It’s hard for me to fathom how I already have an almost 8 month old. The saying that the days are long and the years are short in parenthood is so very true. Leo is such a happy, busy little guy. We love him to pieces. At every age I have said “this is my favorite stage” and then each month I keep saying it again because it’s amazing to watch him grow and learn! The 6-8 month range has been so much fun – lots more interaction, playing, and giggling, lots of giggling. We always joke that there’s no in between with Leo, he’s either really, really happy, or telling you that his very unhappy about something. He is also always moving. It’s rare that he sits still, unless he’s observing and taking a new situation in.
Our preference with baby gear is to have the least amount necessary to make our lives easier (and make sure Leo has what he needs). In regards to this preference and hope, many people have said “just wait until”… your baby starts crawling, your baby starts walking, is a toddler… you’re going to have so many toys! I’m not saying that won’t happen, but we like to take it one day at a time and really be mindful about all of the baby gear we bring into our home. Before buying something I try to ask myself the following questions – How often will this be used? When will we use it? If it’s something I’m confident we will use regularly and/or it will make our lives easier (easier is always better with baby in my opinion) I am comfortable buying it. Though I am prone to what I call panic buying – meaning buying something because I’m anxious and I think it will fit a need. My biggest panic buy baby item so far was the baby swing I bought that I for sure thought would help calm Leo when he was really little and he ended up not liking it. Oh well. I learned and I’m actively trying to be better about it.
Accumulation of baby gear aside, truly all you need is food to nourish your baby, a safe spot for you baby to sleep, and clothes to keep your baby warm. Anything else is really just a nice-to-have. I put together our nice-to-have baby items for 8 months – some are usable from day 1, others (the high chair, activity center, and feeding supplies) are more for 6+ months. With that in mind, know that none of these items are “must haves”, they all just make our lives a little easier and a little more fun for Leo.
- Play gym – A play gym with a detachable overhead bar is a great to get your baby reaching for things and once they get a little bigger and start pulling on things too hard you can take the bar off and use it as a play mat! This isn’t the mat we have – though I wish it was! Ours has a sherpa material on half of it and it is a dog hair magnet so we ended up just using a quilt for floor time after Leo outgrew the hanging bar part of the play gym.
- Black and white book – This book has been a long time favorite. It’s high contrast, it crinkles AND it has a hook so you can attach it to things. Enough said.
- Silicone bib – We love this bib! Sooo easy to clean. Even though half the time we have Leo in just a diaper for meals we still use this bib. The “pocket” catches so many things that would have ended up on the floor.
- High chair – I went back and forth on what high chair to get for a few months. I was hesitant to buy a high chair that seemed so expensive. Now I am so glad I did. I love that we can pull it right up to the table so it slides under the table just like a chair and takes up a lot less floor space than most high chairs – since our breakfast nook is rather tight this was a big factor in my decision. I also love that it helps Leo sit very upright rather than leaning back like a lot of other high chairs will position the baby in.
- Activity center – We try not to have too much “container” time each day and focus on as much floor time as we can to practice all those moving skills, but having a seat like this to put Leo that is also entertaining for him is so nice for those times when we want to do something like cook dinner.
- Squishy ball – This ball is a favorite! Our sweet neighbor gave this to Leo because she said it was one of her kids’ favorite baby toys.
- Bibs & burp cloths – We go through 2-3 bibs a day. With teething come so much drool. I love these bibs because they lay flat. The bandana bibs are cute, but I don’t like how they bunch up around the neck. The burp cloths that come in this pack are my favorite.
- Gootensils – In addition to traditional baby spoons, these spoons are nice because you can pre-load them with food and the food actually sticks to it, which is great when your baby is using the spoon to feed themselves.
- Wooden teether toy – This is another toy our neighbor gave us and it’s also a favorite! I don’t know who likes playing with it more, us or Leo!
