THE PINK TOTEBAG RECOMMENDS...

My good friend Kristy asked me to help her to go register as she gets ready for the arrival of her first baby. So exciting - and so nerve-wracking! Everyone who's ever set foot in a baby store knows that it's absolutely out of control how much stuff there is, and how easily you can get distracted from what you actually need. For example, when we walked into our local Buy Buy Baby to start registering, they gave us a "recommendations" list that said that we needed no less than 12 white onesies in every size up to 24 months, a warm mist humidifier, a cool mist humidifier, and 4 sets of crib sheets. I mean, don't people own washing machines?! Needless to say, we pared down quite a bit and tried to find as much stuff as we could that could do double duty, and save us some space. We relied on the advice of our family and friends with kids when making choices, as well as a few other good resources that are out there. Here are two books that we found to be really helpful as we got ourselves put together before Caroline was born...

Baby Bargains by Denise Fields is a fabulous resource, no matter where you live. It makes good recommendations based on different scenarios (ie - city vs. suburban living), which can help most shoppers make good choices, especially where cost is concerned. A friend of mine who had a baby just a few months before me passed this one along to me after she was through with it. Nothing compares to a first-hand recommendation...

The Lila Guide began as local resource guides for parents, with tips for kid-friendly restaurants, the best parks, classes, and outings for families, and stores for good gear, among other things. Think of it as sort of a Zagat's Guide for parents. The editors then decided to put together The Lila Guide Baby Gear Guide. There are many fabulous parts to this guide, including lists that tell you what you definitely need, what would be nice to have, and what to skip, as well as lists of the best-ranked gear in each section. I think my favorite part is that these guides are comprised of real-world parent recommendations, rather than just having a bunch of editors put together a book about what they think we need. The guides are also available online at www.lilaguide.com , where you can join for free and customize the site to your closest local city and keep a calendar of upcoming events in your area. We still use ours, and Caroline's 18 months old. Not much has lasted that long with her...