Following on from the post of my top 10 favourite baby products from 0-3 months, now that we’ve hit that elusive 6 month mark, here’s the next instalment.
Activity mat
The bouncer was relegated to second place as Sam discovered how awesome it was to simply lie under dangling things and swipe up at them giggling. And as his dexterity inevitably improved, his favourite thing became to remove all the dangly things and fling them around the room.
Sleep sacks
We swaddled in a muslin cloth for the first little while, though swaddling is probably not the right word for it because my wrapping skills were primitive at best, and due to the heat of high summer, it was not really necessary for him to sleep in anything! But as soon as the temperatures began dropping it was time for me to discover the convenience of a sleep sack. We also used a thicker sleep sack during walks when the weather got colder.
Baby monitor (and video)
Around three months Sam stopped just falling asleep wherever he lay and started to need designated naps in his cot. Hence the baby monitor became a necessity. Now, I had flatly refused to get one with a video because I didn’t want to be that kind of parent. He would be fine! And I was mostly ok, until he started rolling super early and all of a sudden, I needed that reassurance that he had successfully moved his head to the side and was… still breathing.
A bigger mat for rolling
Once the rolling began, the space under the activity mat was no longer enough for little Sam, and because we have hard floors, a cushioned mat was introduced, and he quickly mastered the art of rolling in preparation for sitting and crawling.
Bandanas
Three month old babies don’t have a mouth… instead they have a faucet that’s constantly dripping saliva. Sometimes we’d have to change clothes just because he was completed soaked. This is where the bandanas and bibs came in handy, swapping these out instead of a change of clothes was very much appreciated.
A good podcast for night feeds
By this time we were pretty good at breastfeeding, but staying awake in the middle of the night is no joking matter, and I didn’t want the stimulation of a screen for either Sam or I. So podcasts were the obvious solution. It’s important that they are engaging enough to keep you awake, but I found out pretty quick that listening to true crime in the dark of the night, was not for me.
Teething toys
With the gallons of saliva flowing from his mouth, we knew it wouldn’t be long before the next milestone of first tooth would appear. In came the teethers. The silicone squishy ones were his favourite but really biting on anything is his thing – chair leg, my fingers etc.
Baby toys that aren’t
It’s true what they say… you end up with heaps of baby toys and Sam does enjoy playing with them… but his favourite is definitely the green exercise roller, plastic bottles… and of course the tags on anything and everything.
Standing desk as a change table
As the little guy started packing on weight, I was super thankful that our changing table was my standing desk, and therefore could be moved around for optimum positioning. It has saved my back considerably though the additional height does worry me about now he’s getting so wiggly!
Mirrors
Whether you’re just playing around or you need to entertain a grumpy baby, mirrors are extremely useful. At this age Sam loved checking himself (and me) out in the mirror and bursting into delicious giggles. We also added a mirror in his room so that it was easy to see when his eyes were starting to droop at nap/bed time.
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