Top 10: Favorite Baby Items, 6-9 Months

A LOT of change took place in the 6-9 month period:  G acquired total control of sitting up and standing up, he became fully mobile on all fours, he started cutting teeth, and of course, he began eating solid foods.  All of these things resulted in more baby gear taking over our house. Since we are letting G feed himself, we didn’t need any appliances for making purees or special baby spoons.  I thought we might be able to get away scot-free with regards to feeding purchases, but of course I like to complicate things. Here’s our list of favorite things from the last three months:

High chair:  We started off with this booster seat from Fisher-Price.  I had heard great things about it and thought, sweet, we might be able to get away with not buying a huge high chair.  It was only after it was purchased that I called the company and couldn’t get a straight answer about whether or not it was BPA-free.  I also realized that I really wanted G to have a chair he could use independently once he was walking.  We decided to splurge a little and buy a chair that he could use for several years.  We wanted something sturdy, easy to clean, non-toxic, and (if possible) easy on the eyes.  After a lot of debating back and forth between the Stokke, the OXO, and the Keekaroo, we went with the Keekaroo and love it.  The only downsides of this chair are that the tray cannot be removed one-handed and it cannot easily collapse for travel.  Note: you definitely need the infant insert.  You cannot use the tray without it (there is a disclaimer), and it’s basically just a height-adjustable chair otherwise.

Bibs:  Drool bibs won’t cut it for feedings, at least not when your kid is feeding themselves.  We’ve tried so many feeding bibs, and I have a feeling we will use them in phases as G gets better at eating.  As of now, we’ve tried the aden + anais Burpy Bib (OK but not our favorite), the Baby Bjorn bib (right now this is a total disaster and just gets in the way, but I imagine it will be more useful when he is older), the Bumkins Waterproof Sleeved Bib (again, it sounded great but the sleeves are a little intimidating to him right now), and our current favorite, the Bumkins Waterproof SuperBib.  These are thin so they don’t get in the way of feeding, and are waterproof and offer good coverage. 

Sippy cups:  G LOVES drinking water from any sort of cup, so I wasn’t worried about finding something he would like.  Instead I wanted something that was easy to clean, as non-toxic as possible, and without a valve (after learning that the American Dental Association specifically warns against “no spill” sippy cups).  The valve thing isn’t as relevant for us until G starts drinking something other than water in his cups (which will hopefully be a long time from now), but I figured we may as well start him on the “right” cup now.  Unfortunately anything without a valve will leak, but a valve kind of defeats the purpose of a sippy cup and turns it into something more like a bottle!

I found Tilty Cups (read about them on amazon but buy them from the Tilty website…so much cheaper!), which have their pros and cons.  Pros:  It’s a very simply designed cup (two parts!  easy to clean!) with a slanted inner edge that helps children transition to a “real” cup.  Cons:  IT LEAKS quite easily so it’s really a cup you want your child to use sitting down with supervision.  It is also a little tricky for a young child to hold since it doesn’t have handles.

We also have the Sugarbooger sippy cup.  This is easier for G to hold, but does not have the tilted inner edge, so he is learning how to tilt his head back to get the water.  This will also leak easily as it is again just the two parts and valve-less.

Lastly, we have the Zoli straw cup.  I don’t know where this fits in with the ADA’s rules, but since it technically doesn’t have a valve, I’m saying it’s ok 😉

We use all three cups interchangeably and take the Zoli out on-the-go.

Mats:  These are for eating out in restaurants when you don’t want to put baby’s finger food right on the table (cringe) and they are too young to be trusted with a plate.  We have reusable silicone mats from Brinware as well as disposable (and supposedly eco-friendly) mats from Neat Solutions.  Both are great and immediately became diaper bag essentials once we started solids.

Teethers:  G had three teeth break through all at once!  So far we have managed his discomfort without drugs.  I have heard great things about amber teething necklaces, but at this point I’m not entirely comfortable with something sitting around his neck.  Favorite teethers include:  Chewbeads necklace for mama (this is also great for holding his attention during his gymnastic nursing sessions), the Baby Banana Training Toothbrush, and teething rings from Lifefactory.

Baby gates:  Essential for the top and the bottom of stairs once baby is crawling.  We have these.

Overnight diapers:  Since G still nurses at night, overnight diapers are especially essential for us.  Sometimes he will still need a change early in the morning, but most of the time we can make it through with no diaper changes now.  We’ve been using Pampers Extra Protection and prefer them to Baby Dry.  I just discovered that Seventh Generation makes an overnight diaper and I can’t wait to try those, as that is the brand we use during the day.

Stroller:  Though we primarily carried G in a carrier for his first several months whenever we were out and about, the stroller has become a favorite lately now that he is wanting a little more independence.  We were generously gifted the UPPAbaby Vista and love it; the versatility of the seat options and the large basket underneath are some of our favorite features.

Breast Pump:  I have been fortunate and really didn’t need to pump much until G started a two-month long nursing strike at eight months.  For those two months, I used my Medela Pump in Style Advanced religiously.  Until then I mainly used a manual pump for travel and engorgement relief.  For other pumping-related essentials, check out this post.

Toys:  G’s favorites are not actually toys at all, but everything in the house that he is not supposed to touch.  That said, the actual toys that by far got the most use and offered the most versatility during this period were the Green Toys My First Stacker and the Sassy Developmental Sensory Ball Set.  Runners up:  the Tiny Love Double-Sided First Book (the colorful side) and the Lamaze My First Fishbowl.

We’re getting ready to buy toys for his first birthday.  Any “favorite things” recommendations for the 12-18 month age group?

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