BABY & TODDLER BARGAINS BOOK REVIEWS

Denise & Alan Fields are the consumer watchdogs who've made a career out of chronicling life's milestones. Their first book, BRIDAL BARGAINS is their first best-seller, focused on how to save money when tying the knot. Their parenting books (BABY BARGAINS, TODDLER BARGAINS) focus on how to save money . . . And the answers to the countless questions first-time parents have about their new family addition (BABY 411, TODDLER 411).



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BABY BARGAINS



The ultimate guide to baby gear, with detailed tips on how to save plus brand reviews of cribs, strollers, car seats, high chairs and more.

Top 9 Smart Baby Safety Tips courtesy of Windsor Peak Press

1. OLD CRIBS ARE DEATH TRAPS.
According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission,“the major (safety) problem for babies is with old cribs, in which we have 50 babies a year die.” The best advice: pass up that hand-me-down.

2. AIRBAGS AND CAR SEATS DON’T MIX.
A recent study showed that infants could be seriously injured or killed if their rear-facing infant car seat was hit full force by an air bag. Once again, the problem was with rear-facing car seats placed in the front seat of a car with air bags. The best solution: the safest place for car seats is the center of the back seat.

3. LIMIT THE POSSIBILITY OF SUDDEN INFANT DEATH SYNDROME (SIDS).
Recent studies have determined that placing young infants face down in soft bedding may contribute to SIDS. Keep soft quilts, sheepskins, and pillows out of the baby’s crib and play area.

4. AVOID THE SHELVING AVALANCHE.
Shelves and bookcases are useful for storing lots of Junior’s stuff but they can be pulled over easily by a budding young climber. Anchor the shelves to the wall to prevent this disaster.

5. WALKERS ARE ACCIDENTS WAITING TO HAPPEN.
A walker suspends your baby above the floor, enabling him or her to “walk” by rolling around. The only problem: babies tend to “walk” right into walls, down staircases, and into other brain damage-causing obstacles. It’s a scandal that walkers haven’t been banned by the government. AN AMAZING 20,000 INJURIES PER YEAR ARE DIRECTLY ATTRIBUTED TO WALKERS.

6. STRAP YOUR BABY IN.
What causes the most injuries with high chairs? Babies who are not strapped in the chair—sadly, four to five deaths occur each year when babies “submarine” under the tray.

7. USE YOUR CAR SEATS CORRECTLY.
The government estimates 80% of car seats are installed incorrectly. While new car seat design rules have been proposed to help remedy the problem, they won’t take effect for several years. Meanwhile, parents must be diligent to make sure the seat is installed properly.

8. DON’T TRUST YOUR STROLLER’S BRAKES.
The best stroller models have brakes on two wheels; cheaper ones just have one wheel that brakes. Yet, even with the best brakes, don’t leave the stroller on an incline. Many accidents occur when the brakes fail.

9. MOUNT THOSE BABY GATES.
Install baby gates at the top and bottom of stairs. Consider mounting gates into the wall because a toddler’s weight is enough to push down a “pressure mounted” gate—and tumble down the stairs after it.

For more tips and useful information, please visit www.BabyBargains.com

TODDLER BARGAINS



Secrets to saving on toddler clothes, shoes, booster car seats, double strollers and more. This book is available in both print and an ebook format.


PURCHASING:

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Success Through Play™ comments:
We would like to thank Windsor Peak Press for sending us review copies of the books: Baby Bargains and Toddler Bargains. Denise and Alan Fields are to be commended for being consumer advocates and for empowering parents to seek out high quality, safe products for their babies and toddlers and teaching them they don't have to break the bank in the process. The authors have taken the time to answer all of our questions promptly and have really impressed us! Each book published by Windsor Peak press (including these 2 featured today) boast a "no ad policy" meaning that there are no ads in the book. This essentially means that the authors are free to express their "real views" about products, without concern of what the companies may think! Success Through Play™ has no paid advertisers (even our ads on the right hand side are unpaid!) and we share their view that in order to be objective consumer advocates, paid ads need to be eliminated from the game.

Both books feature icons which alert parents when there is a money saving tips, important safety info etc which makes the books very user friendly. Online stores as well as brick and mortar stores are included in both books, giving parents many options to compare, shop and buy. The authors, parents to 2 children, rely on real parents for feedback about products and have a panel which tests out some of the products featured. Products are assigned a grade from A through to D, to assist parents in narrowing down their options. Our panel really found the comparison tables very useful when wanting to compare the features, prices and quality of car seats or strollers for example. At the end of each chapter, the authors select the top products in a category and rank them according to budget guidelines:"good" for those on a tight budget, better and best (budget is less of a concern). The authors highlight how you can save money while not sacrificing on quality or safety, which sets this series apart from all the other books on the market!

Buying products for your baby or toddler can be overwhelming to say that least! Parents want to buy high quality, safe products that won't break the bank. How can a parent sift through the products on the market and find the ones that are reputable? The answer is simply "Baby Bargains" and "Toddler Bargains". Arm yourself with these books to have the latest, detailed product info at your fingertips. You will not find a series of books like this on the market. Our expert panel really appreciated the detailed product views and fabulous index which will allow parents to easily reference the products to learn more.

Baby Bargains



This book has sold over 500,000 copies and has been featured on Oprah! The average cost of raising a baby during the first year alone is estimated to be $6600.This book focuses on products for babies aged birth to 2.It features 11 chapters and 600 pages of product reviews, money saving tips and excellent safety information that will make the task of buying for your new one less overwhelming. The book is very enjoyable to read and humorous at times! Readers will find reviews of companies are assigned a grade as well as a handy table and comparison
chart for many products. Every product category imaginable is covered in this book. If the authors don't have space, you can read additional info on their site. Of particular note is the emphasis on safety throughout the book. We were very pleased to see the authors are pro breastfeeding and that the chapter on babywearing had been expanded and we both that it will continue to grow with each edition.

Please note a correction to page of the Baby Bargains Book. The authors have now changed their stance on selecting/purchasing baby bottles, which can be found here. Please make a note of this correction when you purchase the book! Based on the latest studies, the authors now recommend that parents buy BPA-Free or Glass bottles for their baby and we agree. You will soon see more glass bottles becoming widely available as a result of this research. In addition, Denise and Alan Fields have uncovered information that indicates that bumper pads in cribs can be dangerous and thus Success Through Play™ concludes from this article that parents should skip the bumper pads altogether. The information about selecting a car seat and safety proofing your house is particularly noteworthy. There is a removable card at the end of this book for shoppers with checklists and handy tips! This is a fantastic book to buy if you have recently learned that you, a family member or colleage is pregnant. Highly recommended

Toddler Bargains



Exeperts estimate that it will cost approximately $9480 to raise a toddler per year (from age 2 to 5). This book follows the popular book "Baby Bargains" and focuses on products for toddlers and children aged 2 to 5.You will learn how to outfit your toddlers room on a budget (toddler bed, furniture etc), learn all about potty training and which products the authors think will assist your child to master it, how to buy good quality affordable clothing and shoes, double stroller, jogging strollers and much more! Available in both print and ebook. Highly recommended

Visit the Baby Bargains website and Toddler Bargains website to gather additional information not found in the book and to access the fabulous message boards, where readers swap bargains, coupons, gear reviews and more. You can also chat about general parenting questions and more.

To access the Baby Bargains Blog, please click here

We will be featuring Baby 411 and Toddler 411 during January 2008. Stay Tuned!

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