Best Baby Stuff » Books, Music & DVDs

100 Top Baby Purees Cookbook

Maisie — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 04:21:17 +0000

Product Overview
British television personality and children’s nutrition expert Annabel Karmel’s compiled a book of essential and tasty purees for babies. These recipes will make for a happy and healthy baby. The book is divided into several chapters, starting with first tastes and weaning babies from 6 months old and ending with meals for older babies. Each recipe comes with details stating age appropriateness, if it is suitable for freezing, how many portions the recipe makes and the cook time.

Why I like It
If you look at the variety of canned baby food available, you will realize that there is a limited variety. This cookbook will give you ideas and recipes which will help develop your child’s palette and integrate plenty of variety in his diet. When I have made recipes from this book it always smells so yummy that I want to eat spoonfuls of it as well, not something I would do with canned baby food.

Use this recipe book and the Beaba Baby Cook and you will be pureeing up tasty meals for your baby in no time.

Where to Buy
Amazon ($7.04 and up + shipping) Best Price
Barnes & Noble ($12.00 + shipping)
Half.com ($9.25 and up + shipping)

The Baby Book

Maisie — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 00:19:58 +0000

Product Overview
William and Martha Sears, a pediatrician and a registered nurse, team up their two sons to update their guide to “attachment parenting.” This team of authors teach new parents how to bond with their babies through seven fundamental behaviors, including breastfeeding and “babywearing”. This book covers everything from birth to two years and includes tips for getting your baby to sleep and feeding him the “right fats,” to information about early health concerns, the major steps in infant development and troublesome but typical toddler behavior. Authors share from their experience as parents and offer reassuring help to new parents.

Why I Like It
When I was pregnant I read all the books like What to Expect When You Are Expecting and The Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy, however I forgot to read the books about how to care for your baby! Two weeks after my daughter was born I went on the hunt for a good baby care book and found The Baby Book. The information in the book proved to be invaluable. I found that the information about “babywearing” and the chart for developmental milestones to be extremely helpful. I also use this book to find information on minor medical questions I have. Since the authors of this book are pediatricians and a registered nurse I can count on them to provide accurate medical information.

Where to Buy
Amazon ($14.95 + shipping) Best Price
Better World Books ($19.48 + free shipping)
Barnes and Noble ($15.39 + shipping)

12 Hours by 12 Weeks

Maisie — Mon, 26 May 2008 00:45:56 +0000

Product Overview
Written by Suzy Giordano (The Baby Coach) with Lisa Abidin, this short, easy to read book teaches parents the secret of getting babies to sleep a full 12 hours by 12 weeks old, with 4 feedings per day and a napping schedule. Parents will be able to read the key portions of this book in 1-2 hours. This book was featured in the Washington Post.

Why I Like It
I originally got this book for free when I ordered another product. Since it was so short I decided to read it one day while my newborn daughter was napping. The principles in it are so simple and helped me understand how to get my daughter on a feeding and napping schedule, something that I was in desperate need of since I was about to start working from home again. Suzy clearly outlines a schedule and gives tips on how to get your baby to sleep through the night by 12 weeks.

I followed the guidelines in the book when my daughter was 6 weeks old and by 8 weeks she was already sleeping 10 hours at night! This book also helped me get on a schedule, so now it’s easier to get things done, and my daughter is happier now that she knows when she gets to feed next, when it’s time to play and when it’s time to sleep. I highly recommend this book for soon-to-be parents, or sleep-deprived new parents.

Where to Buy
Amazon (from $1.27 used + shipping) Best Price
BabyCoach.net ($3.99 + shipping)
Barnes & Noble ($15.16 hardcover + shipping)

Happiest Baby On The Block (DVD)

Maisie — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 00:50:08 +0000

Product Overview
Dr. Harvey Karp educates new parents on the principle of the “fourth trimester” and teaches them how to switch on their baby’s natural calming reflex with a few simple steps. The running time for this DVD is 38 minutes. The DVD also contains 3 bonus chapter one of which are tracks of calming white-noise sound that babies love.

