It's time for another post about Mel's Must Have Baby Products.
I started this series because have gotten several emails from readers/friends who are pregnant with their first babies (or just had their first babies) and they wanted my advice on baby items.
You can see my Newborn-3 month post here.
Luke is our 3rd (and final) baby and since he was born almost 4 years after Claire, I had given away ALL our baby stuff. ALL of it.
I wanted to be mindful of what I got for Luke knowing that it would only be used for him & then given away/donated. I only wanted to get the absolute necessary things to avoid lots of clutter in my house. I just can't handle clutter.
Here are my 3-6 month must haves:
This little plush toy/pacifer holder is genius!!! One of my sister's (single) guy friends got this for my nephew Jack and I had never seen it before or even heard of it! Way to go, single guy! It holds the pacifer and lays on the babies chest so that if your baby is in the car seat (or wherever) it helps keep the pacifer from falling out. They did not have these when I had the girls! Genius!
There are 3 styles: lamb, elephant or giraffe.
I started this series because have gotten several emails from readers/friends who are pregnant with their first babies (or just had their first babies) and they wanted my advice on baby items.
You can see my Newborn-3 month post here.
Luke is our 3rd (and final) baby and since he was born almost 4 years after Claire, I had given away ALL our baby stuff. ALL of it.
I wanted to be mindful of what I got for Luke knowing that it would only be used for him & then given away/donated. I only wanted to get the absolute necessary things to avoid lots of clutter in my house. I just can't handle clutter.
Here are my 3-6 month must haves:
This little plush toy/pacifer holder is genius!!! One of my sister's (single) guy friends got this for my nephew Jack and I had never seen it before or even heard of it! Way to go, single guy! It holds the pacifer and lays on the babies chest so that if your baby is in the car seat (or wherever) it helps keep the pacifer from falling out. They did not have these when I had the girls! Genius!
There are 3 styles: lamb, elephant or giraffe.
Great teether/squeaker/toy. Luke loves sophie and attacks her daily.
Conair Infant Sound Machine
You know babies love white noise, right? I got this clock/sound machine when Claire was born (because Kate was still using hers). The reason I like this one is because it is a clock/sound machine combo. Kate doesn't use the sound machine part of it anymore, but loves being able to tell time. Claire still likes having her "ocean" on and being able to tell time. There are a few different sounds, nature, rain, ocean, birds, but we only use the ocean :)
Taggie Lovey
What is it with babies & tags? All my babies had/have little taggie lovies & love them.
They are perfect bring in the car and on walks in the stroller. I know you aren't supposed to put them in the crib with them yet, but I do once my babies can crawl. Luke loves holding this next to his face. Precious.
Stuffed Animal Lovey
Can you have too many lovies? I don't think so! Luke also has this one because it has a stuffed animal with it. I rotate which one I bring in the car & which one I put in his crib. I don't want him to get too attached to just one of them, so I use a variety of lovies. I did this with the girls also (Maybe I shouldn't have with Claire, she is now a blanket/lovey hoarder and sleeps with 10 blankies/lovies/stuffed animals. Ha!)
Baby Whoozit Plush Infant Toy
This toy was given to us by my sister in law one of my baby showers for Kate. She said it was all 3 of her kids favorite little toys. We have used it for each kid. I don't know what it about this thing, but all 3 kids loved it & still love it. I bring it car rides, walks, and also throw it in the crib.
Graco Baby Bumper Jumper
Santa brought this for Luke at Christmas and let me tell you....he LOVES it.
What I love about doorway jumpers (rather than the stand up jumpers) is that they are easy to store and move around. Luke is mostly in his jumper in doorway of our master bathroom in the mornings
as I shower/get ready for work. He squeals with delight as he jumps. Totally recommend this!
Halo SleepSack Wearable Fleece Blanket
Our babies stopped wearing the Swaddle Me blankets at around 2-3 months, so that is when I started using the sleep sacks. Perfect to keep baby warm at night since they can't have blankets yet!
Baby Einstein Ocean Adventure Play Gym
Love this play mat. Keeps the baby entertained with all the lights & toys. And, it is super, super easy to wash. I washed ours in the washer several times and the shape/colors held up so well. Luke loved this playmat. We used it from about 2 months until 6 months old, then we passed it on to my friend Becky to use for Baby Evan :)
Dr. Browns Bottles
I know there are TONS of bottles out there, but for all 3 of mine, I used Dr. Browns. I have never even tried another brand. When I had Kate, a girl I taught with said these were the best, so I trusted her & got them. They are the best because even though there are a few parts to the bottle, it helps reduce the amount of air that gets in which means less gas for baby. I am sure there are other good bottles out there, but these are the only ones we have ever used!
What I also love about them is that the bottle mouth fits perfectly with my breast pump, so I can just pump straight into those bottles!
