Does or did anyone use consumer reports recommendations to choose baby gear
ie strollers, car seats, pacifiers, etc...

For the big things like my pram I did but I still didn't pay a huge amount of notice as I found that many people who want to tell you what they think about a product, only do so because they've had a bad experience with it.

The pram I got had an even amount of good and bad reviews and tbh now that I have the pram I don't agree with the bad reviews at all. I think it's people who've either been unlucky or are very picky & wouldn't be happy with anything. The car seat though I have to agree with a little. It only just fits in the car and you have to remove it's hood.... so whats the point in having one!

anita which pram did u choose based on it?

my OH drives me mental with these,
he reads reviews on everything... everything.
i say to him whats great for 1 person may be crap for you and what may be crap for one person may be great for another.
fair enough on faults etc but personal opinions i can do without lol.

i tend to read reviews yes. especially with the car seat - i check crash test reviews where possible. even if i couldnt see my particular model i checked how reliable in general the make i was going to buy would be.

i also tend to check reviews for products on mothercare.com and amazon etc.

its nice to know other people check the reviews too. vickilouise i agree what may be good for one person may not work for another but if something gets the same complaints consistently i start to worry u know. besides nothing is perfect. some of the strollers on consumer reports have about the same ratings but are better or worse in different areas. i guess you have to decide whats most important to u. its just so hard.