My son is 6 months old, and lately I have been reflecting on the things that have been most helpful the past three months. This includes the Bumbo, the Boppy, and Baby Einstein, as well as several other products.
Bumbo
When I first saw a friend’s baby sitting in the Bumbo, I was intrigued. Before a baby can sit on his own, he can use the Bumbo. As long as the baby has some head control, the Bumbo will use the baby’s own body weight to keep him/her sturdy in the seat, with no straps or anything like that.
I was a bit shocked to find out that this simple foam seat cost nearly $40, but it has been worth every penny. The Bumbo has made my life so much easier. Even though my son is now sitting up, he is still too small for things like restaurant high chairs, and so we are still using the Bumbo all the time. It is so light and easy to carry around, we take it almost everywhere. We use it in shopping carts, at restaurants, and for feeding him. The Bumbo can be purchased at Babies R Us, or online at the Bumbo website.
Boppy
Most people think of a Boppy as just a nursing pillow, but it is great for so many other things as well. I never had a Boppy for nursing my son, as holding him always worked just fine for me, but I bought one when he was 3 months old because it helped so much with tummy time. Boppy sells great tummy time mats with the Boppy pillow attached; they also come with little toys. The toys attach to the front of the pillow, so that the baby can lie on his tummy and play with the toys attached to the pillow.
My baby never liked tummy time, until we started propping him up on the Boppy. Then he decided it wasn’t so bad after all. Eventually, he started to enjoy tummy time without the Boppy under him. Around that time, he started to learn to sit up on his own. When he first started sitting on his own, he was pretty unstable. He could sit for a few minutes, but then fell over. I found that putting the Boppy around his back and legs (encircling him) enabled him to sit up by himself for longer. Also, when he did fall over, his head did not hit the ground. Recently, he has even been able to use the Boppy to push himself back into sitting position.
It’s so lightweight and versatile, you can take the Boppy anywhere. It really is a “must-have” for every infant. You can purchase a Boppy pretty much anywhere baby toys are found, such as Walmart, Target, or Babies R Us. They can also be purchased online at Boppy.com
Soft Waterproof Toys
At around 3 or 4 months, babies begin putting everything in their mouths. At first, many moms think that this is due to teething, but most babies will not begin teething for a couple more months. In reality, the desire to chew on everything is a natural part of a baby’s development. A 3-6 month old baby is becoming increasingly aware of the world around him, but is unable to do much exploring. Thus, babies do their best to explore everything possible. They can touch with their hands, and then they quickly realize they can explore with their mouths too… seeing what the object feels they on their gums and tastes like to their tongue.
Soft waterproof toys will occupy baby, as well as satisfy that desire to chew. Rubber teething books are a good choice for this, as are any plushy type toy that is too big to be swallowed. Most baby toy companies make all sorts of products for this purpose; I have found Lamaze and Sassy toys to be especially good. Try to find anything that makes noises when touched (such as the ones with crinkly material), as the noise fascinates babies. Avoid harder teething ring type products, as these are less enjoyable for younger babies. They are really best for when new teeth are actually causing baby some discomfort.
A play gym for the baby is an essential. While baby will enjoy something like this as early as 6 weeks, the joy of the baby gym really peaks around 3-5 months. At this point, baby is alert and aware enough to really enjoy playing with it, but is not yet old enough to get bored after too much time lying on his back. When my son was about 4 months old, placing him on his baby gym to play would give me 10 to 20 minutes of peace.
Pretty much every baby toy company makes a sort of baby gym. The Boppy company makes one, and Fisher Price makes several. Baby Einstein company also has many good baby gyms. I have two baby gyms… one that is from Fisher Price and one from Baby Einstein. Each is good for different reasons, but one important thing that they both have in common is music. Always get one that has some sort of music involved, as this is half of what keeps the baby so amused. I definitely recommend purchasing a musical baby gym, but you also might want to keep your eye out for moving parts or flashing lights. Both of these things can be very exciting to a 3-6 month old baby.
Musical Toys
Babies 3 to 6 months old are really starting to enjoy and understand music, and many baby toys take full advantage of this. Leap Frog brand makes several great toys for babies that have more than one musical setting. Some of them even sing in English or Spanish.
Another toy that has come in especially hand for our son is the Fisher Price Musical Dashboard. It is a soft toy that sits on his lap in the car seat. It looks like a little steering wheel, and also has little lights and attachments. When he presses the horn, it beeps and plays a song. A truly helpful feature, it also includes a remote control, so I can turn on the music from the front seat.
Baby Einstein DVDs
I don’t know how I would ever get by without Baby Einstein DVDs. They are the only baby product I know of that will keep my son’s attention for more than 5 minutes. My baby will sit for 20 to 30 minutes watching Baby Einstein, without making a peep. It is almost eerie how mesmerizing these videos are, but I love the few minutes of freedom that they allow me during the day. If it wasn’t for Baby Einstein, I don’t think I would ever get to take a shower.
Keep in mind that not all Baby Einstein DVDs are good for infants, so don’t just buy the first one you pick up in the store. We purchased “Meet the Orchestra” without doing any research and found that it was completely inappropriate for such a young baby. It will be better when he is older, but does us little good now. I highly recommend Baby Mozart and Baby Beethoven for all babies under 6 months old.
