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CONSUMER REPORTS BEST BABY PRODUCTS: HOW TO GET READY FOR BABY WITHOUT SPENDING A BUNDLE
New Book Provides Hundreds of Smart Shopping Tips On Everything From Diapers to Mini-Vans
YONKERS, NY — Help is on the way for new and expecting parents gearing up for their bundles of joy. Children’s products represent an $8.9 billion industry and new products are added to the lineup every year, but there are plenty of ways consumers can keep costs down. Consumer Reports Best Baby Products (Tenth Edition, paperback, $16.95) gets right to the point, telling parents what they really need and also what they can live without. The 368-page guide will be available in all major bookstores on June 1. It can also be purchased at www.ConsumerReports.org, where parents can also find an abundance of Ratings, tips, and CR’s Babies and Kids Blog. Written by Sandra Gordon and the editors of Consumer Reports, Consumer Reports Best Baby Products, is an A to Z guide to everything parents will need for their baby, including a handy “Where-toBuy Guide” and a master checklist for Moms and Dads. Says Gordon, “We try to distinguish between the essential and the nonessential, helping parents select the safest, most durable, and most useful products. In this economy, it’s all about stretching every penny and getting the most mileage from the baby registry, while keeping the focus on safety.” From the test labs of America’s most trusted product-testing organization, Consumer Reports Best Baby Products features Ratings tables and in-depth guidance for parents purchasing common, everyday items such as baby food and formula to the big ticket items like strollers and automobiles. Do You Really Need That $750 Stroller? What makes one stroller $100 and another $750? Consumer Reports Best Baby Products makes stroller shopping easy with Ratings tables and no-nonsense advice. A higher price doesn’t always mean higher quality. In fact, CR’s tests have shown that some economical strollers perform as well as, or even better than, models costing hundreds of dollars more. Any stroller, even the most sophisticated models, can suffer from flaws such as malfunctioning wheels, frames that bend out of shape, locking mechanisms that fail, safety belts that come loose, or buckles that break. The following single strollers are Consumer Reports Best Buys, providing the best combination of performance and price: Gracco Quattro Tour Sport ($170); UPPAbaby G-Lite ($100); Evenflo Journey Elite ($70); and Chicco Cortina ($160). How To Buy The Safest Crib While it may sound like a simple purchase, a crib is possibly one of the most challenging items on a parent’s shopping list because there are so many choices in addition to some noteworthy safety concerns. Consumer Reports Best Baby Products recommends sticking to the basics because the safest cribs are the ones that have simple lines and no scrollwork or finials, which can pose strangulation hazards. Parents should opt for a crib with stationary sides; recent recalls have raised concerns about the safety of cribs with drop sides. Folding sides are safer than drop sides. Look for the label showing the crib is accredited by the
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Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA). Consumer Reports Best Baby Products recommends two Best Buys: Da Vinci Emily 4791 ($250) and the Ikea Leksvik 601.086.63 ($160). The book offers extensive buying advice, plus tips about crib alternatives, such as bassinets and cradles. Baby Food: The A, B, Cs Consumer Reports Best Baby Products offers how-to tips such as what to feed the baby and when, along with safety strategies for keeping the baby’s food free of bacteria and other food-borne pathogens. And the guide advises parents about how to avoid the chemical bisphenol A, or BPA, which is found in baby bottles made of polycarbonate. Should parents buy organic? Consumer Reports Best Baby Products says it’s worth the extra cost because baby food is often made of condensed fruits and vegetables, potentially concentrating pesticide residues. When purchasing baby formula, the book notes that some brands, such as Similac Organic, contain sucrose, which can harm a baby’s tooth enamel faster than other sugars. Plus, CR provides tips for making the best use of baby food coupons. Consumer Reports Best Baby Products offers extensive money-saving strategies: Take advantage of freebies and coupons. Go online or work the phones to register for new parent programs sponsored by companies that make formula, baby-food, and disposable diapers. Other helpful web sites for savings include www.thecouponmaster.com, www.coolsavings.com, and www.smartsource.com. Consider buying some items used. The key is knowing when it’s OK to buy used—such as baby clothing and some toys, provided they’re in good condition and haven’t been recalled—and when improved safety standards make it best to purchase products new, such as car seats, cribs, personal use breast pumps, play yards, and soft infant carriers. The book notes that changing tables, along with rockers, gliders, bouncy seats and infant swings, are all nice but optional extras. Before buying new or used gear, parents should check for recalled models at www.cpsc.gov. Compare prices online. Visit Web sites like www.bizrate.com, www.epinions.com, www.nextag.com, and www.shopping.com. For additional savings online, check out www.couponcabin.com for online coupons from major e-tailers, though be mindful of shipping costs, which can add up. Think about a discount club membership. At places like Costco or BJs Wholesale Club, consumers can reap discounts on everyday items they use a lot. Walmart is also an excellent savings resource for major and store-brand baby gear—with no membership fee. Follow CR’s tips for getting the right return on baby products. Before buying or registering, it pays to make sure the store or online vendor allows returns and exchanges.
About Sandra Gordon Sandra Gordon is the co-author of Consumer Reports Best Baby Products (Tenth Edition). She writes frequently about health, nutrition, parenting and baby products for books, leading consumer magazines, and Web sites including Parents, American Baby, Baby Talk, ShopSmart, Prevention, Family Circle, and Kaboose.com. She has appeared on the Today show and as a baby safety expert on The Discovery Health Channel’s “Make Room for Baby.” She lives in Connecticut with her husband and two daughters. About the Publisher Consumer Reports Best Baby Products (Tenth Edition) is published by Consumer Reports, a division of Consumers Union, an expert, independent nonprofit organization whose mission is to work for a fair, just, and safe marketplace for all consumers and to empower consumers to protect themselves. To achieve this mission, we test, inform, and protect. To maintain our independence and impartiality, Consumers Union accepts no outside advertising, no free test samples, and has no agenda other than the interests of consumers. Consumers Union supports itself through the sale of our information products and services, individual contributions, and a few noncommercial grants.