Our Favorite Products for 6 Months to 1 Year

We really enjoyed sharing all of our favorite products for newborns when we first started this blog. Now we'd like to bring you into the next phase in your child's life: 6 months to 1 year. What a change these months can bring! I was amazed at how drastically Samuel changed over this time period. I am especially thankful for a few products that made this time in his life even more enjoyable. Here's my Top 5 List:

1. Bumbo Seat. I started putting Samuel in a Bumbo seat when he was 3-4 months old (once he had good head control). He loved the new perspective on life and it was a great way to play with him in new ways.

2. Pouch Sling. I loved using a pouch sling with Samuel at this age. It was so easy to take him places because I could carry him around and still have my hands free to do things. He loved the tummy-to-tummy carry and then the hip carry. If we were out and he got sleepy, he would very often fall asleep in the sling. If you want to know how to make your own, click here.

3. Step Start Walk N' Ride. Our church body owned one of these and Samuel started playing with it there. He loved being pushed around on it, and then around 9 months, he loved to walk around with it.

4. Exersaucer. A friend of mine (Thanks Ashlee!) gave me her exersaucer when Samuel was around 7 months old. He really enjoyed being in it for shorter periods of time. But it was nice to have something to use when I wanted to take a shower or get dinner on the table. I can't recommend one type over the other (maybe one of the other ladies really loved theirs). The link I included is very similar to the one I had and I liked it just fine. Check out this video to see how much he loved it.

5. Safety 1st Recline & Grow 5-stage Feeding Seat. We used this seat with Samuel as opposed to a high chair because we didn't have the space or the desire to spend more money! We got this seat for $30 at Babies R' Us and were really happy with it. It snaps onto one of your kitchen chairs and can be taken with you if needed. It has a snap-on tray on top of the regular tray, which is great for cleaning. The seat is padded vinyl - also super easy to keep clean. We absolutely loved this seat and I highly recommend it.