Good baby-product buying takes a strategy

Just because baby superstores have products stacked to the ceilings doesn’t mean most of what they stock is worth buying. In fact, parents should pass by much of it.

That’s the advice coming from Heather Maclean, who has made a business of cutting through the clutter of baby merchandise. The mother of three’s new book, “The Baby Gizmo Buying Guide,” doesn’t list branded items but guides parents through what kind of merchandise to buy to handle everything from sleepless nights to playtime during their child’s first years.

There is a lot to mull, given that $8.9 billion in baby products sold last year, according to the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association, a trade group for the industry.

This article presents some excerpts from an interview with Maclean, who also helps run the Baby Gizmo Web site.