Must Haves for Baby’s First Year Part 2 : 6 – 12 Months

Having a baby can be overwhelming, there are so many things out there that you can purchase for your little one. Have you ever wondered what you really need?

Along with continuing to use many of the items that I used when my kids were 0-6 months. There are a few more items that I have found helpful once the baby is about 6 months old and older.

Must Have Items for Baby’s First Year 6-12 Months:

Zipper Pajamas

Once your little one gets too big for the baby gowns, zipper pajamas are awesome. There are pajamas that button up but the zipper makes it so much faster and easier. Especially if you need to change a diaper during the night. (My favorite Zipper Pajamas are the cotton ones so your little one doesn’t get to hot.)

Exersaucer

Our little guy was about 7 months old when he really started to love playing in the exersaucer. It took him a little while to figure out how to jump and play with all the toys on it. He would play in it 2-3 times a day. I just moved the exersaucer to the room I was in and I could get dishes, laundry, etc. done while he played.

Bumbo

We started using the bumbo when our kids when they were starting to be able to sit up on their own which was right at about 6 months. We have a Floor Bumbo Seat that someone gave us, I would love to try the Bumbo Multi Seat (Also I love the Aqua Colored one!)

The Bumbo was nice to use because our kids always wanted to sit up but would get tired really fast. We used the bumbo almost every day. When we first started using it we didn’t use the tray, but once the kids started eating we started using the tray.

Note: Make sure you don’t leave your baby in a Bumbo or high chair unsupervised. We also made sure that the little ones got plenty of time practicing sitting up on their own, not always just sitting in the Bumbo.

Umbrella Stroller

An Umbrella stroller is really nice to have as well as the stroller from your travel system. We started using the Umbrella Stroller when our little ones were about 7 months old.

We typically keep the umbrella stroller in our car so that we always have it. It’s nice that it doesn’t take up as much space in the trunk as a larger stroller.

We love using the umbrella stroller at the airport – it’s easy to take through security and it can be collapsed at the gate with one hand if needed. We have also found the umbrella stroller is perfect when you’re traveling and taking bus tours (Especially the ones you get on and off multiple times).

Soft Sole Shoes

As my little ones learned how to walk I let them go barefoot as much as possible since they use their toes so much at this stage. But when we go out I like to use soft-soled shoes so that they bend with the baby’s foot and are easier for them to walk in.

Small Toys

It seems by 6 months my babies have had more interest in playing with toys. Some of our favorite toys for this age are-

• Fisher- Price Remote
• Oball Rattle
• Tug Boat
• Books
• Fisher-Price First Blocks
• Ball Drop and Roll

I know there are a ton more toys I could name, but these are the 3 that my little guy loved. (At 16 months, he still plays with the boat and remote a lot!)

A Push Toy

I’m adding a push toy to the list because my little guy started playing with it around 10-11 months. Each child starts walking at different times so some kids will play with this during the first year, others won’t until after their first birthday.

We found that having a push toy really helped both of our kids learn to walk. They love playing with it and being able to walk around before being able to take their first solo step. At our house, we call this toy the baby walker 🙂

There are tons of options for push toys, my favorites are the push and ride. The push and ride toys are great because they play with them longer. Both of my kids (2-year-old and 4-year-old) still frequently play with the push and ride toy we got when they were babies.

What other must have item would you add for baby’s 6 – 12 months old?

Save this post!