When Baylor was born, I did a post recommending items that I thought were great for new mothers' with young babies. I thought I would write a similar list now that Baylor is 6 months old. Some things are still uber important for us such as paci's and burp cloths (he still spits up all.the.time.) but some are not (nap nanny, boppy).
I think as he has gotten older, the biggest type of items that we use are toys. Toys, toys, and toys galore. It is so fun to see him play and explore new things.
1. His absolute favorite thing in the whole wide world is his jumperoo exercauser. We have this Baby Einstein one and it is great. The jumperoo is by far the greatest invention ever. I will say though if you get one, make sure to get the type that the seat bounces not just the part their feet touch. Walmart and some other stores carry some that has a platform their feet stand on that bounces but the seat does not move. He does not like those near as much. In fact, he just seems confused when he's in them. lol. We also have a Johnny Jump Up which is the bouncy thing that hangs from the door frame, but he isn't a huge fan of it either.
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| sleeping in his jumperoo |
2. He is starting to really like books. I'd recommend getting lots with the thick (not paper) pages for this age, because he is constantly trying to turn the page or pull at it. He loves this book (see pic) that has different types of fabric to feel and it makes a scrunchy noise. He will play with it forever.
3. Galt Playnest. Someone recommended this toy for us and I looked it up on Amazon. The customer reviews had me sold. At first when we let him try it he was too small and didn't really enjoy it. Now that he is sitting up he loves to sit in his own little "chair" and to feel and look at all the different things on it. It's a great way to contain our mobile baby if we are busy. Give him a couple toys and he is one happy kid. I have read even as they get older it is a fun toy to play with. Seriously, read the Amazon reviews.
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| Playin' in the playnest |
4. Mesh bumpers + Angelcare Monitor. Since Baylor moved to his crib in his his own room these two items have really brought us peace of mind. At first I wasn't going to use a mesh bumper and thought the regular ones were just fine, but once he was in there by himself I quickly changed my mind. I don't want anything that could potentially not be safe for him in there. It's a good thing we switched because he loves to put his head in the bumper to sleep. Thankfully the mesh are super safe with the large holes in them.
The Angelcare monitor is a Godsend. There is a sensor pad that goes under his mattress that monitors his breathing. If he doesn't breathe for 20 seconds an alarm will go off. On the screen, there is a symbol on the top that swings to let you know he is breathing. There is nothing better than seeing that symbol move back and forth knowing he is fine. Although we have had a few false alarms, it is still way worth having it then not.
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| What a crazy sleeper! Don't worry, he doesn't sleep with that ugly stuffed animal you see. |
5. Space Saver High Chair. We do not have a large house therefore room for a large high chair won't work well for us. We got a space saver high chair that basically is a chair that straps to the chairs that go with our table. It is perfect as it saves space and gives us a place to put Baylor when he is eating, playing, or sitting at the table with us. He loves it also! We can attach the tray and the seat cushion is real easy to take off and wash (trust me, after a gross blowout recently we learned this). It can recline and swivel also. We usually just stick some toys on his tray and he sits with us for dinner every night.
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| happy to be in his high chair |
6. Fisher Price Kick and Play Piano Gym. When I got this at my baby shower and my other mom friends mentioned they were jealous we got this I really didn't pay attention. Now I am thanking my lucky stars for this toy. Play gyms alone are great for babies but this one takes the cake. He loves to kick and play the piano part and sometimes he will even sit up and hit the piano part with his hands. He never seems to get bored with this one.
7. Infant Tylenol, Ibuprofen, and/or teething tablets. These things are musts for the 6 month old baby. Especially one that is teething. And especially for one that is in day care therefore constantly with a snotty, runny nose. These all work miracles.
8. Vtech move and crawl ball. Baylor just got this from his grandparents and he loves it! It lights up, talks, rolls on it's own, and teaches numbers and songs. I think it will be perfect for helping him learn to crawl, which he is working on now!
I know all babies are different, but hopefully this gives people a good idea of what has been really fun and useful for us with Baylor at this age. Anyone got any other suggestions for must have's for a 6 month old??
