If you’re expecting a baby but terrified of places like Babies ‘R’ Us, you’re not alone. Shopping for a newborn can be a scary process, what with all the gizmos and knickknacks promising conveniences for situations you hadn’t even considered.

Friends or family members with kids are probably your best resource. But if your friends are teens or drunks or worse, there are two books that can help.

Baby Bargains, contrary to the title, isn’t focused solely on price. It’s loaded with reviews for products in every conceivable baby-related category, based on input from about 100 parents. I looked through a copy at Barnes & Noble once and wished I had it before my kid arrived.

Consumer Reports, the magazine behind this fine webblog, also has a Baby Products book out for 2009. I haven’t looked at it, but the material is similar to the magazine’s content: based on tests conducted in lab.

No doubt there are other books out there. But I dare not look up any more or else the choice of which one to buy will become yet another purchase you’ll have to worry about.

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