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Minimalism - or not
Aug. 22nd, 2004 01:21 pmPanic time – I’m in my third trimester, and we have purchased not one major item for baby, nor have we registered for such. What does he really need? Which brands to go with? What do we need to know before picking up that scanner gun at Babies ‘R Us? The panic hit when we got back from vacation, and I pumped a thousand pages or so in two weeks. Here’s my run-down on the books:
Baby Stuff by Ari Lipper With the aged copyright date of 2001, I really only checked this one out because the more recent books were already checked out and I needed to read something right then. In fact, this turned out to be a fantastic book. Lipper is both a parent and the owner of a private baby store, so he has lots of experience with what works and what doesn’t, and what things get brought in for repairs. Each item has a little shaded box that lists how much you’ll need it, when you’ll need it, whether it’s a good thing to borrow or not, and important features. Then, there’s a nice little discussion of things to consider when deciding on the item. For bottles and nipples, for example, he says that whatever the brands claim, your baby will have definite opinions on this subject, and you’re better off buying a small stock in several different brands to find out. Specific brand and model advice is pretty minimal, limited mostly to brands that are so bad or so good that they need to be mentioned by name. His advice is straightforward, concise, and funny at the same time, and the whole book was quick to read. One caveat: he is a city dweller, and his advice is slightly skewed in this direction. OK, maybe if I lived in NYC, I’d consider an infant car seat an optional purchase, too. But really, for quick, reality-based advice, this book is great.
Baby Bargains by Denise and Alan Fields I was already familiar with the authors from reading their Bridal Bargains book, and this one offers much the same kind information-packed advice. The focus is on getting the best for less, with discussions on features, safety, and places to buy followed by reviews of brands and specific recommendations, based on their own experience and reader feedback. At 700+ pages, it’s easy to get a little bogged down, though their layout makes things as easy as possible, and they also have a good sense of humor. I feel obliged to give them kudos for giving decently fair coverage to cloth diapers and where to buy them, a topic avoided in most other books. What more to say? This is the most comprehensive book I’ve seen on the subject, and since it’s updated every two years, the information is current.
Best Baby Products by Sandra Gordon and Consumer Reports Ah, Consumer Reports! I was looking forward to this book for answers to everything – and wow, I was really disappointed. The good thing about Consumer Reports is that they do extensive, hard-core safety testing on baby products, which other books can’t duplicate. The bad thing about Consumer Reports is that they aren’t focused on baby products, and they won’t give any opinions on things they haven’t tested. So, while the advice on the few products they’ve tested is OK, most of the items list what features are available (not how useful they are), and then run down a list of brands and prices, with no advice at all. Some of the limited advice they gave seemed downright suspect to me – dress your baby in polyester because it’s cheaper and easier to care for than cotton? Also, ratings focused fairly exclusively on safety, with less discussion of practicality, reliability and other factors. They do cover cars, cameras and camcorders, which other baby books don’t. But you could get that advice in their regular buying guides, too, and just look at Baby Bargains, which will tell you when their ratings differ from Consumer Reports and why.
Baby Stuff by Ari Lipper With the aged copyright date of 2001, I really only checked this one out because the more recent books were already checked out and I needed to read something right then. In fact, this turned out to be a fantastic book. Lipper is both a parent and the owner of a private baby store, so he has lots of experience with what works and what doesn’t, and what things get brought in for repairs. Each item has a little shaded box that lists how much you’ll need it, when you’ll need it, whether it’s a good thing to borrow or not, and important features. Then, there’s a nice little discussion of things to consider when deciding on the item. For bottles and nipples, for example, he says that whatever the brands claim, your baby will have definite opinions on this subject, and you’re better off buying a small stock in several different brands to find out. Specific brand and model advice is pretty minimal, limited mostly to brands that are so bad or so good that they need to be mentioned by name. His advice is straightforward, concise, and funny at the same time, and the whole book was quick to read. One caveat: he is a city dweller, and his advice is slightly skewed in this direction. OK, maybe if I lived in NYC, I’d consider an infant car seat an optional purchase, too. But really, for quick, reality-based advice, this book is great.
Baby Bargains by Denise and Alan Fields I was already familiar with the authors from reading their Bridal Bargains book, and this one offers much the same kind information-packed advice. The focus is on getting the best for less, with discussions on features, safety, and places to buy followed by reviews of brands and specific recommendations, based on their own experience and reader feedback. At 700+ pages, it’s easy to get a little bogged down, though their layout makes things as easy as possible, and they also have a good sense of humor. I feel obliged to give them kudos for giving decently fair coverage to cloth diapers and where to buy them, a topic avoided in most other books. What more to say? This is the most comprehensive book I’ve seen on the subject, and since it’s updated every two years, the information is current.
Best Baby Products by Sandra Gordon and Consumer Reports Ah, Consumer Reports! I was looking forward to this book for answers to everything – and wow, I was really disappointed. The good thing about Consumer Reports is that they do extensive, hard-core safety testing on baby products, which other books can’t duplicate. The bad thing about Consumer Reports is that they aren’t focused on baby products, and they won’t give any opinions on things they haven’t tested. So, while the advice on the few products they’ve tested is OK, most of the items list what features are available (not how useful they are), and then run down a list of brands and prices, with no advice at all. Some of the limited advice they gave seemed downright suspect to me – dress your baby in polyester because it’s cheaper and easier to care for than cotton? Also, ratings focused fairly exclusively on safety, with less discussion of practicality, reliability and other factors. They do cover cars, cameras and camcorders, which other baby books don’t. But you could get that advice in their regular buying guides, too, and just look at Baby Bargains, which will tell you when their ratings differ from Consumer Reports and why.
