“Check out” this link to a YouTube video a nice librarian I’ve never met did about my Consumer Reports Best Baby Products book, 9th edition. Librarians do YouTube videos? Apparently, they do now!
http://www.miladir.com/product-consumer-reports/best-reference-baby-products
If you’re in the market for a stroller, check out the recent stroller segment Consumer Reports did, which features my comments on stroller shopping: “You don’t have to spend big bucks to get your baby a good set of wheels.” It’s true. You can buy a good-quality stroller and spend less than $200 and that’s such good news, especially in this economy. The segment (http://www.9wsyr.com/content/consumers/story/Best-Buy-Strollers/t2JtxRo2qUa6lOUDhLCusg.cspx) aired on News Channel 9, WSYR.com, Syracuse, as well as other stations across the country.
Every time my book, Consumer Reports Best Baby Products, comes out (I’ve written three editions so far), I do what’s called a satellite media tour. That’s when I do television interviews from a studio that get beamed via satellite to morning news programs across the U.S. This time, on June 17, 2009, I essentially did a version of the same interview–on how to save money on baby products–19 times for TV stations in Atlanta, Detroit, Huntsville, AL, Minneapolis, Austin, Columbus, Rochester, Phoenix, Sacramento, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Denver, Albany, Albuquerque, Youngstown, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, Huntington, W VA, Los Vegas, Portland, WNBC-NY, Portland, and Nashville. (The gist of what I said: You don’t have to spend $900 to get a good-quality stroller. According to Consumer Reports’ tests, buying one that costs just $170 will do the job just fine. In today’s economy, especially, that’s welcome news.)
Breaking news and the weather can interfere with the best-laid satellite tour plans, but this time, there were no glitches. The tour was a resounding success and I want to thank Tildy LaFarge, my publicist extraordinaire at Consumer Reports, for making it all happen. To see some of my interviews, check out the TV/Publications page on www.babyproductsmom.com.
Welcome to my baby products blog. I’m proud to announce that the latest edition of my book, Consumer Reports Best Baby Products, 2009, is now available in bookstores and online at www.consumerreports.org and www.amazon.com. Writing a book is not dissimilar to having a baby, only the gestation period is about six months. During that time, I dissect the industry, attend trade shows, interview parents and other experts and research products by trying them out and, of course, hitting the stores. My mission is to add as much insight as a I possibly can so that new parents can better decide: What do I need? What can I live without? What’s safe? What’s not? What’s a waste of money? The testers and my editorial team at Consumer Reports fortify the book even more, to make it what it is. When a recent consumer reviewed the book on Amazon, saying she read the book with a highlighter, I sat at my desk with my head in my hands, just taking in the moment. Yes, someone got it! That’s exactly the kind of detailed book I was aiming to write. In this blog, I’ll be continuing my commentary about baby products and I hope you’ll write in with questions and comments. Baby products are a 8.9 billion dollar industry in this country. To get the best for your baby without spending a bundle, it pays to do your homework.
–Sandra
