It is so crazy to think another 3 months have passed and we have a 6-month-old. Just crazy! I thought I’d share another post of baby gear we cannot live without. I see a lot of new moms in my Facebook feed building their registries and wondering what they need. I say as fast as these moments go, let me encourage you to be ready up to 6 months with stuff you need. It seems like month 6 was when I came out of the new mom fog enough to start thinking again. It was nice to have many of these things already in the closet so I didn’t have to make a special trip to the store just to get some form of entertainment or a medicine at the moment.

Before I jump too far into these items, I feel like month 3 was so long ago. So, maybe this should be titled after month 3, but before 6 months. Today at 6.5 months I feel like we already have a new list forming. It’s hard because they go through toys and baby tools so fast. But, when you need them, you need them.

Baby gear we cannot live without | 4-6 months

1. Humidifier – this should have probably been on the 0-3 month list and I just didn’t think about it. But, with a “winter baby,” we pulled this thing out our first or second week home. When they get stuffy at night, this is one of the things that help. Now, I’ll save you the lesson we learned – you do not want the water misting over them, you just want it misting in the room with them or near them. The first night we did it like we do our diffuser and he was wet and clammy when we picked him up for a middle of the night feeding. But, this is one of those items you register for and wonder if you really need… YES! And, when you need it, you need it right then. You either have a sick baby or a baby you are trying to keep from getting sick. So you don’t want to go out in the middle of the night or on the way home from a doctor visit and pick one up.
2. Activity gym – this is the mat with the 2 arches over it. Especially in those early months, it’s so great for tummy time and when they start to roll. We put ours up on a bed and he was only in it when he was being supervised, but this old lady just can’t sit in the floor for long periods of time. He plays and still kicks in it a little in the afternoons at this stage, but I try to get him up and off his back as often as possible to keep from getting a flat head. But, this is still fascinating. I remember when he discovered the face in the mirror and those rings were so helpful in him getting his hands up above him and discoverable. Just make sure you get one you can collapse. It makes it too hard to travel if not!
3. Bottle warmer – like the wipe warmer, this was one of those baby gear items I just rolled my eyes at. It felt like it was one more thing on the kitchen counter and so unnecessary since there are other ways to warm water. Once I went all in on bottles, we set up our rhythm. We kept a glass measuring cup on the stove and filled it halfway with water. Warmed it in the microwave and then let the bottle sit in the warmed water to heat. It was a great system. It’s what my parents and sister had done. Never a problem. But, two times the water popped and blew the microwave door open. It scared me and I was thankful we were across the room when it happened. I’m not sure if I have a “hotter” microwave than others or if I let the water get too low, but I promptly ordered a bottle warmer from Amazon and it came a couple days later. It’s nothing fancy. You just put water in it and turn the dial, but our system works. There are all kinds, some that look like a machine a barista would use all the way down to a travel warmer. Which, we did get the travel warmer, but it takes 15-20 min to warm a bottle and unless you have predictable superpowers when a kid wants his bottle, he wants it right then. (Ain’t nobody got time to wait for a bottle to warm with a screaming baby!)
4. hot water thermos – we have been fortunate in that little man will usually take his bottle warm temp. He isn’t super picky about it being warm. But, we have a hot water thermos that we take with us if we are out for the day. I just boil water before we leave and then slip this in the side pocket of our baby bag. I keep a plastic stadium cup in a side pocket on the inside and just pull out all the little things I store in it and pour it half full of water and warm a bottle when we are on the run. Many restaurants will give you warm water if you ask for it so if we are stopping for a meal at the same time, I just save my water and warm it in the store. Lots of options. They just always freak out and make sure you are not pouring that scalding hot water into the bottle. I ask for a glass half full and assure them I’m putting the bottle in the cup. (I’ve even ordered this through the McDonald’s and Chick-fil-a mobile apps when I’ve placed an order.)
5. summer essentials – baby sunscreen, baby insect repellent, baby sunglasses, and a light summer hat – we found sunglasses on Amazon and the sunscreen and insect repellent we got were Babyganics. I like to use the natural products as long as I can. I really need to check out the Young Living products, but I already had these on hand! Oh, one more thing. We bought a fan to clip on his car seat. They just don’t get much circulation in those things and something about the material they are made of holds in all that heat. We bought one that uses normal types of batteries so it would be easy to replace them.
6. Essential Oils – lavender, thieves, lemon, peace and calming – so I use YL Peace and Calming and Thieves in his diffuser every night. In those first few weeks when we were trying to figure out why he was crying every night, Mr. McKinney said, “never let us run out of this.” It has come in handy lots of times when I’ve put it under his chin when nothing else worked! Before shots, I have a little regime I do. The day before (a couple times) I put lavender on his thighs and then the night before I put lemon and thieves on his feet and socks. This helps prepare his body and start pulling toxins out. I repeat the lavender the morning before we go get shots and that night and I repeat the thieves and lemon on his feet the night of shots and the next night. I do make sure to put socks on him after the oils just because he keeps his feet in his mouth. Always put the lemon on before the thieves since its a hot oil.  You can include lavender too. My sister had made us a couple blends, so we have used our “sniffles” blend a couple times and the tummy one, too. Sometimes you just don’t know why he is crying or it catches that runny nose that comes with teething.
7. Nuby natural teething gel – don’t worry, the weekend we needed teething gel for the first time there was a TOTAL RECALL on every kind of over the counter gel. FDA called a big recall on all the products. We tried 5 different stores (in town and out of town) and got the “its all been recalled” message. Thankfully I had some random kind that had come as part of a gift set in my “baby medicine” drawer in the bathroom closet and we made due until…. Amazon could deliver. The only kind we can consistently find is the Nuby brand, but its labeled as a natural product so I’m kind of ok with that. Let me recommend you go ahead and get at least 3 of whatever you are going to use. That way you can always have one in your baby bag, in the bedroom or where you keep the middle of the night things and in your travel bag. Its just easier to always have it where you need it and maybe a 4th in your “stash” in case you run out of one.
8. teethers – we have tried different options and here’s where we have landed. We have a lollipop that is made out of silicone. Its been great as Little Man’s grabbing skills have improved. I keep this one in his car seat and we have it at home too sometimes, but its always with us when we are on the go. We also have a banana chew toy. He was not sure about it at first because it has texture and that was weird on his tongue, but once he really started cutting teeth you could see the change in his face, he really liked the brushing feeling. Also, the “peel” is pulled back to make 2 handles on the sides and now that he can hold things it looks like he is holding a popsicle. It’s nice that he can be a little self-sufficient with all the thick slobber going on! I bought the keys that have water in them, but again they are all textured and he wasn’t sure about those at first. I just keep them in the top shelf bin on the freezer door. I also bought the ring that has water in it and he is a much bigger fan of that, although it took some convincing. He cut 2 teeth on it last week. And, then I keep a wet rag on the top shelf of the freezer too. We watch him with that because I don’t want him to swallow it, but he really does just love chomping down on it. All those toys and he just wants a frozen rag!
9. Infant Tylenol – this is good to have on hand the first time you go to get shots. We only use it the afternoon of shot day. But, once those teeth start coming in, you are going to want to treat this like the teething gel and have some ready any place you are going to be. We also have some Ibuprofen and at 6months they can start using this. Sometimes it helps better with the teething. Just try both and see. We use them interchangeably. You know… whichever box I can find in the middle of the night when the screaming kicks in. Don’t worry, you will know…  its a different kind of cry.

