Baby Recommendations: 4-6 Months

I had so much fun writing my 1-3 month baby recommendations, I thought I'd do another one for 4-6 months! I had a couple people tell me that the post was helpful, and I always aim to please, so here's another set of stuff! Some of it is a need (like, books) and some of it is just nice to have (like, baby specific spoons for eating) but they're all things we've really enjoyed recently and, if nothing else, hopefully it gives you some good ideas for your own baby or baby shower gifts!

None of these links are sponsored, of course - mama don't play like that. Enjoy!


Feeding

Munchkin Lift Infant Spoons. I haven't really tried a bunch of baby spoons yet so I can't really claim that these are the BEST, but after buying them, I don't really feel the need to experiment with other spoons! I really like that you can set them down and the little plastic piece on the underside makes it so the mouth part (?) doesn't actually touch anything. The spoon isn't too big for Imogen's mouth and the handle is nice and long so when she inevitably grabs it to try and feed herself, I can keep my hand far enough away from hers that I don't get sweet potato or peas smeared all over my hands too.

OXO Tot Waterproof Silicone Bib. I mean, I guess you don't NEED a bib in order to feed your baby, but it sure makes for less laundry. The pocket on the front seems gimmicky, but it has definitely caught more banana chunks than I can count. I even did an experiment and ran one through the dishwasher (top rack) and it came out just fine!

Boon Pulp Silicone Feeder. This is honestly more just for fun than anything else, but there's something so cute about dumping some puree (or whole foods, whatever!) in this feeder and handing it to your baby and watching them chomp down on it. I just put some butternut squash in it yesterday for Imogen and she went. to. TOWN. She had that thing emptied within minutes.

Clothing

Earth Elements Long Sleeve Bodysuits. For some reason, it's really hard to find solid colored onesies for babies that 1) aren't organic and also 2) don't cost an arm and a leg. I tried for WEEKS to find a solid black onesie for Imogen before I finally found these and ordered one. And it's great!! Good quality, not thin or scratchy, and washes really well.

Earth Elements Short Sleeve Bodysuits. Same thing as above, just short sleeved!

H&M Denim Leggings Is there any thing cuter than a baby in jeans? I submit to you that there is not. And I LOVE these. They're inexpensive (considering), they're stretchy and fit her really well, and the sizing is accurate. She has the 6-9 month size and at 6 months still has some room to grow in them, which is quite a miracle considering she's already growing out of her 6 month footie pajamas because the girl is so darn tall.


Bathtime

Skip Hop Dunck Stacking Ducks. If your baby is anything like mine, they're OBSESSED with cups. Big cups, little cups, smacking them, chewing on them, trying to "drink" out of them. These are kinda cup-like, but they're duck shaped so they're cuter. Imogen loooooves them.

Mesh Hanging Bath Toy Organizer. You wouldn't think a 6 month old needs many toys, but somehow we've amassed a giant collection of rubber ducks, squirting rubber fish, those duck cups I shared above, a swimming plastic penguin, some foam bath letters...and I had nowhere to put all of her bath toys, so I asked my mom to buy her this for Christmas. It's perfect. It holds ALL her toys with room to spare, and I can even keep her baby shampoo/body wash up in one of the pockets. This one comes with an extra suction hook, too, which is nice for hanging up a washcloth.

Boon Soak 3-Stage Bathtub. Last time, I recommended the Puj Flyte for a baby bathtub. This time, I'm here to tell you that our 27" long 6 month old has officially grown out (way out) of that tub and needed something bigger. She isn't sitting up independently yet, so we can't just plop her in the big tub and let her do her thing, so this tub is a nice intermediate option. The insert in the bottom (with the bump on it) can be removed and turned around to accommodate smaller babies or bigger ones like Imogen. You can also take it out completely if you have a baby who sits up but isn't ready to be turned loose in the full size tub. The only complaint I have is there's no way to hang it to dry, so it's kind of in the way in our tiny little bathroom, but that's okay. It works well and will last us a while so I'm fine with tripping over it sometimes.

