I can’t believe it, guys. My baby boys is 10 months old! I always get these posts out a little late, but it’s so much fun to reflect back to all the toys and gear Leo was using — because it really does change over night. Especially in the 6-9 month range. Leo became comfortable with crawling, eating, playing independently with toys, and even took his first steps. He’s learning and doing something new every day!
And with all the changes, comes new stuff. A lot of things from the 3-6 month essentials still apply, but I’ll only mention a few. If you want to know everything, go check out that post!
Cover-all Bib:
Eating is messy when you’re just learning how to do it. Lots of companies make bibs with sleeves, but I found this lesser known brand and it’s by far the best one I’ve tried. It covers your baby’s entire lap, has thicker material, velcro on the back of the neck instead of a tie, and it’s cheaper!
Suction Plates:
Everyone knows babies like to throw or drop things off their highchair. You can’t suction their cups, silverware, or food to the tray, but you CAN suction their plates and bowls — so do it! And you can’t always put their food directly on the tray, so when you do need a plate, just save some sanity and make sure it isn’t going anywhere. Bumpkins plates are what we use, and they’ve passed the “strongest baby ever” test.
Straw Sippy Cup:
We tried probably six different types of sippy cups and Leo didn’t like any of them — soft spout, 360 lids, straws — nothing worked. But then I tried a children’s sippy cup (not baby’s) and oh my gosh, finally Leo would drink water! The Contigo straw cups are absolutely amazing for bigger babies and toddlers because it’s actually possible to suck water through — you know what I’m talking about if you’ve tried the Munchkin weighted straw cups — those are super hard to use. Plus, the Contigo ones are the only cups we tried that are 100% leak-proof!
Sleep Sacks:
This is a repeat from my 3-6 month essentials, but we still use a sleep sack every night and for all of Leo’s naps. If he doesn’t wear his sleep sack for bed, he’ll probably wake up multiple times a night. But if he does wear it, he’ll happily sleep 10+ hours. It’s also a huge sleep cue for him, too — he’ll usually yawn as I’m zipping him up because he knows it’s bedtime.
Smaller diaper bag:
Although 2020 hasn’t allowed us to leave the house as often as I’d like… we don’t need very many things to go out like we used to. For short errand runs, you really only need diapers, wipes, a toy or two, and some snacks (other covid-necessary things are hand sanitizer, sanitizing wipes, and a shopping cart cover). I had the Itzy Ritzy Boss bag, which is great, but it’s huge and unnecessary for older babies — now I have this Fawn Design mini dupe and I LOVE it.
Inflatable Bathtub:
At around 6 months, we moved bath time from the kitchen sink into the bathtub. Although, we quickly realized everything was too slippery and Leo just about face planted into the water each night. To add a little support, we got him this adorable inflatable tub that fits right inside our bathtub. It also has an optional inflatable part that goes between his legs to keep him sitting up straight. We used this all the way til 9 months, and it’s worked great.
Bath Kneeler:
At around 6 months, we moved bath time from the kitchen sink into the bathtub. Leo loved being able to sit up and play with toys, but my old lady knees couldn’t handle kneeling on tile floors. Thankfully, my husband is the greatest and bath time has become his job — and he loves this kneeler, too.
Baby Proofing:
Every house has different requirements for baby proofing, but some of the basics are outlet covers, baby gates, and cabinet locks — but my absolute favorite find, and something I’ve never seen before, was this fancy outlet cover with a surge protector all-in-one. Leo is obsessed with pulling cords, which was a huge problem with my husband’s computer. I needed something that solved the outlet safety issue as well as the cord pulling, and this is perfect!
Big Playpen:
If you want to give your baby a safe area to play and learn to move, I think this playpen is the best option out there. It has mesh walls but a sturdy frame (like, super sturdy. It can withstand a big toddler hanging off of it), zipper doors if you want your baby to be able to get out, and there’s no risk of it tipping over or being pushed around like other playpen fences since it’s all one piece. Plus, it makes our basement look much cleaner when all his toys can be kept in this rather than along a wall, etc. I can’t say enough nice things about this — it’s become Leo’s little safe space that’s all his.
Foam Play Blocks:
Another one of my absolute favorite finds were these foam play blocks that are the perfect size for babies to climb all over. Leo was (and still is) obsessed with trying to climb onto everything — to the point where he would successfully get onto things and fall off. He hasn’t gotten onto anything tall enough to hurt him, yet. But to hopefully avoid that altogether, these blocks are a great distraction and get that “need to climb” out of his system.
Walking Push Toy:
A lot babies will start to pull themselves up to stand and even attempt their first steps before they turn 9 months old. Having a toy that they can hold onto while walking helps their development and is just super cute to watch. This one is great because it comes with some blocks and doubles as a wagon they can push things around in — so even after they’ve mastered walking, they’ll like pushing this around.
Blocks & Balls:
If you’re trying to avoid a bunch of battery operated toys like we are, blocks and balls are staple toys that will get lots of love. These Infantino ones are great because baby can throw them, chew on them, and crawl all over them without hurting anything. The blocks help with fine motor skills and the balls have different textures for sensory.
Stacking Cups:
I don’t know what it is about these cups, but Leo is obsessed. They’re so simple, but he could play with them all day. At around the 9-month mark, he was able to put a smaller cup into a larger one and would get so excited for himself. He’s almost always got one of these in his hand.
Lift Flap Books:
Leo doesn’t usually have the attention span to sit through a whole book (because he’d rather be terrorizing other things lol), but if it has flaps to lift, he’s all in. Some of our favorites are the Peek-a-Flap board books because they’re sturdy enough to withstand a 9 month old.
Teething Toys:
Teething toys are still a big hit from 6-9 months. At this age, Leo seems to like harder silicone ones like this banana, carrot, or teething tubes.
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