For the Mamas | Latest Must-Have’s and Can’t-Live-Withouts at 9 Months

I have been asked quite a bit recently what products we are still using, what things make my mommy life easier, and what stuff Lilly just can’t live without. I haven’t done one of these posts since Lilly was like… a month old! So, I guess a little update into (SOME OF) what we use on a regular basis might be helpful for some of you?

This is, by no means, an end all be all list… this is just a few of the things that I am loving or have been loving and things I would totally recommend!

This list is also in no particular order… 🙂 

1. Fisher Price SpaceSaver High-Chair

I don’t know why, but we had the toughest time picking out a high chair. I didn’t really want one that took up a ton of space and I didn’t want one that stood on it’s own. I wanted to be able to easily set it up, tote it around if necessary, and hide if I needed to. I had read great reviews of the SpaceSaver, and we decided to go with it. And we love it! It’s really easy to clean, it will transition to a booster seat when Lilly gets bigger, and it easily attaches to an already existing chair at our kitchen table! Easy peasy.

2. Tula Standard Carrier

I got the Tula for Christmas as a gift from my in-laws and I am absolutely head-over-heels in love with it. It’s amazing! I had tried out the Boba and the Ergo, but they just felt awkward on me. The straps weren’t thick enough (for my liking) and they hurt my back. I have serious back issues (I see a chiropractor once a week if that tells you anything) and so I needed something that I could feel supported in and carry Lilly around while also not killing my back. The Tula is the winner. It’s amazing and I will never get another carrier!

3. Halo Sleep Sack

Once we FINALLY transitioned Lilly out of the swaddle, the Sleep Sack became a GREAT comfort item for her and really helped her stay warm at night. We still have like 15 blankets in her crib with her (exaggeration), but she loves her Sleep Sack. It also is a great signal for her that it’s time for bed!

4. Sound Machine

We have actually had a sound machine in Lilly’s nursery since she was a couple weeks old… but I tell you, I don’t know what I would do without this thing. Lilly has become a really light sleeper, and so to have the white noise going on in her room has helped her to sleep through dogs barking (sometimes), doorbells ringing (sometimes), and just other general noise going on while she’s sleeping. If you have a baby who is having trouble sleeping, try a sound machine. This thing is a life saver!

5. Baltic Amber Teething Necklace

I get SO many questions about her necklace. “What’s the necklace for? Does it have some sort of significance?” It does… in that it helps with Lilly’s teething pain! I could write a whole post on this necklace alone (would any of you be interested in that?) but I realize this thing is super hippie dippie, but I really do think it works! She doesn’t go a day without it!

6. Disposable Placemats

Not every restaurant is as awesome as Chick-fil-a and provides a disposable placemat for your baby. I use these things all the time when we go out to eat so I know Lilly is eating on a relatively clean surface. And then when we are done… boom! Throw it away. Easy as pie.

7. MAM Pacifiers

I realize some people love pacifiers and some people hate them… we love them! We didn’t even introduce a paci to Lilly until she was almost two months old… but she loves them! MAM is literally the only kind she will take… every other pacifier she wants nothing to do with… but her MAMs she loves. They help her sleep, they soothe her, she plays with them… I dread the day when we have to wean her from the MAM.

8. Aden + Anais Bamboo Swaddle Blankets

I have been a huge fan of A+A since Lilly was born and have loved their muslin blankets. But when I discovered the glory of the BAMBOO ones, I was in heaven. They are SO soft and just… amazing. They are TOTALLY worth the money. They aren’t cheap, but they’re worth EVERY penny. I use them ALL the time! In the car, in her crib, in her play area, when we travel… all. the. time. I want one for ME!

9. A Dedicated Play Area

I realize is isn’t exactly a “thing” – although the little play yard “fence” that is around her play area is technically a thing… But giving Lilly a dedicated play space has been a HUGE life saver for me. I have mentioned before that I work from home and now that Lilly is into EVERYTHING and is crawling all over the place and is awake a lot, I HAVE to have a place that I can put her where she is safe, entertained, and able to play so I can get some work done if I need to. She LOVES this play area! It’s baby proofed, it’s messy, and she can just run wild and have fun. It’s in our “office” right now and so it’s just a place that we know we can put her toys and let her go to town. I would be LOST without this area!

10. Activity Table (similar)

I picked up this activity table on a whim at a consignment sale and it was the BEST purchase! Lilly absolutely LOVES it. She loves to press the buttons, play with the “instruments,” and flip the book on it. She dances to it and she learned to pull herself up on it! It’s just such a great toy that doesn’t seem to bore her at all. I LOVE it.

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So that’s it! Well, that’s a good portion of it… 🙂 That’s what we have been loving for awhile now. Are you a mama? What are your favorites and must-haves and can’t-live-withouts right now? Anything I need to check out?