very happy with it. I bought it based on Baby Bargains' recommendation. Sometimes the book is wordy or confusing but this is a minor complaint. Read and reread this book - there's alot of info here - too much to memorize. Take it with you on shopping trips for quick reference! And be sure to check their website for updates!


Invaluable for a first-time parent   December 12, 1999
 31 out of 34 found this review helpful

Being a new parent is exciting, and preparing for the arrival of the baby can be very confusing. My first visit to one of the enormous baby stores left me overwhelmed by the array of products. Asking other parents what to buy only helped nominally since we got conflicting information based on individual biases. We looked at the Consumer Reports guide at the local bookstore and were very disappointed by it as it did not review individual products. Baby Bargains did in fact save us a lot of money. For example, based upon its recommendation we decided to give it a go without buying a changing table. We have found that by using a waterproof pad under the baby and arranging the room for easy access to changing supplies we have no need for one, which saved us $170.00. We also found the stroller reviews VERY helpful as both of us are 6' or over-it was important to us to have a stroller that would be comfortable for tall people. The ratings helped us find the only travel system combination that was rated highly for convenience and portability as well as having an expanding stroller bar. Previous trips to the superstore had left us confused by the huge array of strollers and staff that were unable to explain features or differences."Where to buy" information also helped save us money since prior to becoming pregnant we never paid attention to who stocked what in baby products or who manufactured 100% cotton baby clothes. I also never paid attention to maternity wear to know that Target stocks inexpensive cotton basics, which saved us a lot of money over maternity store pricing. They did the comparison shopping for us, and sometimes information on who manufactured and/or stocked the best products was surprising. Overall the book was well worth the small amount of money we paid since it saved us much more. I do agree with one of the reviewers below in that sometimes what was most highly recommended was more expensive. However, the ratings always gave information that helped us make an informed decision if we did spend more money. We opted for a more expensive crib based on the information regarding who used solid wood but saved money by avoiding double drop sides, a feature that the book pointed out was redundant if your crib was going to be against a wall. Great book for making the informed decision and should save you at least the cost of the book purchase...if it doesn't they will refund your money so you really have nothing to lose!


Not great for the truly frugal, but good product reviews.   January 1, 1997
 30 out of 51 found this review helpful

This book has very useful product reviews so those ofus on the market for baby stuff can make informed decisions.The Fields also provide lots of information about where to get the best retail prices for baby stuff. They generally promote a couple large chains of baby superstores (which should be the obvious choice anyway, assuming there is one in your community). A few things about this book really surprised me, however. Since the book is purportedly about how to get what you need for your baby cheaply, I was stunned at how non-frugal the Fields really are. They recommended the following items as essential: 1) a "Diaper Genie" to squelch the odor of used disposable diapers. 2) A machine that warms baby wipes (what's wrong with using a warm damp washcloth?) 3) an electric piston breast pump that costs $1200 but that you can rent for "only" $50 per month. 4) a certain brand of frozen baby dinners (forzen baby dinners?? Haven't they ever heard of manual food grinders that easily and quickly convert adult food into paste suitable for babies?) While they did mention the possibility of using consignment and thrift stores, I am not convinced they have ever been in a thrift store (they usually focused on the more expensive consignment stores whenever the subject of second-hand items came up. Also, there was no mention whatsoever of buying clothes, toys and other items at yard sales, where you can buy many things for 90% off retail. They also tried to argue that cloth diapers are MORE expensive than disposable diapers, which is a ridiculous proposition unless you assume (like they did) that everyone would use a diaper service. You can save many hundreds of dollars a year by using cloth diapers and washing them yourself. The Fields also seem oblivious to the fact that moms don't have to work if the family just uses some creative frugality. (Their assumption that all mothers have to work drove them to recommend as "essential" the $50/mo expenditure on the more efficient electric piston breast pump.) I'm only glad I didn't fork over my own money for this book (I got it for Christmas). If you really want to learn how to cut the cost of child-raising, buy The Tightwad Gazette, The Tightwad Gazette II, and The Tightwad Gazette III (just released). These are available through Amazon books.