Must-Haves for Baby 3-6 Months

This post has been a loooooong time in coming!  Aelah is about to be 9 months and I've been meaning to write this since she turned 6 months!  haha.

I should preface, again, that these aren't actual necessities.  This is our list of "must-haves" that we don't think we could have survived without.  Though, in reality, I know we could have.  :)

This post contains some affiliate links.  If you happen to click and purchase, thank you so much for helping to support our family!

1. An Exersaucer! (or something similar)

Our little lady, like many others, was pretty nosey from the beginning.  But she, obviously, wasn't mobile at 3 months.  So the exersaucer was a great way for her to see what was going on, to get up off the floor. She absolutely loved it.  Wacked herself in the face a few times with the toys, but she loved chewing on them....still does!

This was the very first time she was in this....LOVED it!

2. Boppy Pillow

I didn't include this on my 0-3 month list and I probably should have.  So I'm adding it here.  While I never got the hang of it while nursing (it was just one more thing I had to figure out), the boppy pillow was the perfect place to lay her.  While she was awake, it was a nice place to prop her up so she could see a little bit better and later on, it was great for tummy time so she wasn't flat on the floor.  Naps were also great in the boppy!  Loved seeing her lay there so content and peaceful.  Additionally, it is great at this age for propping up behind them when they first start sitting up.

Full disclosure, she was only 2 months in this pic...but it was the only one I could find with her boppy....weird.

3. Teething Toys

Because of how much she loved to chew, we had thought Aelah was getting teeth from about 3 months on!  Currently, she has two nubs but nothing has broke through the skin yet and she is days away from being 9 months!  haha.  But teething toys were a lifesaver, these were a few of our favorites:

Sophie the Giraffe (see picture below)

These Blue Spoons - yep, she chewed on them before we started food

Wooden Teether

This is the...."Seriously? You guys are eating in from of me and all I get are these toys?" look.....

4. Noisy Toys

When I say "noisy," I don't mean toys that have volume buttons or flashing lights.  I mean simple toys that can be distracting and fun for a tiny little human.  :)  These were our favorites:

Crinkle Paper from Marleys Monsters.  Definitely one of Aelah's favorites from very early on.  And I recommend it to any mom I can!  So convenient to tuck in a purse or pocket!  (See picture above)

Maraca Egg - We had one that was gifted to us awhile before baby from the Earthbound Trading Co.  I found it after she was born and it was one of her very favorites from the beginning.  Daddy was playing with it when she laughed for the first time!!  These ones are also super cute!

Rattles - obvious?  yes.  But there were so many times that the rattle in the diaper bag saved the day!  I thought this one and these wrist rattles were pretty neat!

5. A Mirror

There was a mirror on the back of our bathroom door when we moved in that we replaced (it was outdated).  I have plans to fix it up and use it elsewhere.  But it was just sitting in the closet.  She loved that mirror!  She sat and talked to the baby in the mirror for hours.  And we used it for pictures but all she would do was give the other baby kisses.  ;)  If you don't have a large mirror for baby to play with, this plastic mirror is a safe bet and is very similar to what I used in the day care scene!

Video wouldn't upload of her talking to herself.  But I still love this picture!

6. A Good Sippy Cup

Aelah refused to take a bottle.  On a whim, I got out the Nuk sippy I had gotten at a yard sale and she took to it like a pro!  We probably would have introduced it around 5 or 6 months anyways.  But it was a definite must have for us right around 4 months!

First time with a sippy...drank over an oz when Mommy stepped out of the room for just a couple seconds....

7. A Play Mat

While definitely not necessary....at all.....it was still nice to have a designated place to lay her.  And she loved the hanging toys and the tiny mirror that was attached.  :)

Pretty sure she was sitting and fell....but then she layed like this for awhile.  Too funny.

*BONUS*

A Bumbo.  To be honest, we didn't use our bumbo as much as I thought we would.  We got her one for Christmas and I was SO excited...but it was set aside much earlier than I anticipated.  I included it on the list, however, because when I worked in the day care world, bumbos were a lifesaver!   They are perfect for when baby can't quite sit on their own but hates laying down because they can't see!  Aelah did love hers...but only until we pulled out the exersaucer.  They also come in handy when feeding starts...but since we did baby led weaning, the high chair was best.  If I had spoon fed, we probably would have used this A LOT more.

This was also taken when she was 2 months. Can't believe how different she looks...

So, that's our list.

What would you add to it??