STMs: 4-12 Month Old Must Haves

b48kate

Waaaay back we had a thread where the STM+ moms showered us with useful advice on newborn care and gear. It was amazing.

Looking for the same kind of advice for the 4-12 month range. Trying to prep for a teether, an eater, a crawler and a cruiser...and would like to have what I need before I need it!

karing2

A takealong high chair, the teething things that you put frozen food in and they suck, jumperoo, and forget all the fancy sippy cups after they learn how to use them get the cheap ziplock ones, and plastic washable bibs.

babygabe614

Speaking of jumperoos - how old were your kiddos when they started using them? Is 3 months too young? Stella is constantly kicking her legs and DH will do "squats" with her on the couch or his lap and she LOVES it... 

FAWKES81

I'm a FTM but I've been putting my son in his jumperoo since he had good head control (3 months maybe a little before).  I hold his feet because his legs are too short to reach the bottom and he will move/stretch and he LOVES it.

b48kate

Just bought the jumperoo yesterday and am waiting until this weekend to break it out (at 3 months). Noah is going to love it!

b48kate

Baby jails...I mean playpens or gates?

nunzchucks

An activity table when LO can pull up to stand. Or, one now if the legs come off. DS is obsessed with ours.

CVislo

If you have thicker carpeting, I'd pass on the walker. They tend to not move on carpets. T loved his bumbo and J is loving it so far too. With T, I got a Johnny jump up, which he loved, but it tore up my door frame, so this time, I opted for the stand alone jumperoo thing. Yeah, it takes up more space, but it saves my house. With T, I had to go through many teething toys before I found out he liked the vibrating ones the most. He didn't care for stuffed animals or a lovey. J however, loves his soft toys and lovey. I bought all of the Leapfrog toys because of the efucational value, and they really do work. T has learned so so much from the Leapfrog toys and I'm glad I kept them for J. With T we had to buy more outdoor toys because he loved being outside. He did not like being indoors and J is the same way, so I'll probably be doing the same thing with him. Our stroller has many miles on it. We actually had to buy a new one for J because the old one was so worn down.

CVislo

babygabe614 said:

Speaking of jumperoos - how old were your kiddos when they started using them? Is 3 months too young? Stella is constantly kicking her legs and DH will do "squats" with her on the couch or his lap and she LOVES it... 

I put J in his at about 3 months. I put a pillow under his legs so he actually bounces when he kicks.

CVislo

Internationalkate said:

Baby jails...I mean playpens or gates?

We never used our playpen for its purpose. It was almost always used as a sort of "catch all" for things that needed to be put away. Waste of money for us. Gates were good. It kept T out from under my feet when I was cooking.

aravis121

My daughter loved (and still loves!) books. Someone on the Bump recommended this; I bought her one and we took it everywhere. It's a children's book that can't be ripped, is dishwasher safe, colorful, has pages for them to play with, etc. This was the only thing that would keep her entertained at restaurants when she was around 6 months. 

Julie&Micah

mullenem said:

This is the best teething ring EVER.

I second this teether!! DD loved it! So far we only have a Sofie for DS and he likes it but I'm thinking of ordering this one as well.

babygabe614

@aravis121 Those indestructibles books look awesome - thanks for the link!

lest12

https://m.target.com/p/baby-einstein-rhythm-of-the-reef-rocker/-/A-14938364


Has anyone ever used a product similar to this?It's a rockerocker that apparently 'grows' with your baby into toddler years...


I'm wondering how will it works for a 4-12 month old.

I fear the day we can't use the RNP anymore. He sleeps in the crib but I keep the rnp upstairs and drag it around so he can chill while I shower, fold laundry etc. What replaces that? I'm wondering if this would work for the next phase.


PS please don't think I'm a terrible mom for looking for a product to babysit my baby. Is just that sometimes, I need to shower and we need clean underwear.

coffee89

lest12 said:

https://m.target.com/p/baby-einstein-rhythm-of-the-reef-rocker/-/A-14938364 Has anyone ever used a product similar to this?

STUCK IN THE BOX

We have two of the Fischer Price ones. LO loves it and it is the only way to get naps some days, with the vibrations. We ended up with one for each floor of the house because he hated the swing. He also loves to kick his feet up to hit the toys and it really helped him with hand coordination when he had no interest in holding anything. My niece also has one and at 2 years old still uses it occasionally.

lest12

@smhorak‌ - thanks! So it feels like it'll be ok once LO is sitting up? (Obv if your neice uses it).

meritsamomma

@lest12‌ After looking at a bunch of walkers we chose this one
https://m.target.com/p/fisher-price-superstar-step-n-play-piano/-/A-13873281
K LOVES it! She laughed for the first time when i put her in it. I loved that as she grows and can eventually walk the seat removes and she can still use it.
FTM but I have a friend who has 2 kiddos (10 months and just under 4 years) and they were both playing in/on it the other day.

lest12

Thanks, guys!

@mease8 - Thank you! I know that probably seems silly to say, but I read an article calling bumbos "babysitters" and it totally made me paranoid that I shouldn't be using things to "babysit" LO.

I think that article was a bit of mom-shaming, now that I think about it!

coffee89

@lest12 You are human and need time to pee/shower/eat a snack without someone drooling on it. If I didn't put my baby down and "let things baby sit him" then dinner would never get cooked, laundry would never be done and I'd probably have gone insane at week 3.