Guide To Baby Products: 5th Edition

Helps parents, relatives, and friends select the best cribs and mattresses, baby foods, carriers, high chairs and booster seats, child safety seats, portable cribs, strollers, health and safety devices, and playpens, among other items. Original.

WELCOME TO BABY WORLD

There are few events in life more exciting than having a baby. And expectant parents want to welcome their new addition not just with joy and love, but also with the most secure and nurturing environment they can create. That's why baby stores all over the country are filled with future parents test-driving strollers, cuddling stuffed toys, and tracking down the most secure cribs and car seats.

Baby-product choices are heartfelt and personal. What you buy should be functional and safe, too. Consumer Reports can help by letting you know what's out there. The knowledge of its baby-products experts, based on the results of unbiased, side-by-side testing, can guide you as you gauge quality. Consumer Reports can also help you discern value, scanning the marketplace and telling you when quality is connected to the price tag, when you need to buy new, and when used is OK.

HOW THIS BOOK CAN HELP

As you decide on your own individual selections, consider GUIDE TO BABY PRODUCTS your personal shopping consultant. It covers a wide range of essential baby products, consolidating the very latest information on quality, safety, product features, and cost to assist you in making smart, informed buying decisions. It's designed to familiarize you with the broad array of baby merchandise, pointing you toward the best products and away from the less than best.

GUIDE TO BABY PRODUCTS is divided into two parts. The first delivers the big-picture advice you'll need on cribs, car seats, strollers, high chairs, baby-monitors, all those enticing toys, and more. Ther is also information on feeding products such as bottles, breast pumps, and formula, as well as diapering and bathing essentials and those cute clothes. To help you record key milestones such as baby's first steps, there's a chapter on cameras, camcorders, and baby books, old-style and online.

The second part of the book is a Reference section designed to make it easy to find information when you are ready to buy or simply need to check a fact. The product guide gives you a quick look at your shopping choices, listing major brands and models and their features in an easy-to-use format. You'll also find manufacturers' phone numbers and web addresses as well as a list of retail outlets. Toward the back of the book are the latest Consumer Reports Ratings of key equipment such as car seats and play yards; a selection of parenting organizations, publications and web sites; tips on babyproofing your home; facts on drugs commonly prescribed for children; and a list of product recalls. There are also checklists and worksheets to help you organize your shopping effort.