My Baby Essentials: 3-6 Months

Remember that time I shared with you all my favorite baby items from Emma’s first 3 months? Now that she’s hit the 6 month mark, I thought I’d come back and share with you what we loved during her second 3 months.

1. Sleep Sacks – We stopped swaddling Emma at about 4 months. She’s too young for a blanket, but we still wanted to keep her warm and cozy. So we started using sleep sacks. They’re basically wearable blankets that you just zip on, so baby stays warm while still being free to wiggle around without the risk of getting tangled. We had thinner cotton ones for the warm months, and I just ordered a few micro-fleece sacks now that it’s getting colder.

2. Activity Equipment – Babies start to be way more active in their second quarter of life. So it’s great to have something that will let them exercise and develop their muscles while still keeping them entertained. We have an exersaucer, walker, and a door jumper (all used and/or free). Emma loves all 3. We’ve just in the last month started putting Little Miss in the walker. She got the hang of the walking thing pretty quick and loves to walk to wherever Mommy and Daddy are. It’s her current favorite. Before that, she loved the door jumper best. She would bounce and bounce and bounce! We still use it daily and she still loves it. And now she gets high!

3. Bibs (lots of them!) – I’m sure you already know, that along with teething comes lots of drool. But if you’re a first time parent, you may not realize just how much! Emma pretty much has a bib on all day, every day! My favorite are the Tommee Tippee Milk Bibs. They have a “dribble catcher” along the neckline that helps catch any drool (or milk dribble) and absorb it before it can cause a rash. So helpful!

4. Baby Rings – I seriously use these everywhere! I use them to attach toys to her door jumper, her exersaucer, her car seat . . . I even link a handful together and give them to her as-is to play with. They’re inexpensive and super handy to have on hand.

5. Oball – We used to call this thing Emma’s “nemesis”. It was our go-to toy for quite a while. It’s super easy for her to grab, even when her motor skills were practically non-existent. We’d hook it to her exersaucer, her car seat, wherever. She loved it . . . for about 30 minutes, and then she’d get mad because she couldn’t get it to fit in her mouth. Hence, “The Nemesis.” It’s rough being a baby! 😉 Emma still loves this ball, and it gets used every day. $5 well spent!

6. Soft Books – I’m a huge reader. So, of course, I want the little to enjoy books too! The problem is that she wants to grab all the books and put them in her mouth. That’s where soft books come in! She can grab and gum to her heart’s content! No damage done!

7. KidCo Bath Organizer Basket – Once Emma started becoming more active, I started adding toys to her bath time. But with the toys and water books and bubble bath and baby wash I was running out of space to put all the stuff! I ordered one of these and it’s great! It expands to fit any size bathtub and the vents allow her toys to dry properly so they don’t grow any yucky stuff. It’s awesome.

8. Teething Toys – We all know that babies love to put things in their mouth. Never more so than when they’re teething. And, man! They can really go to town! We have a quite a few teething toys, but Emma’s current favorites are the Baby Banana Infant Toothbrush and the Nuby Wacky Teething Ring. We have a Sophie the Giraffe (which she does use), but I think the banana and the wacky ring are easier for her to grab and shove into her mouth. So she does.

9. High Chair – Sometime between 4 – 6 months, you’ll probably start feeding your baby some type of food (cereal, baby food, whatever your Pediatrician recommends), and where are you gonna do it? In a high chair! It doesn’t have to be fancy, it just needs to get the job done! Have a small space? They make mini high-chairs that attach to your regular dining chairs so they don’t take up extra room. They also make some that attach directly to your table or counter-top. We bought a Boppy Baby Chair to help Emma learn to sit (she hated it). The chair came with a tray and straps to attach it to a chair. So it is, in essence, a portable high chair (that she uses at the baby sitter’s). There’s a million options to suit whatever your needs are.

Did I miss anything? What are your must-have items for your baby’s second three months?