Bringing Home Baby: A 6 Month Nice to Have List

Toy Leashes

Trust me, these will save your sanity! About this time, Turtle learned the joy of throwing toys on the floor and watching Mommy and Daddy pick them up. I don't know what I would do without these strappy things. It's one of those ideas that's so simple it's stupid and awesome all at the same time! They are well worth the few dollars they sell for. Buy lots! Plus they work as back up paci holders in a pinch.

Exersaucer

This thing was awesome and I highly recommend something like it. We got our at a consignment store and again, I highly recommend that route.  This is another item that is only heavily used for a few months and is easy to clean (my main criteria for buying used). The consignment stores always seems to have a few of them and there are always plenty on Craigslist as well so they are pretty easy to find. This allowed Turtle to play independently while we ate, cleaned up the house, and loaded the car in the morning.  Turtle wasn't quite tall enough when we first started using it so I put an old college text book under it for her to stand on. I knew I'd get some use out of those somehow! If I had it to do over again, I would probably invest in one like this that grows with the child. It starts out as a play mat, then becomes an exersaucer, then opens up to a play table.

Stacking Cups

These were a huge hit! I have no idea why, but they were. She played with them in the bath and out of the bath. It was months before she was stacking them, but they were still a huge help in keeping her occupied.

Shopping Cart/High Chair Cover

   

I found this one on a discount site before Turtle was born and we LOVED it! My only complaint is that it wasn't big enough for the larger shopping carts (like at Sams Club or the big plastic ones at Target).  What I loved about it, though was the wide, substantial built in seat belt! It supported Turtle enough so that we could start using it before she was fully sitting on her own. Again, we only used it for a few months, but it was a life saver for those few months. Eventually, Turtle started playing with it so much that it became more of a hassle than a help so that's when we stopped using it.

Pack 'n Play

This is one of those items that I wish we'd had from the get go.  Granted we survived with out it, but if I had it to do over again, I would have made sure we had one. About this time, Turtle started rolling and since she likes to sleep with us at night and with Grandma for naps, that became a problem. So, again, we hit up our local consignment store and bought a no frills Pack n Play. It stays at Grandma's most of the time and she has used it for everything from naps to blocking off the tv stand. If I was buying one for a newborn I would look for one with a bassinet feature but have heard that the "newborn napper" and "diaper changing" features are not as useful as one would expect.


Sling Carrier

As for babywearing, I was still using my sling carrier since Turtle wasn't quite stable sitting up on her own yet. I plan to do an entire post on babywearing but it's important to be careful when using a sling especially with a new born. If they are laying back in a cradle type carry you want to ensure that their chin is not resting on their chest because it can constrict their air flow. I've had three slings and must say that looking back my favorite was a inexpensive Munchkin one available at Target (see link above). The only reason why I got a different, more expensive one was because I didn't like the print (it wasn't as pretty as they one they carry now) and thought an adjustable one would be more comfortable. I found the adjustable one to be significantly less comfortable and without the ability to fold the material over my holder I found it hard to use the way I had used my sized ones, specifically for back carries. The one thing I haven't tried is a ring sling like a Maya Wrap. That might have been the perfect thing since you can adjust the "rails" separately but at this time we didn't have the money to be experimenting.
Next up... 9 month!