Friday Favorites: Baby Things (6m+)

It seems like you get the hang of the baby routine, they switch it up and you're back to square one. Once Lincoln was able to roll both ways the game totally changed– he was into everything! And it happened fast. One week he was laying on his little play mat kicking his feet, and the next he was rolling all over the floor. (If you missed my favorite baby items for 0 months+ check it out here.) Around 6 months started a development explosion: rolling, rocking and trying to crawl, we started solids and working from home had a brand new set of challenges and of course baby things which we used all the time. Here's our favorite things for 6 months and up, almost all of these we still use at 14 months!

The List:

• Covered Goods Nursing Cover 
• Cabrita Goat's Milk Formula
• Fisher Price Jumperoo
• Ikea Leka Playmat
• Cosco Umbrella Stroller
• Ergo Baby Carrier 
• Superyard 
• Antelop highchair from Ikea 

Covered Goods Nursing Cover - I already mentioned this in my previous post, but I think it is worth mentioning again. It's AMAZING. We stopped breastfeeding exclusively around 7 months so I didn't use it as a nursing cover, but it still continues to be our go-to for shopping cart and public high chair covers. It also quadruples as an infant carseat cover, and paired with a fuzzy blanket it does a great job of keeping baby warm in the winter months.

Cabrita Goat's Milk Formula -  Once we switched to exclusive formula, Lincoln did fine with cow's milk formula but he had an increase in (painful) gas and his poopy diapers were getting really weird, so after doing some research, on a whim I decided to switch to this formula. The protein and fat balance in goat's milk is closer to that of human breast milk which makes it a little easier on little tummies, especially so for my little guy since he had been exclusively breastfed (and his gut biome comes from me– I'm thriving sans dairy!). Once we switched within a week he was like a different kid. He had never really been into solids, and it could have been coincidence, but he suddenly became an avid eater, was super happy all the time, didn't wake up at night anymore because of gas and his diaper situation was much better (I'll leave it at that, ha!). Two important details about this formula: 1) It is marketed in the US as a toddler formula, but I compared it line by line to Earth's Best Organic Cow's Milk formula and the ingredients are almost identical except for the type of milk. It is currently in the clinical trial period to get approved to be sold as an infant formula. 2) It is expensive! Had we decided to do this formula exclusively, I probably would have made my own goat's milk formula (which I'll totally do next time if we need to or decide to go formula route) but if you do some price matching/ hunting, you can find it on sale on Amazon periodically or at Whole Foods. You can also buy in bulk for cheaper. Goat's milk formula doesn't get a lot of hype or discussion at our average pediatrician's office, but I think it is worth a second glance in need of supplementation or exclusive formula. We still give Lincoln goat's milk yogurt and goat cheese, it has been super easy on his belly. 

Fisher Price Jumperoo - This thing is a noisy, noisy, noisy eyesore, but man–  kids love it. Pretty sure he would still jump in it if we hadn't disassembled it and put it in the attic. My in-laws got this second hand for us, so ours is a bit older, but it was one of Lincoln's favorite things and one of my go-to activities when I needed to work while he was awake. If you find one of these that is not bright colored and rainforest animal themed, please pass it my way, I'd love to see it, otherwise, just accept that this very loud (both aurally and visually) baby item will be part of your life for a few months, and it will actually help buy you time to be productive and it allow your kid to stand up, which they so desperately want to do at this age!

Ikea Leka Playmat - Once Lincoln could roll both ways, the days of the play mat were over– or so I thought! Ikea has this huge play mat that has toys attached to encourage movement, and is big enough that most of the time Lincoln would stay on it. I'd barricade it in with body pillows and he'd roll around and practice crawling and it was awesome!

Cosco Umbrella Stroller - Once we grew out of the Snap n' Go carseat stroller, I wanted a lightweight and easy to maneuver stroller for quick errands and my visits to the dermatologist where Lincoln was entertained by the nurses. Target has these for $20 and it is simple, perfect and takes up minimal space in the trunk. 

Ergo Baby Carrier  - We didn't splurge for the infant insert for the early days, but around 5 months once Lincoln had solid head control and his legs were long enough, the Ergo became our best friend. It's super quick and easy to put on, offers a lot of back support and the original offers the ability to hip and back carry. My only complaint about this as of late is that it hasn't quite fit me well since I lost a lot of weight. It is adjustable but I can't seem to get the straps in the right place to not fall off my shoulders, so I've reverted back to the wrap most of the time. Personally, we don't forward face carry but if you are into that there is an Ergo 360º, also.

Superyard - Oh, the baby jail. I'm naturally drawn to bright colors so when I had the choice to order the colorful one or the "sandstone" I choice the colors. Once it was at my house I realized I should have gone with the neutral. Holy eyes, Batman!  These things are awesome though. We bought two smaller ones and you can mix n match, making one big baby safe area or several smaller ones. We currently have one big space upstairs that is open (just blocking outlets, lamps and cords) and a smaller section downstairs to divide the living room from the rest of the downstairs. This has been great for having a "baby proof" area for Lincoln to practice crawling and walking before we let him loose in  the whole house. Now we still use it downstairs if we want to stay in the living room or keep the dogs out of the baby toys.

Antelop highchair from Ikea  - With the tray, and inflatable cushion (with a cover) this high chair is a whopping $26, an A+ for price. This chair is simple, lightweight, easy to clean and the perfect height for both our kitchen and dining room tables. The cushion is inflatable which makes it perfect for accommodating growing babies! The *only* downside to this high chair is that they tray does not seem to come off. There are YouTube videos out there that claim to show how simple it is, but we have not had any success with removing it. Not a problem for cleaning though, we set it down and let the dogs lick it clean and then we wipe it down to get the dog cooties off. Work smarter, not harder, right?

Happy Friday!