   

10. Bumbo chair (we were gifted a fancy one with a tray)– I wasn’t sure about this at first. We are in the top (97%) on head circumference… which just translates to a heavy head. So, we have been late to the sitting up game. But, now that he is better at the core and holding himself up, we have used this at dinner. We (mom and dad) eat together at the kitchen counter, so we are able to put him in this with a toy and it keeps him occupied while we eat. It also keeps him up off his back (#avoidflathead) and occupied while we have a quick bit of grown-up conversation. Once we started introducing food at 6 months, this is where he sits and eats. It keeps me from bending over to feed him when he sits in this on the counter. I’m sure we will switch to our high chair at some point. But for now, this is really working.
11. Exercauser – activity center (party deck, whatever you call it)–  We have a sweet one that we registered for that’s Baby Einstein and he loves it! He can walk in a full circle and it has 5 height levels. I’ve already moved him up a couple times. But, he loves to jump and this is how I can go take a quick shower or get something done without having to hold him or wonder if he will roll over into something.
12. Alexa for music and light controls – for Christmas last year, we got several wifi plugs that coordinate with our Amazon echo. They have been a lifesaver. You can have her play “baby music” or “lullabies” for nap time. We also have the lights set up where you can ask her to turn them off or on. It’s great until the wifi or power goes out. But #firstworldprobs are just something we have to get over!
13. Pack holder clips and triangle bibs – seems simple and obvious, but it took me a quick minute on both. That paci is our friend and we need it when we need it, but I’ve also used the paci clips to hold toys on the edge of his car seat and I’m guessing that will be a lifesaver in a couple months when he learns he can throw things and I’m not in the back seat to get it for him.
14. Sleeper sacks – still, these are our friend. Once they roll back to front, you have to move up to the ones that don’t have arms on them. We are getting really close. Little man likes to sleep on his side as of the last couple week so I’ve got to try the new ones. Plus he is too long for the ones we have. He has stayed pretty true to the sizes on these. But, I like the Halo brand and love that they zip up from the bottom so when he gets that 6:00 am bottle, I can easily change his diaper and put him back to bed without waking him.
15. Mouth Guard – this is for mama. Not sure if its the bad sleeping patterns or the stress, but I’ve started clenching while I sleep. I really need to go see a doctor, but I don’t want to pay $300 to have impressions made and get some fancy guard. I’m trying the ones from Walmart first. But, it reminded me that sometimes we have to do things to take care of mama too!

If you missed my 0-3 month’s post, check it out here. Other mamas, what did I miss. What are you finding that you cannot do without? What things are you doing at this stage to take care of your mama heart?

• 0-3 months essential baby items
• 4-6 months essential baby items
• 12-18 months essential toddler items

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