I can’t believe I am writing this post already. Time flies when you are raising a baby!!
I shared my favorite newborn essentials before, so I wanted to keep this trend going and share what we’ve been loving during the 3-6 month age range. The below products may not work for everyone, but I can tell you that they have made our lives much easier and happier.
Here’s my very subjective list of essentials.
NOTE: This post contains affiliate links, which means that I’ll receive a commission if you purchase from this link. This will not change or increase the cost of your purchase. This extra income provides for my family and keeps The Friendly Fig running strong.
Activity mat. My sister gifted us this jungle activity mat and Willow has been using it for-ev-er. When she was a newborn, we’d let her look up and she enjoyed the music. Now that she is much older, she really goes crazy under this thing. Swatting, grabbing, kicking legs, and chatting away with her friends. I also love how you can link any other toys with a hook that you may have. She especially loves these rings that I linked.
Carseat canopy. I didn’t like this as a nursing cover, but LOVE as a carseat canopy. I take this thing with me everywhere. It was especially helpful during the winter months when I felt there were germs all over. Anytime we head to the grocery store, you bet this thing is over here. Great for weather, too. No snowflakes or rain on this little girl. It’s light weight, easy, and breathable.
Sleep sacks. I like Halo and Carters’ sleep sacks the best, but there are other brands out there. She’s cozy and comfortable, because she loves her arms up near her head. I have both fleece and cotton varieties (fleece are definitely not too warm for our cold New England winters!)
Table bouncer. This bouncer lived on our kitchen table and countertops. Whenever I was making dinner or cleaning kitchen, or just hanging out in there, Willow was able to hang at eye-level with me. I’d chat with her most of the time, but the activity arch helped keep her occupied if I was busy. I would also attach other toys to it, to keep her from getting bored. It’s so inexpensive, too. Life saver for us!
Light-Up toys. Anything that lights up and plays music… basically our saving grace. She would be entertained for at least a half hour, and would even fall asleep to some of these. Her all-time favorite is this light-up bug, followed by this singing star. The bug was incredible… I would link it to anything (the swing, activity mat, etc.) and she would grab it, hold it, coo, and talk to it. It also put her to sleep MANY TIMES. Oh, and this butterfly. She loves to try and eat the light-up heart… oh boy.
Rings. I mentioned them up above too, but worth mentioning again. These were the first objects that Willow grabbed at and held in her hands. From swatting, to grabbing, to chewing… these rings have been used constantly for us. I have them dangling off my non-diaper bag, her car seat, the activity mat, etc.
Activity Arch. I love this thing. We take it everywhere because it adjusts to almost everything. I love how it works with our BabyBjorn Bouncer (which is pretty plain without it) and the Rock ‘n Play. It’s bright, colorful, and keeps Willow busy while I get things done around the house.
Drool bibs. The drool is out of control. How does a little bean like Willow even produce this much? She soaks through all her clothes, so these bibs have been a good barrier. They come in a pack of 10, and the designs are so bright and gorgeous. It’s like a fashion accessory, ha!
Floor mirror. I know this may seem like a waste of money (it did to me at first) but I can’t express how much this floor mirror helped Willow during tummy time. She was not a fan at all in the beginning, and would just sort of face-plant and be done with it. The mirror has her staring at her reflection and got her up on her forearms. I set up a little corner in the living room with her tummy time blanket, mirror, and some toys. It felt like a chore in the beginning, but now she can stand it for about 10-20 minutes at a time. Finally!
Books, books, and more books. We read to her every night. She may not understand yet, but she follows the pages with me and it calms her down before bed. Our favorites are the Little Golden Books (Disney stories) and fairytales!
Teething toys. I’m sure I’ll be sharing a whole post on my experience with teething in the future. For now, she really loves these teething keys, these icy rings, and this raz-berry pacifier (like really loves this thing). We have so many teething toys.
Catch-all bib. These have been awesome since starting solids. So easy to just rinse and wash with soap, and they dry so quickly.
Crinkly books. She just loves to grab at these and chew on them. We have the Jellycat Farm Tails book, and she loves yanking on the tails.
Pacifier clips. I bought a pack of these and they are awesome for not only pacifiers, but basically anything that she wants to gnaw on or play with. Now I don’t have to keep picking things up off the floor! They came in super handy on her first plane ride, too.
Security blanket. Willow loves chewing on blankets more than anything else, so I have a couple animal security blankets for her. She loves to cuddle and chew. She has a monkey one (similar to this one) and we call it George(of course).
Ergobaby Carrier. FINALLY we get to use this. I didn’t have an infant insert, so I had to wait a bit. I love this thing so much. And so does Willow. She almost always falls asleep in it while we are out and about. If not sleeping, she’s just peeking out the side and taking it all in. It’s so easy to use and very comfortable. I’d spend the money on this all over again!
Stacking cups. Real simple stuff, folks. She keeps entertained with these for a while now that she is sitting up!
Boppy. I listed this as a product regret earlier, but am taking that back. We actually use it everyday now as a barrier while she sits up by herself. I put another pillow behind it in case she falls back, but for the most part, she is doing so well and this is the perfect buffer. You could also just use pillows, but hey, we have it and it works!
Have any products that you swear by for this age range? Share in the comments! xx bianca
If you are interested in seeing what else we use for our babies, check out my Amazon storefront. Lots of great newborn items, toddler toys, mealtime essentials, etc.