Exersaucer
I love excersaucers! Yes, they are big & bulky, but sooooo worth it! We start using them when our babies are about 4 months old. There is a wide variety of excersaucers out there, but I like the Evenflow one because it isn't too expensive. And, it keeps those babies entertained while you get ready, make dinner, etc. It's a life saver! Our babies use them for over a year.
Bumbo & Bumbo Tray
I really like the Bumbo. We start using it with our babies around 3 months. It is fun for them to be able to sit up. I like the tray because you can put puffs or toys on the tray to keep baby entertained. We used it as traveling high chair when we go over to my parents or in laws. But, here's the thing. Babies get too big for bumbos at about 6-7 months old, so you are really only using it for 3-4 months. Know where I bought my bumbo for Luke? Craigslist. I got the bumbo and the tray for $20. So, if you want a bumbo, I would check your local craigslist because you can get it for half the cost. It is SO easy to clean, so I don't mind buying it from a stranger. A few bleach wipes & some soapy water & it was good to go. I got it from a sweet grandma who had it her house for her grandkids. And, now that we are done with it, we are passing it on to friends who are having their first baby this summer!
Breathable Mesh Bumper
Did you know that it isn't safe to have real bumpers in your babies crib? For the first 3 months, our babies sleep in our room in a pack n play. But after that, I move them to their own crib. Once I move them to their crib, I take off their cute fabric bumper & replace it with this breathable one. That way, if they roll over they aren't suffocated by the fabric bumper, but there is a mesh one instead. Is it cute? Nope. But it's only temporary. The mesh one is helpful so that they don't hit their head or get limbs stuck in the crib slats. I put the normal fabric bumper back in the crib around 9-10 months once my babies can crawl around & pull to a stand.
A few other things that aren't in the collage that we love & I want to highlight:
Conair Infant Sound Machine
You know babies love white noise, right? I got this clock/sound machine when Claire was born (because Kate was still using hers). The reason I like this one is because it is a clock/sound machine combo. Kate doesn't use the sound machine part of it anymore, but loves being able to tell time. Claire still likes having her "ocean" on and being able to tell time. There are a few different sounds, nature, rain, ocean, birds, but we only use the ocean :)
Taggie Lovey
What is it with babies & tags? All my babies had/have little taggie lovies & love them.
They are perfect bring in the car and on walks in the stroller. I know you aren't supposed to put them in the crib with them yet, but I do once my babies can crawl. Luke loves holding this next to his face. Precious.
Stuffed Animal Lovey
Can you have too many lovies? I don't think so! Luke also has this one because it has a stuffed animal with it. I rotate which one I bring in the car & which one I put in his crib. I don't want him to get too attached to just one of them, so I use a variety of lovies. I did this with the girls also (Maybe I shouldn't have with Claire, she is now a blanket/lovey hoarder and sleeps with 10 blankies/lovies/stuffed animals. Ha!)
Baby Whoozit Plush Infant Toy
This toy was given to us by my sister in law one of my baby showers for Kate. She said it was all 3 of her kids favorite little toys. We have used it for each kid. I don't know what it about this thing, but all 3 kids loved it & still love it. I bring it car rides, walks, and also throw it in the crib.
Graco Baby Bumper Jumper
Santa brought this for Luke at Christmas and let me tell you....he LOVES it.
What I love about doorway jumpers (rather than the stand up jumpers) is that they are easy to store and move around. Luke is mostly in his jumper in doorway of our master bathroom in the mornings
as I shower/get ready for work. He squeals with delight as he jumps. Totally recommend this!
Halo SleepSack Wearable Fleece Blanket
Our babies stopped wearing the Swaddle Me blankets at around 2-3 months, so that is when I started using the sleep sacks. Perfect to keep baby warm at night since they can't have blankets yet!
Baby Einstein Ocean Adventure Play Gym
Love this play mat. Keeps the baby entertained with all the lights & toys. And, it is super, super easy to wash. I washed ours in the washer several times and the shape/colors held up so well. Luke loved this playmat. We used it from about 2 months until 6 months old, then we passed it on to my friend Becky to use for Baby Evan :)
Dr. Browns Bottles
I know there are TONS of bottles out there, but for all 3 of mine, I used Dr. Browns. I have never even tried another brand. When I had Kate, a girl I taught with said these were the best, so I trusted her & got them. They are the best because even though there are a few parts to the bottle, it helps reduce the amount of air that gets in which means less gas for baby. I am sure there are other good bottles out there, but these are the only ones we have ever used!
What I also love about them is that the bottle mouth fits perfectly with my breast pump, so I can just pump straight into those bottles!
