An essential for baby

I just helped throw a baby shower for one of my dear friends who is expecting her first child, a little girl, after over 3 years of trying to get pregnant. Just thinking about my friend and her husband and their joy over this new little one's upcoming arrival sometimes makes me tear up with gladness.

My sweet friend is a practical, fun-loving, stylish and down-to-earth mommy-to-be, who's seen my good, bad and ugly. She's also seen me parenting my daughter from the beginning, so I felt very honored that she's wanted to pick my brain about what I've felt is worth doing and buying for her baby girl.

It's been really rewarding to help her navigate the intimidating array of products out there from my experiences --both good and bad. I definitely got my jump start on finding the best baby gear from the book Baby Bargains. It's like Consumer Reports on steroids for all things pertaining to babies and toddlers. They do tons of research and you get the benefits in an easy-to-read format.

For example, the stroller section has detailed reviews on each company, model, and type of stroller. Then they organize the results by how you might want to use the stroller. Like if you live in say, New York City and ride on public transportation, you'd have much different stroller needs than someone who lives in the country or just wants to use their stroller for short outings.

You'll get the lowdown on price vs. quality for your baby needs, and there's also a section in the book for baby gear that you don't need to waste your money on. Let's face it, there's a large section of the baby gear industry (like the wedding industry) that is full of semi-useless items that you're made to think you need.

The book has a guarantee that it'll save you at least a couple hundred dollars if you follow its advice. They're not kidding. We saved that much on nursery furniture, let alone everything else. If you're having a baby, whether your first or your fifth, this book pays for itself over and over and over.