Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I'm about to be a new parent and when I started buying stuff for my daughter, I figured I would turn to Consumer Reports to get some unbiased, properly tested ratings. I've spent way too much time on Amazon and eOpinions reading mixed and often conflicting reports on baby items. I saw this book in a magazine and thought, bingo! Just what I need. And a brand new version to boot! Then today it arrived. It's hard to be objective when you're so utterly disappointed, but I'll try. There are 368 pages total in the book. Of those 368 pages, there are a total of 141 ratings. Here are the categories included (along with how many product ratings you will find in each category): Autos - 0 ratings * Bottles/Nipples - 0 ratings Baby Food - 0 ratings Backpack Carriers - 4 ratings Bathtubs - 0 ratings Bicycle-mounted Child Seats & Trailers - 3 ratings kids helmets - 0 ratings for the chapter titled items Bouncer Seats - 4 ratings Breast Pumps - 0 ratings Car Seats - 0 ratings ** Changing Tables & Dressers - 5 dressers, 5 armoires, 3 bookcases, 4 tv stands Clothing - 0 ratings Cribs - 0 ratings Crib Alternatives - 0 ratings Crib Bedding - 0 ratings Crib Mattresses - 0 ratings Diapers - 7 ratings Diaper Bags - 0 ratings Diaper Pails - 0 ratings Digital Cameras - 0 ratings Formula - 0 ratings Gates - 11 ratings High Chairs - 19 ratings Humidifiers - 0 ratings Monitors - 10 audio, 3 video Nursing Bras - 0 ratings Pacifiers - 0 ratings Play Yards - 8 ratings Rocking Chairs & Gliders - 0 ratings Shopping-cart Covers - 0 ratings Soft Infant Carriers - 8 carriers, 4 slings Stationary Activity Centers - 3 ratings Strollers - 6 ratings, 8 jogging, 8 all terrain Swings - 0 ratings Thermometers - 8 ratings Toys - 0 ratings (16 battery ratings) Walkers - 4 ratings Stuffed Animals - 0 ratings * - to be fair, it does show which vehicles placed first in each category of automobile. ** - also to be fair, there is a story on CRs web site indicating that they withdrew their most recent car seat tests due to testing issues. It still would have been more useful to have older ratings than none at all. So for useful items like Bottles, Bathtubs, Car Seats, Cribs and Swings? 0 ratings. Combined. For baby video monitors they don't include Summer Infant monitors, which here on Amazon are amongst the highest customer rated. Two items which I have not purchased as of yet (bassinet and swing)no reviews, but simply said things like "Look for a swing that has a sturdy, stable frame". I'm glad I had someone to tell me that, I never would have known otherwise. Personally I couldn't recommend this book to anyone. It tries to cover a somewhat broad range of topics and does none of them well enough to be worthwhile. Reading reviews on Amazon or eOpinions will give you better information on which products to buy or avoid than this book even attempts to do. If you disagree, I strongly urge you to at least take a trip to a bookstore and flip through it before making your decision.