Exersaucer
I love excersaucers! Yes, they are big & bulky, but sooooo worth it! We start using them when our babies are about 4 months old. There is a wide variety of excersaucers out there, but I like the Evenflow one because it isn't too expensive. And, it keeps those babies entertained while you get ready, make dinner, etc. It's a life saver! Our babies use them for over a year.
Bumbo & Bumbo Tray
I really like the Bumbo. We start using it with our babies around 3 months. It is fun for them to be able to sit up. I like the tray because you can put puffs or toys on the tray to keep baby entertained. We used it as traveling high chair when we go over to my parents or in laws. But, here's the thing. Babies get too big for bumbos at about 6-7 months old, so you are really only using it for 3-4 months. Know where I bought my bumbo for Luke? Craigslist. I got the bumbo and the tray for $20. So, if you want a bumbo, I would check your local craigslist because you can get it for half the cost. It is SO easy to clean, so I don't mind buying it from a stranger. A few bleach wipes & some soapy water & it was good to go. I got it from a sweet grandma who had it her house for her grandkids. And, now that we are done with it, we are passing it on to friends who are having their first baby this summer!
Breathable Mesh Bumper
Did you know that it isn't safe to have real bumpers in your babies crib? For the first 3 months, our babies sleep in our room in a pack n play. But after that, I move them to their own crib. Once I move them to their crib, I take off their cute fabric bumper & replace it with this breathable one. That way, if they roll over they aren't suffocated by the fabric bumper, but there is a mesh one instead. Is it cute? Nope. But it's only temporary. The mesh one is helpful so that they don't hit their head or get limbs stuck in the crib slats. I put the normal fabric bumper back in the crib around 9-10 months once my babies can crawl around & pull to a stand.
A few other things that aren't in the collage that we love & I want to highlight:
Fisher-Price Precious Planet 2-in-1 Projection Mobile
Yes, this is not the cutest mobile out there and it doesn't match Luke's room, but when he was 4 months old I was DESPERATE for him to sleep at night. I am pretty sure this mobile is the reason he started sleeping through the night. I did A LOT of reasearch on mobiles. I wanted one that illuminated lights onto the ceiling & played music. This one does that AND it has a remote control & timer! It also has white noise! I love the remote control feature. As I was trying to get Luke to sleep at night, I would turn this one on & after 18 minutes if he wasn't asleep yet, I would quietly stand in his doorway with the remote & it would go back on without Luke seeing me. Genius!
Next up is high chairs..........
Chicco Polly Magic High Chair - Rattania
This is the one we got as a gift from our friends.
I would have just gotten a Space Saver high chair (see at the end of the post) that you attach to a chair, BUT, our kitchen table only sits 4 people and we have 5 in our family now, I had to get a free standing high chair.
(Side note: I will be needing a new kitchen table when Luke grows out of his high chair)
I give this high chair 5 stars. It has wheels, so it rolls (which is perfect on my hardwood) or you can lock it into place. You can adjust the height, so you can wheel them up to the table if you want. It has a tray & cover, so I just take the cover off, so easy to clean. It also fold up very narrow, so you can store it if you need to. My favorite thing about it is the mesh basket/storage behind the seat. This is where I keep Luke's container of puffs, container of Cheerios & bibs. That way, I can just put him in his high chair & toss some snacks on the tray, super easy & convenient!
I really like the Chicco high chairs, but if you want a less expensive version (with out the basket under) this is the one I had with Kate:
Chicco Polly High Chair, Foxy
This is the one I got with Claire (but a different color) We needed them both to be in high chairs, since they are only 19 months apart. But, I didn't want 2 high chairs, so I got one of these:
Fisher-Price - Space-Saver High Chair, Mocha Butterfly
I can't rave about this space saver enough. This is actually one of the baby items I did keep, we gave it to my mom to keep at her house after the girls were done using it. Once summer arrives, I am taking it back from her so that we can use for Luke when we eat dinner outside on those warm summer nights. I can keep his normal high chair inside, but use this for outside.
I also must mention baby socks. From 3-6 months, babies are finding their feet (adorable) and learning to scoot/crawl. With Kate, I just bought cheapy socks at first, but they always fell off (or she easily pulled them off) My favorite socks for babies at this age are Trumpette socks & socks from baby gap. They actually stay on!
Items that I don't think are necessary? Like I mentioned in the newborn-3 month post, I never used a wipes warmer, bottle warmer or diaper genie. Other items that I didn't use this time around that I had with the Kate: Bottle Sanitizer, Baby Robe, lots of outfits. Poor Luke spent the majority of his first 6 months in footie pj's. Boy clothes just aren't as cute as girl clothes. And, with the girls I totally over-bought clothes for their first year of life!
So there are my "Must Haves" for 3-6 months
{The next part will be Must Have Baby Products for 6-9 Months}
Is there anything you would add to this list?
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