Baby Must Haves for 6-12 Months

This post may contain affiliate links. Original photography by Victoria Gloria.

Ok mamas, it’s time for part two of my baby must-haves post series! I got so many comments and messages about my Newborn Essentials post requesting to do the same thing for the next stage of baby-hood so, here you have it! I love sharing my favorites Must-have baby stuff with you guys because if it works for me, hopefully, it can work for other mamas out there!

Let’s get right into it, I explain below each specific item why they made my list of must haves! And remember, click any PINK WORD or image to shop the product!

Baby Must-Haves for 6-12 Months

Feeding Baby

NumNum Pre-Spoon GOOtensils

We chose to do a combination/hybrid approach when introducing solids to Luca. I share more about this in Luca’s 8-month update post BUT, these utensils are my favorite! Luca feeds himself things like peanut butter, oatmeal and yogurt now – messy as all hell, yes – but he can actually use these utensils and successfully get food in his mouth. It’s also super cute to watch!

When feeding him purees these soft-tip spoons are my favorite! And we, of course, are huge fans of puffs and creamies – currently also using these to teach him to sign for “more” and “thank you” which has been fun – a post will be coming on this later so stay tuned!

While we’re on the topic of food, a must-take course (if you’re into that!) I’d like to recommend is the Infant BLW course by Feeding Littles! We did the course around 7 months and it was a total game changer for our confidence when introducing solids and they have a course for toddlers as well! Use code CHRISTINECOVINO for $10 off (making it just $49)!

Bapron Bib

Next, on our Baby Must haves for 6-12 months are these bibs. They are my favorite bibs and also came highly recommended by Judy and Megan at Feeding Littles! They cover most of the body (like an apron) and come in really beautiful and fun prints!

ChooMee Pouch Tops

An absolute baby must-have if you feed your baby pouches! We started Luca with pouches recently and these special tops allow him to handle it himself while keeping it mess-free! The contents of the pouch can only come out when the top is sucked on – genius!!

Munchkin Miracle 360 Trainer Cup

Luca’s favorite cup! It took a little while for him to figure out (and me too if I’m being honest LOL) but we love them now! Also super easy to take apart and clean (dishwasher safe) and promotes dental health as far as teeth development! That being said, Luca also likes sipping through a straw so I have used these as well!

Peg-Perego Siesta Highchair

Another item that has been on my baby must-have’s list since the first few months (see my Newborn Must Haves post). Once we started solids with Luca he has loved sitting up in his highchair and joining us at the dinner table!

Baby Playtime

Fisher-Price Deluxe Kick ‘n Play Piano Gym

This play mat was also on my Newborn Essentials post because we started using it around 6 weeks! Still going strong at 11 months – it’s versatile, packable, affordable and it’s one of the things we’ve used every single day!

Play Gym by Lovevery

The piano gym I described above was/is our number one play mat, however, I am adding this one to the list not as a must-have but as a “nice-to-have.” Before he could sit up and play in his own (8-9ish months for Luca) I needed to switch him between different play gyms/jumper/chairs. It was very nice to have a second activity center at my disposal! Plus I love this one because it comes with a helpful book that guides you through the different developmental phases of the first year and gives you tips on how to help your baby with each skill.

Fisher-Price Go Wild Jumperoo

We started Luca in this jumper around 5 months and so far it seems with each passing month he loves it more and more. Now at nearly 11 months old, he’s definitely outgrowing it but he still has so much fun so I’m just going with it! We also have this great portable jumperoo that we travel with or keep it at my parent’s!

Fisher-Price Sit-Me-Up Floor Seat

I wasn’t sure which category to put this in because it is SO useful! This basically replaced the boppy lounger for us once Luca started to roll. It’s a safe place I can pop him in if I have to do something quick. He started using this chair around four months, around when he could hold his head up well. The seat has enough structure to support the rest of baby’s body. We are still using it at 11 months!

Zany Zoo Wooden Activity Cube

Seeing a trend here?? LOTS in the toy category haha – anything to keep baby entertained! I literally set up stations and just keep switching him to a new place every 10-15 minutes so he stays happy and doesn’t get bored. Anyway! This activity cube is AWESOME. I bought it as a Christmas present back in October but quickly realized we needed to break it out asap. There are so many great features, right now Luca sits and plays with it but soon will be standing to play. I know this will be another long-lasting item!

“Indestructible” Books

These books are THE BEST. Literally indestructible! So you can let your baby do whatever they will to them – Luca is very hands-on and these have just been perfect for us!

Yay! Mats Baby Play Mat

We broke this mat out around the time Luca started sitting up and playing on his own (8-9 months) and not only has it been a great, safe space for Luca to play it LOOKS pretty in our home as well! It’s the most aesthetically-pleasing play mat I have found yet. And since it’s made from large connecting pieces it’s also super easy to pack up if need be!