Bedtime

Halo Sleepsacks. (fleece) (cotton) I am proud to say we have officially ditched the swaddle (as of 2 months ago, haha). Our house tends to be on the cooler side, so we like using sleep sacks with Imogen. I have a cotton one and a fleece one, so depending on her pajamas, we use one or the other (cotton pjs + fleece sleep sack / fleece pjs + cotton sleep sack). These Halo ones aren't the cheapest ever, but they're great quality and wash really well. They zip from the top, which I really like. Hopefully someday they'll be more of a comfort item for Imogen...right now she knows it's sleep time when she gets put into it so it kinda cues the tears at the moment, but I'm told that won't last forever.

Burts Bees Zip Sleepers. I guess these kinda fall under both bedtime and clothing, but these are some of my favorite pajamas for Imogen. They're soft and come in a ton of different colors/patterns, and they ZIP, which for some reason is hard to find in pajamas unless you spend a lot of money. They do tend to run a little bit long, so keep that in mind, but for a long baby like Imogen it's actually a good thing because she is already growing out of her 6 month Carter's pajamas. Eyeroll.


Playtime

Hedgehugs Board Books. (another one) (another one) These are some of our favorite little board books! By "our" I mean "mine" since Imogen neither understands nor cares about books yet, but they're ones I won't mind reading over and over if she asks me to when she's older. I'm a firm believer in stocking up on books *I* like right now.

Winnie the Pooh Crinkle Book. It's a book! It's a chew toy! It's something to smash on the ground over and over! It's one of Imogen's favorites. She loves that it crinkles, I love that it has a carabiner-style clip on it so we don't lose it.

Other Gear

Skip Hop 3-Stage Activity Center. So, this item was a little bit of an investment, but it has been a LIFE SAVER. After Imogen started learning to roll, I officially couldn't use her swing anymore, and she started hating being laid down in the Rock and Play a long time ago. I needed some way to put her down and keep her entertained while I do things around the house. She LOVES it. It's not too heavy so I can move it all around the house, which is nice because she's happier if she can watch what I'm doing. It converts into a table, too, so when she's older we can use it without the toys. She's been using it since about 4 months, and we'll be able to use it for quite a long time still.

Graco Bumper Jumper. This was one of Imogen's Christmas presents, and I'm only sorry we didn't buy it earlier. She has been obsessed with jumping while we hold her for a while now, and the minute we put her in this jumper, she immediately knew what to do. She started squealing and screeching and giggling while she jumped for the first time and it was just the cutest thing ever. The only stupid thing is that it comes with these two attachable toys that are...safari animals?? The seat has trees and bears and such on it, nice and forest themed...and then it comes with a zebra and a lion to attach to the straps. Huh?

Infantino 4-Way Baby Carrier So, we have the Ergo. It's the original, not the 360 or whatever, so it doesn't allow for face-out carrying of a baby. Imogen has never liked it. She never liked being carried in a wrap as a tiny baby, either. She's too wiggly, likes to see what's going on around her, and hates being confined (ask how much she loves her car seat). As much as I wish she was a bit more snuggly, she's just not, and that's okay - it's her personality. But I always had a sneaking suspicion that as soon as she was old enough, she might just tolerate an outward facing carrier. And I was right. This carrier allows for inward-facing, outward-facing, and back carrying. It's significantly cheaper than the Ergo and many other carriers, which is why I decided to give it a shot. I figured if she hated it, I'd just return it to Amazon, no problem. Except we tested it out last night and she was totally, 100% fine with it as long as she was facing outward. I like that the carrier has zip pockets and an adjustable crotch width depending on the size of your baby, and it's not impossible to put on. I even find the Ergo a little difficult to put on, but this one's pretty easy. Did I mention it's not terribly expensive? They even make versions with different fabric and no pockets that are closer to $20-30, if that's closer to your budget. I'm thrilled we found something she'll tolerate as far as carriers go, and I can't wait to take her on some walks sans stroller!