Well here we are again…jumping on the baby train. With #3 on the way and Hudson having just turned one, it seems like as quickly as I put these things away, we’re getting them back out again. A while back I shared our families MUST HAVES for ages 0-3 months. So I wanted to continue with our favorite baby and mom items for ages 4-6 months…
Eating/Feeding
Between months 4 and 6 your baby will likely start eating solid foods. Here are a few products that have made our transition to food easier:
Inglesina Fast Table Chair + Tray: I can’t rave about this highchair enough! We’ve had it for 4 years and it’s going on kid #3. I didn’t want a cumbersome highchair because with baby #1 Tom was playing baseball and we were moving 3 times a year. I couldn’t disassembled something like that and move it all over the country. So the best selling feature is how small and compact this chair is. I love that the tray comes off and is also small. Small enough to actually fit into your dishwasher. The whole covering of the chair comes off and is machine washable. One last thing – the whole little “chair” folds up. We’ve been known to pack it in the car or suitcase for a vacation.
Suction Bowls and Plates: As your kids learn to reach for small foods, you want it to be as easy as possible for them. These suction bowls and plates allow them to reach for food without it sliding all over the place.
Baby Friendly Utensils: With both girls we’ve used these Munchkin spoons and they’re the perfect size for a babies mouth. But there are plenty of options out there, including ones that let you know if the temp of the food is too hot.
Formula or Snack Dispenser: We still have the same two of these that we used with Parker. They are PERFECT for on the go! Pre-measure your formula for each bottle you’re going to need or stuff each compartment with cheerios, puffs, or goldfish. One of the cheapest, most used gadgets we own!
Just a few other gadgets we love for feeding babes:
At this stage, you might still be breast feeding and are likely still using bottles for any type of liquids. I shared all of my breast and bottle feeding necessities here.
Sitting
Your baby will start sitting with some help at this stage. We’ve gone through a few different types of chairs that allow them to sit. It’s nice to have them sitting sometimes to play or feeding somewhere other than the table.
Sleeping
Most of these things were recommended by the sleep training program, Moms on Call, that we follow religiously. You can read all about it here!
Sleep Sack: At this stage your baby is likely rolling over or trying to. And you never want them to roll over and have their hands tied down. So we still use the Halo Sleepsack BUT we always have the babies arms free. We still continue to use the ones with velcro but we wrap it UNDER their arms with their ARMS FREE. It gives that snug feeling of comfort with the freedom to use their arms if needed.
Sound Machine: Let’s just say we have one in every room of our house. And one that hangs on the carseat and goes with us everywhere. These white noise machines are clutch for EVERYONE to sleep.
Baby Monitor: – We never tried any other monitor than the Nest Cam, so I can’t really compare to others. But I absolutely love the Nest. It’s wifi and runs off an app from any device. We have an iPad in our house for our nanny/babysitters. And we use the app on our phone for our own personal use. I love that I can see them from anywhere…literally ANYWHERE! When we’re on vacation, on a dinner date, or just in the other room. We actually love it so much we’ve purchased cameras for our living room and playroom. Oh and the quality of the video in the dark is amazing! So when the girls are sleeping I can see them really well. The ONLY downfall is that there isn’t a traditional “monitor” screen. So when you go to bed at night, it’s not like you can have a monitor beside your bed “listening” for your baby. There is a feature that allows you to turn on notifications for sound and movement, but most people don’t wake in their sleep from just the “ding” of a notification. Our house is small enough that we can hear our kiddos when they cry out so it’s never been a problem for us. But I can see where that would bother someone.
Another reason I love this “monitor” is that its so small and portable. We bring it when we travel and just connect to the wifi. Not like public wifi in hotels because I’ve horror stories of that. But when we go to my parents or during baseball season when we pay for our own wifi service and it’s a secure, password protected account. We’ve also been known to move it around the house to see the dog while we’re away.
And the last amazing feature is the ability to talk both ways on the monitor. For example, when I’m watching parker play in her bed during naptime, I can talk to her via the monitor. “Lay down right now or I’m throwing all of your toys in the trash” ha ha ha. I can even watch her if I’m out running errands and there is a sitter at the house. I can watch her and talk to her. It’s pretty funny at night when we’re doing bedtime and Tom (who is in Florida for Spring Training) starts talking to us. It’s pretty cool because it allows him to be part of bedtime.
Just a few other products we use for getting our kiddos to sleep:
Play
Somewhere between 4 and 6 months your baby might start trying to move. They may be rolling from front to back or back to front and also thinking about crawling. Some babies will be getting up no their elbows and learning to lift their head. Your baby will likely love any play gym that encourages them to jump. Here are a few of our favorite gadgets that aid in this.
Interactive Play Mat: Having an interactive mat not only keeps them entertained when lying on their back, but encourages them to roll over as well. They also encourage baby to lift their head and strengthen their neck during “tummy time”.
Foam Play Mat: A foam play mat provides a soft cushion for babies trying to crawl or those starting to sit with assistance.
Jumper: Closer to 6 months you will likely notice your baby trying to put weight on their legs when you hold them and starting to bounce. Any play gym that encourages them to stand and bounce is fun and helps strengthen their legs. Just get ready for a lot of noise 😉
Activity Center: We have loved this thing to pieces! The most exciting thing about it, it grows as your kid grows! Because we all get tired of buying new things at every stage. You can remove the toys attached to it and place on a solid top (that it comes with) to make it a standing activity table. Then purchase chairs to make it a sitting activity table.
Toys: Toys at this stage are easy to hold and make lots of noise. Sorry mommas! You’re also going to want toys that attach to the handles of your strollers and portable carseats. Babies at this stage are learning to grab for things and this will keep them entertained.
Bath Time
Bath Seat: Your baby is wanting to sit up now instead of laying back in a tub. But attempting to hold a slippery, soapy baby in a bathtub is not only back breaking but a safety hazard. This seat attaches to your bathtub and helps keep your baby upright.
Baby Wash: Since having kids I have vowed to use safer products on their skin. So I’ve chosen to use Beauty Counter baby wash.
Baby Balm: My pediatrician swears by Vaseline for ALL things baby. I use the Beauty Counter version of Vaseline for a handful of reasons. One, its a “cleaner” product. And two, its less greasy! It seems to stay put on the skin better!
Teething
Your baby will likely start cutting teeth or showing signs of it during this time period. You will find they put everything in their mouth. So having teething friendly toys is most important.
Banana Toothbrush: I always recommend this little banana toothbrush as one of the first teething toys. Because of the material they can chew on the entire brush, but the faux bristle head can also be used to start massaging their gums or “brushing” their teeth as they start to pop through the gums. The most important thing you can do at this stage is get them acclimated to having their teeth brushed.
I shared a detailed review of our favorite baby carriers, swings, strollers, and carseats in a previous blog post. Check it out here.
If you prefer to shop on Amazon, most all of these baby items are also linked here.
Below are a few other things we’re using and loving right now!