Things I Love: 6-9 Months Edition

Keeping with my quarterly review of favorite baby things, I wanted to share a few items I loved during the 6-9 month baby age. Tory changes so quickly over the months, I want to remember (and recommend!) all the things we grew especially fond of during this stage.

- Useful -
My little girl began eating fruit and vegetable purees at 6 months and this opened a whole new world of baby gear for us. I'm doing a mix of homemade purees and store-bought organic varieties and quickly learned by trial and error which items in the food category saved me time, energy and clean-up. I bought the Beaba Babycook Baby Food Processor before Tory was even born and while I like it and I use it, looking back I didn't really need it. It doesn't do anything my standard blender or Magic Bullet couldn't do. This would not be on my must-have recommendation list although it does work great for its purpose. Here are a few things that are definitely on my must-have list:

Bibs
We have a rotation of 20 bibs of so, but these Carters Just One You bibs are my favorite. I think they're actually teething bibs, but they've held up great to many washings over the months. And because Tory's only eating purees at this point, they capture all of her spilled food. The Carters bibs also have a snap closure which I prefer over the Velcro you see on most other bibs. Andi bought a bulk pack of terry cloth bibs which we use as well and while they do the job, I hate the way the Velcro sticks to other laundry in the washing machine / dryer. I know I'll eventually need to upgrade bibs to those capable of catching crumbs so if you have recommendations on your favorites, clue me in!

Sippy Cups
We've collected a variety of sippy cups over the months and thus far, my favorite is Nuby Super Spout. This cup seems easy enough for Tory to drink from and don't spill like the other Tommee Tippee cups we have.

Organic Food
When I don't make my own baby food, I buy pre-made organic purees. I find it a little irritating how Gerber only offers a few select varieties and some of them aren't very health-focused (ie: Mac and Cheese). I've tried Full Circle Organics, but found their purees to be really thick - so much so, I had to add water to avoid choking from my uber-gaggy baby. My favorite organic puree is Earth's Best because of their vast variety of options and overall quality. The purees actually taste good and that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy about serving it to my child.

Butt Paste

The addition of solid food and er, smelly poop, has brought diaper rash a knockin' on our door. Or should I say, at Tory's back door (Ha! Too far? Alright). When I first had Tory and brought her by Andi's office, one of his male employees went on and on about butt paste. At the time, Tory was only a few weeks old and I remember thinking, "Really? He's THIS EXCITED about diaper creme?" Now I get it. (Sorry for doubting you Andi's co-worker). Boudreaux's Butt Paste is where it's at. Seriously. We were gifted various tubes of Desitin and Palmer's Cocoa Butter diaper creme brands but nothing holds a candle to Boudreaux's effectiveness and overall prevention.  

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Best Gifts / Toys -
Tory's interest in toys blossomed at the 6-9 month stage. It was also my first glimpse in getting something done without holding a baby 24/7. Where would I have been without the glorious invention of the activity center? This gadget entertained Tory many mornings while I cleaned up the house, washed bottles and quickly shoved some food in my mouth.

Baby Einstein Activity Center

Lift Flap Books and Indestructables
My heart melts every time I watch Tory discover what's beneath a flap in her activity books. She loves the Karen Katz ones, but I don't necessarily as I've already had to tape many of the flimsy paper flaps back in place. Grandma Janie bought Tory this book and she loves it just as much ... plus, it's made of a chunkier board book material that can withstand slobber and curious hands.

Another kid tested, mommy approved book are Indestructable Books. My cousin Jen told me about these non-toxic books made for babies to hold, grab, bend and chew. The paper-like material lets Tory feel like she's creating a ruckus and so far, they've held up perfectly. She loves them.

Chew Beads

I may have mentioned these before, but I love my pairs of Chew Beads. This last few months, Tory's been biting on everything in sight - including me - and Chew Beads offer her a great alternative to gnawing on my face! This baby-safe jewelry is made of the same material as pacifiers so Tory can literally chew away on the beads. To disinfect, simply throw in the dishwasher. How wonderful is that?