In this video I share my philosophy and advice for buying baby products. My top priorities when shopping for baby products were safety, quality, and price. We wanted to get the safest products that were high quality but also affordable.
My tips for buying baby products include:
1. Research products online- you have to spend time researching different products online. Some of my helpful book links below will save you some time, but definitely look at things online you are interested in! Then if you can, go to an actual store to see them in person.
2. Read product reviews- I wouldn't buy anything that doesn't have good product reviews. Of course there will always be a few negative reviews from an unfortunate consumer who bought something that had a broken piece in it, but that's by far the minority. Read BOTH the positive AND negative reviews. Why did something get a negative review? I relied heavily on product reviews.
3. Setting up baby registeries (you can register at Target, Walmart, BabiesRUs, Amazon.com, Diapers.com, etc.) Register at at least 2 different places and register for everything! Even if it's something you don't think you'll use for a year or so (like a potty training item). You will get so many things for your baby's first 3 months of life but then what will you do after that? If you register for items and receive them, you can always return them and use that money/credit towards other items.
4. Follow the Consumer Reports.com guidelines or check out their annual "Consumer Reports Best Baby Products A to Z Guide" (http://www.amazon.com/Best-Baby-Products-Consumer-Reports/dp/1933524243/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1329436825&sr=1-1)
5. Ask family and friends for advice- but remember that something one person says is a "must have" may not really be. Remember, people have been having babies for thousands of years and it is only recently that all these products have become available. People raised their babies without swings, bouncers, rattles, etc.
6. Do not purchase everything before the baby comes, only the must-have items. You can always buy items you "need" later. We found this to be very helpful. I always thought that if something is truly a "must have" item then I can always go get it later when I find out I truly need it.
7. Check out some books from the library that list all the different baby products available. I used "The Baby Gizmo Buying Guide" and loved it!
8. Price Match! A lot of stores will price match items! If you find an item online for a better price but don't want to pay S&H, a local store will likely price match it for you!
- I didn't mention this in the video, but this book is also a great resource: "Baby Bargains"
