iVillage has a lot to offer the soon-to-be mom. From planning tools to expert advice, you will find support and information during this exciting, yet challenging time.

Unfortunately, we had some difficulties with the iVillage website. Pages were slow to load and the site froze several times. Easy navigation requires a clean browser cache and a high speed computer and Internet connection. The site does, however, provide extensive technical support articles that may help you fix any problems you encounter.
If you can make the site work for you, you'll find it to be well organized and easy to navigate. Membership is free and once you're registered you can create your own profile, upload photos and post to message boards.

• Message boards moderated by experts.
• Expecting Clubs to chat with other moms-to-be expecting when you are.

iVillage is a good place to make friends and find answers to your questions. Use the baby name finder to pick a name and a week-to-week planning calendar to keep on top of things. The Maternity Fashion Fitter will even help you select the most flattering wardrobe and a Hospital Tour Checklist will help you remember all the questions you want to ask when you go for your pre-delivery visit.

Are the tools at iVillage useful? Definitely. Are they worth the headache of the site's technical issues? Not so much. If the site doesn't work for your computer and browser, there are a wealth of other baby planning sites on the Web. If, however, you don't run into any technical issues, this is definitely a site you'll be happy you visited. They earn 5.0 Stars!

If you did your wedding planning through TheKnot, a sister website for The Bump, you may find yourself comfortable on this site when it's time for your baby planning adventures. If, however, you’re a newcomer to this family of sites, you won’t find anything different here than you can find on other similar sites where they are doing it better. Many pages on The Bump are slow to load and it’s easy to find yourself shuttled away from The Bump site itself and over on a sister site (like TheKnot) .

That being said, The Bump does offer an informative Q & A format on topics relative to pre-pregnancy, pregnancy and babyhood. Experts offer advice and support on a wide range of topics. You will also find planning tools such as name finders, ovulation charts, and more.

• Links to stores and events in your neighborhood.
• Create your own blog and photo album.

Create a home page and include photos and information about yourself and your family for sharing. You can create your own blog to share with others on the site. A dashboard feature allows you to keep track of everything in one spot from your favorite names to your favorite message boards.

Easy access to product reviews helps you decide what items you want to purchase or place on your baby registry. You can create your baby registry through the site to alert friends and family of items you need. A pregnancy checklist will help you keep on top of things while you’re waiting for baby’s arrival.

While TheNestBaby does indeed provide a wealth of useful tools, they would have impressed us more had navigation been easier, had pages loaded faster and had they offered a better department of customer support. We give them 5.0 Stars!

VeryBestBaby is a great site if you’re looking for nutritional information for you and your baby during pregnancy and immediately after. Affiliated with Nestle, the baby formula manufacturer, the site promotes their product through advertising, extensive information on their products and its benefits and an offer for coupons and free personalized booklets.

• Baby nutrition and advice.
• Coupons and personalized booklets by email.

Apart from that, VeryBestBaby offers recipes and nutritional information that is geared toward healthy eating during pregnancy and after. You will find recipes for each trimester that meet the nutritional requirements of that specific period of your pregnancy. In addition, there are articles on planning and preparing for your baby’s birth both physically and emotionally.

You will also find articles and advice on how to make sure your baby receives a nutritious diet. Articles on breastfeeding can help you decide what is best for you and your baby and articles on formula feeding and introducing solid foods are also available.

VeryBestBaby offers a selection of videos and podcasts but registration is required and there is no way to opt out of receiving emails from the company when you register.

While the site is limited in scope relative to other sites we’ve visited, it does offer some very solid nutritional guidance for both mom and baby. Just make sure you take the "pro formula" approach with a grain of salt. The site is, after all, owned by a company interested in selling their own baby formula products. VeryBestBaby.com earns 5.0 Stars!