The Girlfriends' Guide to Baby Gear by Vicki Iovine

If you are, like me, on a one-way train to motherhood for the first time and you'd like someone to give you some practical advice about what the baby will need and what he or she can truly live without, this is the book for you. I'm not going to follow all the advice to the letter, but I definitely feel better informed having read this. For example, did you know that, despite the displays in every baby store you visit, all that gorgeous crib bedding (quilts, pillows, even the bumpers) is not recommended because of the risk of SIDS? I may still register for a baby quilt, but hang it on the wall instead. (For the latest on how this particular journey is going, visit my other blog, "And Baby Makes Three".)