Must-have baby gear by length of use (6-12 months)
This blog post may contain affiliate links, which means when you click on the link to make a purchase I may receive commission on qualified purchases at no additional cost to you.
Items from the list for 3 months use you could possibly use up to 6 months, and in the same way things on this list you could potentially use it until your baby is like 9-10 months and even up to 18 months.
Every baby is so different and some of it also depends on your baby’s temperament, so based on my description here you could even make the call whether to wait on some things. The first 3 months you do not have any time or mental capacity to replenish anything, but by around 6 months you’re going to feel a little more relaxed and flexible.
6 months
Travel system infant car seat
Ok so the stroller system we went with was Nuna, and I don’t see the exact package, looks like they updated it to this one. Pipa Lite LX car seat was seriously the best—super light, the straps and buttons were so smooth, just amazing, and that was very helpful because he HATED being in a carseat—so having functions that are simple and well-designed was a lifesaver. I would also recommend the travel system because when you have to go out with baby, especially in the first 3 months, baby is usually sleeping and it’s nice to just be able to click the carseat out then click into the stroller without transferring them. Lots of strollers are compatible with multiple carseats, so if the set doesn’t work out you could also just pick the carseat first and then find a stroller that is compatible with it. You will use the stroller for a lot longer, until they’re a year old and beyond.
Swaddle sleep sack
The Love to Dream swaddle worked well for us, and I loved that it was a zipper so easy to change his diaper. It claims better sleep but I really have no idea if it’s true. I do think it calmed him down though. I recommend getting like 2-3 in each size, but just start with the newborn and size up as you get closer to the weight limit.
Swaddle blankets
Get like maybe 6 and you’ll be fine. These ones from Little Unicorn are my favorite, so soft. I liked it for lining any surface he was on, and used it as a burp cloth too so didn’t really need one. I would pack it in my diaper bag at all times just in case too.
Pack and Play
Since we slept upstairs but hung out downstairs, and I didn’t want to take him up for a nap all the time, I had a pack-and-play which technically you can use for longer but he wasn’t in it for more than 6 months. Also by the tail end of it he didn’t sleep in it and I used it more as a diaper changing station which is pretty useful too. I can’t find the exact Graco one I have but it’s similar to this, and the extra little hammock part converts into a lounger too. BUT something like this with a travel bassinet could work really nice, I didn’t need it since I had a rock-n-play but that extra dome could make a great baby parker.
Nursing cover
I didn’t really like to nurse him outside so I didn’t do it often, especially not as he got bigger, but when I did this nursing cover came in handy. It was also a nice blanket if I forgot a swaddle or he had thrown up on it. I owned a Copper Pearl one, and also heard good things about Milk Snob. I think just pick based on the print you like.
Bumbo Multi-Seat (4-10mo)
We used this thing ALL. THE. TIME. Anytime we went over to someone’s house who didn’t have a high chair, which was every one, it was a life saver. Used it a couple times at restaurants too, and as a second floor seat to park him on top of the kitchen counter while I cooked or something.
12 months
Baby tub
We registered for this one from Skip Hop, and it worked pretty well. Once he was close to a year old he kind of wanted to wiggle around more and we ended up just letting him sit in the tub.
Also confession: you probably see I own a lot of stuff from Skip Hop because of all the big baby brands they had the best design and colors that aren’t primary and disgusting and all their stuff go together really nicely. I have many brand loyalties in the baby space and they are definitely one of them.
Mini crib with Mattress
We went with the Babyletto origami mini crib because we knew we wanted him to be in our room for the first 6 months, and didn’t want something that took up much space. If I was doing it again though, I may opt for a convertible crib so you can side car it onto my bed. Totally up to you, on how close you want the baby to be to you sleeping—and sometimes the baby sleeps better on its own too. In either scenario, go for the Newton mattress it’s great, and comes in both a mini and standard crib size. Get an extra cover for blowups.
Breast pump
I loved my Spectra pump. BUT check with your insurance whether you get one, and if you do get one if it’s a hospital grade one. If they’re only gonna get you a cheapy one it’s worth investing in a good one especially if you’re thinking of going back to work, or your baby is an asshole like mine and won’t take the nipple but you still want to give them breastmilk…you’ll have to pump a lot.
Haakaa
Ok this weirdly shaped Haakaa pump looks strange but I loved it. It is technically a manual breast pump but what I did was attach it to the boob that I wasn’t feeding on, and it’d collect milk. Because your boobs are dumb and when the faucet opens for milk it shoots out milk from both sides. Stupid. I also hated wearing nursing pads, so this was much better, and then I could save the milk to feed him or stash in the freezer. Best.
Avent bottles
If you’re going to get bottles, my recommendation is to get maybe 3 kinds, one of each, and see if your baby has any preferences or aversions. If not just keep rotating, if they do like something just get more of that. My personal favorite Was the Philips Avent. It was the easiest to use, he liked it the most, and there are lots of like handles and additional tops to keep growing with the baby.
Big diaper backpack
I had a huge diaper bag for the first 12 months, and then sized down to a smaller one. With that said if you’re an over-packer like me you may just want a big one throughout, or if you want to pack light you could get away with a smaller one. For the bigger one I 100% recommend backpacks because it’s so much better, I liked mine from LEADER Bag Co. and the way it looked, but it did get kind of big once he was a toddler and was pretty stiff/bulky which was nice for carrying a lot of stuff. Now I have this one from Azaria which looks almost like a purse and is super soft and it fits a good amount of stuff. On super quick trips I wear a fanny pack because it’s the best.
Animal link
This was a super random gift I got and was like WTF but it was so useful. I recommend it as a gift all the time now. Not only is it a toy, you can use it like a carabiner, or a toy leash, and now he still plays with it as a sorting toy. You can also make any toy into a play gym toy to hang, and literally the best. Get 2 sets.
