Wee Baby Stuff

There will certainly come a time when I document every little coo and poo my little sweetie makes by the volume. But for now, I am relying on advice from friends and family and the parenting-consumer advocate-author duo Denise and Alan Fields. I feel so fortunate to have encountered their book, Baby Bargains. And, our meeting could not have come at a more delightful time. 

This book has been recommended to me by several wonderful people, and was loaned to me by one of them last week. It's a great book that helps first (or second, or third, etc.) parents navigate the choppy waters of the new baby sea.

As described on their Web site: "[Baby Bargains] is a baby book that actually answers the big question about having a baby: How am I going to afford all this? With the average cost of a baby topping $6000 for the first year alone, you need creative solutions and innovative ideas to navigate the consumer maze that confronts all parents-to-be."

Because we are entering the stage where we are seriously beginning to consider major purchases, it's comforting to know that there's a resource out there that helps new parents decide what they need, how to find it, and which brands are best. The book celebrates that it can save parents 20-50% on furniture, equipment, clothing and more. Because I haven't actually put the book into practice yet, I cannot tell you how much we'll actually save, and I don't know that saving money is the way to approach the book. Rather than use it as a money saving resource, I'm looking at it as a way to ensure that we're getting quality baby goods without cracking open the piggy bank. My favorite feature of this book is the rating system. Like any good teacher assigning letter grades, this book follows suit, using an A - F scale complete with +s and -s. 

The Fields' update their book annually and the seventh edition is available at Amazon for bargain price of $12.21.

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