Favourite baby gear roundup: 4-6 months

Alllllright - time for another baby gear roundup! This time I'll be listing our picks for top baby items based on S's months 4-6. If you're interested in our 0-3 month roundup as well, you can take a look here!

In addition to "standard" items like car seats and cribs, I've also decided to leave out items which, as useful as they may be, don't really depend on baby's age (e.g. stain removers, nursing bras and laundry detergents - numbers 8, 7 and 2, respectively on the last roundup). From this point forward, I'd like to keep these roundups catered to items particularly awesome to the specific age range being covered.

Okee dokee, let's dive in!

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The Top 10:

#10 - Twinkle Twinkle Little Violet - an honourable mention in the last roundup, Violet cracked the Top 10 here as she continued to be a key part of our bedtime routine through months 3-6. The previous description still fits, so I'll repeat it here: This li'l pal plays your choice of lullabies or environmental sounds in either 10 minute or 20 minute durations and also cradles a moon that glows, creating a type of night light. Little Violet became part of our night time routine once we moved S to the crib in her nursery. I play either the music or sounds during our pre-bedtime nursing session and then put her down with it still playing. I'm not sure to what extent the sounds are soothing to S, but I kinda like it in the background while I nurse her before bedtime. :) S also likes to look at the glowing moon when she's sleepy.

#9 - Melissa & Doug First Bead Maze - Although the recommended age for this toy is 1+, it has already become a favourite for S (starting when she was about 5 months old). It holds her interest for a good 10-15 minutes at a time when she's in her highchair or bumbo, and it's great for her developing fine motor skills. She likes to spin the beads at the bottom and is starting to get the hang of moving the top beads up and over to the other side.And, of course, she likes to suck on the different parts as well. :) Everything is attached so there's no choking concern, and the best part is that the big suction cups ensure it stays put in front of her, unlike her other toys which invariably end up on the floor within minutes (if not seconds). :) This toy should have some longevity as well as she continues to improve at "navigating" the maze.

#8 - Dr. Seuss' ABC: An Amazing Alphabet Book! Babies between 3 and 6 months often prefer to swat and/or gum at books rather than look and listen patiently. S is no exception - except for a few key books, that is! Dr. Seuss' ABC is one of them. I'm not sure if it's the catchy rhymes, the whimsical pictures or both, but S is simply captivated by this book! We've read it so many times that I'm pretty sure I have the whole thing memorized. It's fun to read too. How could it not be, with lines like "Four fluffy feathers on a fiffer-feffer-feff"? :)

#7 - Baby Einstein Mirror Me! Another book that S can't get enough of! She loooves the bright & crisp pictures (especially the gecko) and gets super silly and excited looking at "mirror baby" and "mirror mommy" on every page. Another one we grab on almost a daily basis!

#6 - Infantino Activity Shapes - Jungle - Another honourable mention in the last roundup, these plush li'l jungle friends have recently become some of S's favourite toys. Especially the lion! He never fails to elicit grins, if not all-out coos and laughter! (Check out the final video on her 5 month update to see what I mean!) The monkey and elephant often end up attached to her car seat with her, for fun on the go! (For some reason the lion doesn't have an attachment loop like the other two, so he usually stays in her nursery.)


#5 - Bumbo baby seat - It seems to me that parents are heavily divided when it comes to the (in?)famous Bumbo. Many LOVE it but the rest don't care for it at all. We're campin' out on the love side, baby! When you're looking to grab a quick baby-free 5 mins, nothing's easier or comfier for little one than this puppy. It also doubles (triples?) as a feeding and play chair by adding the tray on top (sold separately). Plus, it's portable so you can use it on the go for feeding or chillin' out. Word of warning, however - babies can get out!!! We were wondering that for awhile as S liked to hang over the side to drag toys across the table and would also arch her back when she started getting fussy. And indeed, one day she managed to arch herself right out. (Luckily Chris was there so disaster was averted!) Now when she's in there we pretty much always have the tray attached. All in all, great for this age range but we suspect it'll wear out its welcome pretty soon. It's also quite pricey to buy new, however many used ones are kicking around on sites like Kijiji, and they also have great resale value because they're so durable.

#4 - Fisher Price Rainforest Jumperoo - We borrowed this sweet jumper from cousin Avery when S was about 4 months old. Since then, it's taken up permanent residence beside our kitchen island and is one of the first non-human "babysitters" we turn to when we need a few spare minutes! From the first time S tried it out, she loved playing with all the spinny and pully toys around the outside, and she always grins when we turn on the happy jungle music! She was too short at the beginning to reach the floor so we stuck a couple phone books underneath which she happily used as a launching pad! Now, she can reach with her tippy-toes so she's able to get bouncing without assistance. That said, I've have to say she's not an OVERLY zealous bouncer (like her mother was, apparently :). Though that may come with time. Hopefully we get a couple more months out of this bad boy!

#3 - Sophie the Giraffe - Ahhh, Sophie. Although it may seem cliched to include her in a top baby items list, well, she belongs there dammit! The 3-6 month range is perfect for introducing Sophie, as baby's little hands are coordinated enough to hold her and mouth all the satisfying little parts. It's also reassuring to know that she's made of natural, non-toxic rubber. S clearly prefers Sophie over other "holdable" toys, as when she has a few options (e.g. when she's in her car seat or hangin' out at baby yoga) the giraffe's almost always the one that's in her mouth. My guess is that Sophie will remain a favourite for awhile, especially once S learns how to make her squeak!



#2 - HALO SleepSack. #1 on our last roundup, this is still one of our absolute favourite baby items for its safety, convenience and comfort. S just grew out of her small size sacks (she has two - a regular sack and a swaddle) and is now wearing a larger organic cotton one on cooler nights. So if the HALO is so awesome, what could possibly have knocked it out of the #1 spot, you ask? Well, let's find out! Drumroll, please....


#1 - ERGObaby Carrier. I can't express how much I {{heart}} this carrier! Soooo easy to put on and get baby in and out of, sooooooo comfortable to wear (hence the "ergo") and soooo flexible - baby can be worn in front (facing inward or outward), on your back or on your hip! So far, I've only worn S in front facing me, but she definitely enjoys this position and can easily turn from side to side if she wants to look around at things. The little details are great as well - the front pocket for storing small items so you can leave your purse behind, the sleeping "hammock" and the helpful accessories you can buy such as sucking straps. I was so happy that I decided to buy one despite the fact that we already had 3 other carriers. This one leaves the others in the dust! Thanks Baby Steals - if it weren't for your 50% off deal, I'd probably still be trying to win one via blog giveaways. :) My guess is that the ERGO will remain at the top of the list at least once or twice more, unless S decides she no longer wants to be confined once she learns the fine arts of crawling and walking. Time will tell!


Honourable Mentions:

It's late and I need to get to bed, so I'll just list the honourables without heavy elaboration.
Moby Wrap (#9 on the last roundup; still wear my Moby sometimes around the house, however the ERGO has far overtaken it as my favourite carrier.)
Sophie Leash from Lil Divas Bowtique (see my review here!)
LeapFrog Spin and Sing Alphabet Zoo (#6 on the last roundup; S still likes it and has obviously gotten more coordinated with her spinning, but isn't quite as excited by it as she used to be.)
Baby Neptune Ocean Adventure Gym (#3 on the last roundup; losing its luster recently since she's been getting more mobile. We'll probably retire it soon.)
Dri-Pad change pad from Driline Baby (Won this in a giveaway; love to use it now on the floor of S's nursery for bare bum time!)

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Hope you enjoyed the latest roundup! Any readers out there have any 4-6 month "must have" items which didn't make our list?