O-Ball Go Grippers Toys

Honestly, anything O-Ball has been a huge asset since birth! He STILL plays with these and that’s saying a lot because over the last 11 months Luca has grown out of a lottt of things, especially in the toy dept!

Recently I have been focusing on getting him educational toys because he is learning and growing so quickly, here are a few other toys and books we are loving lately:

• This Leapfrog Learning Remote
• These stacking cups
• This wooden sorting cube
• These Mega Bloks
• Will be getting Luca this table activity center soon!

Baby Sleep

Nested Bean Zen Sack Classic

We’ve been around the block when it comes to swaddles and sleep sacks!

Luca was in the Love To Dream Swaddle until about 3.5/4 months and then we tried out the Merlin Magic Sleep Suit for about a month or so, and then the Zippadeezip (he did not like having his hands covered), but we ultimately settled on the Nested Bean Zen Sack. The bean pouch on his chest helps him feel safe and secure (it emulates your hand on his chest, it’s not heavy at all just comforting!) and it also allows him to wiggle around freely.

Not to worry if your babe is a tummy-sleeper, they can wear the sack backward! In the summer we dress him in a short-sleeve onesie and for the winter, long sleeve, footie PJs. We keep our house at 70 degrees and he is plenty warm with just the sack!

Marpac Classic White Noise Sound Machine

Still our favorite sound machine! Turning it on is part of our nightly bedtime routine. Also, check out the portable and rechargeable version – this comes everywhere with us!

We bedshare with Luca (more on this in my upcoming cosleeping post) so there’s not much else we do for the sleep category except use a diffuser! This one is my favorite!

Baby Gear

Lillebaby Carrier

I was so sad when Luca grew out of the wrap (Solly was our fave) but we transitioned him right into this carrier and it was so smooth! I love it because you can wear it six ways, I normally wear him facing in but it’s nice because it also fits Alex (6’1″/220lbs.) and he would wear him outward-facing. This makes my must-have list for many reasons but number one, I LOVE babywearing, and number two, I worked every day at our family farm during September and October for apple harvest season and I was able to have Luca right there with me, it worked so well!

Summer Infant 3D-Lite Umbrella Stroller

We actually just purchased this stroller so I can’t speak to it from an in-use perspective yet but it came very highly recommended by friends and family! (Not to mention it has a 4.5-star rating on Amazin from over 1k reviews!!). An umbrella stroller, in general, is a must-have in my opinion if you are traveling or want a lighter-weight stroller option. and this one is for sure a winner for under $80!

Nuna Rava Convertible Carseat

Luca is a tall baby and as of 10 months as outgrown the infant car seat (cue mama tears!! Milestones are always so bittersweet!). We used the Nuna Pipa infant car seat and LOVE it (and the brand) so much. Its super easy to install (legit 5 minutes!), I love that he seems cozy and supported (especially the head area), the seat is ventilated so he doesn’t get super hot (this is important to me because Luca is a sweaty baby lol) and it meets all of our safety expectations! Not to mention aesthetics are not compromised!

Boppy Pillow

This pillow is so versatile! I did not use it as a nursing pillow (I used the Nook) but it’s a nursing pillow and a positioner. We used this from moths 6-10 religiously to prop Luca up until he was stable enough to sit on his own!

Summer Infant Portable Playard

This is what we use instead of a pack n’ play! We kind of just skipped over the pack n’ play phase altogether but this is the one we have in case you are interested! But I love this playard because it’s a safe place to put Luca down, its big aka lots of space for him to scoot around and it’s extremely light-weight/portable/easy to pop up and down!

Fisher Price 4-in-1 Sling ‘n Seat Tub

We have used this since birth and it is one of our long-standing favorite baby must-haves because of that! When Luca was younger we placed him in the sling portion which was cozy and relaxing, but now that he wants to sit up we’ve removed the sling and he sits right in the tub part! We also love the toy accessories that came with the tub! For shampoo/body wash we use Tubby Todd and this rinser bath cup!

Infant Optics DXR-8 Baby Monitor

This is the baby monitor we use – no complaints here! And apparently, over 26,000 other people love this monitor so much to rate it 5 stars on Amazon!

Some other random must-haves for baby care I just want to quickly mention are:

• Essential Oils – These have truly changed my life over the last year in every possible way (baby/cleaning/beauty) and I am SO thankful I was introduced to them!
• Fridababy NoseFrida – Absolute must-have for when baby gets a cold!
• Oogiebear Baby Nasal Aspirator – Scoop those boogers out!!
• Garlic-Mullein Ear Drops – These prevented Luca from getting an ear infection with his first cold (consult your pediatrician first!!)
• Gerber Soother Probiotic Drops – Healthy gut, healthy immune system!

Shop All My Baby Must Haves 6-12 Months Below!

Plus some extra items that were “nice-to-haves”