Why I Like It
As a new mom, I had no idea what to expect once I was home with my newborn baby. The first couple weeks were filled with many sleepless nights, and sleepless days caused by a very upset baby. I was sleep deprived, frustrated to tears and completely doubting my abilities as a mother.

My sister told me first about the Dunstan Baby Language, which was suppose to help new parents decrypt their newborn’s cries and meet their needs a little better. I rushed right out and purchased the DVD and was disappointed at the information I received. I could have easily read something in 5 minutes that covered what this DVD talked about. I expected more from this DVD for the price I paid. What I did learn from that DVD still did not get my baby to stop crying and start sleeping.

The next DVD I tried was the Happiest Baby on the Block. l first started reading the book, then realized I was never going to be able to finish it with a crying baby around, so I purchased the DVD and watched it while I held my crying baby. The DVD helped me see and mimic the techniques that Dr. Karp talks about to turn on the baby’s calming reflex. The first time I tried the techniques they worked, and my confidence as a mother grew.

I truly believe that Dr. Karp is right on with his theory about the “fourth trimester” and his techniques really help your baby adjust to his new world.

Where to Buy
Amazon ($17.99 + shipping) Best Price
Barnes & Noble ($20.79 + shipping)
Baby Center ($25.95 + shipping)

Consumer Reports Best Baby Products

Maisie — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 15:05:17 +0000

Product Overview
Consumer Reports Best Baby Product book contains information on all baby gear including car seats, carriers, play yards and travel systems. There are checklists and worksheets which help parents organize the shopping process. Included is a comprehensive list of recent safety recalls and a guide to the most commonly prescribed medications. The book provides valuable tips for parents from how to create a nursery to unnecessary baby gear.

Why I Like It
There is so much “stuff” that you can buy for a little baby. For a first time parent it’s hard to know what you need, and what is safe. With all the marketing time spent on baby products, every manufacturer makes it seem as if you really need their product. Before I started shopping for all my baby stuff I read this book from cover to cover and received great insights into what is absolutely necessary, which products are absolutely useless or even hazardous, and was able to compare products for price and rating.

I kept this book in my bag with me so that I could use it as a quick reference anytime I ran across something that I thought I needed.

This book is constantly being updated so be sure to purchase the most recent edition. This book does not contain ratings for every single baby product, however, there are great tips which can help you make a decision about the baby products that you are purchasing.

Where to Buy
Amazon ($11.53 + shipping)
Books a Million ($11.00 + shipping)
Half.com ($9.51 + shipping) Best Price

The Vaccine Book by Robert Sears

Maisie — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 18:54:58 +0000

Product Overview
The Vaccine Book is one book in the Sears Parenting series and is written by Dr. Robert Sears. Dr. Sears presents an evenhanded view and comprehensive information on all vaccines recommended by the American Pediatrics Association. The information presented in the book includes ingredients of each of the vaccines, including any controversial ingredients, how the vaccine is made, and information about the relative diseases. Dr. Sears does offer some suggestions to undecided parents about necessary vaccines including an alternative vaccination schedule. Dr. Sears is a pediatrician who spent 13 years researching before he published this book. He also has a website where he posts any new information he finds regarding the vaccines.

Why I Like It
There has been much controversy around some of the childhood vaccines and with celebrities constantly talking about their issues with the vaccines it’s hard to ignore these concerns. I needed balanced information about all the vaccines from a credible source. Drug companies and even the government’s department of health would not provide a balanced view of the vaccines. Other books on the subject were a little too biased, so I turned to The Vaccine Book.

I was one of those undecided parents, not knowing whether to skip vaccines, get them all or skip them all. Dr. Sears presents information from both sides of the spectrum which helped guide me to make my own decision regarding each vaccine.

I also liked that he shares his alternative vaccination schedule and outlines all the reasons why he suggests giving each vaccine at a specific age. This made it easier to know how to schedule the vaccines for my daughter.

I have also been able to use some of the information presented in the book to ask my pediatrician relevant questions regarding the vaccines from which I’m able to receive more informative answers.

Where to Buy
Amazon ($8.39 + shipping)
Barnes & Nobel ($12.59 + shipping)
Books a Million ($8.86 + shipping)
Overstock ($7.97 + shipping) Best Price