Occasionally I like to put together a list of “must haves” for my kids. It helps in two ways, one so that I can pass off a list of blog posts if friends ask for suggestions for items and two, so that I can remember what we were doing/loving during that time. I haven’t done a post like this in a while and so thought that I would put one together. Here is what we’re loving for James at (almost) 8 months!
Now that James is sitting we are using his floppy seat a lot! We use it in high chairs when we go out to eat and will (at some point) use it in the grocery cart. It’s so nice to be able to feel better about putting him into germs high chairs when we’re out. And the best thing about this particular type of cover is that it all stuffs back up into the included bag/pocket for easy carrying!
Black Classic Baby Bjorn
We got our Baby Bjorn for the National Championship game to California with Charlotte and while we used it for that trip we didn’t use it much other than that. However, I’ve found with James that I use it ALL THE TIME! It is so helpful to be able to put him in it to take Charlotte in and out of school. I’ve also used it when I need to run into Target or another store for something quick and don’t want to use a stroller or the shopping cart. He loves hanging out in it and being able to watch everything around him. I would highly recommend one, especially for a second child!
We got our Baby Bjorn for the National Championship game to California with Charlotte and while we used it for that trip we didn’t use it much other than that. However, I’ve found with James that I use it ALL THE TIME! It is so helpful to be able to put him in it to take Charlotte in and out of school. I’ve also used it when I need to run into Target or another store for something quick and don’t want to use a stroller or the shopping cart. He loves hanging out in it and being able to watch everything around him. I would highly recommend one, especially for a second child!
We made the decision to get rid of our big high chair and go with a smaller booster seat for James. It has been so nice not to have such a huge area taken up with the high chair. And this booster seat can travel with us when we go somewhere or can be put away if we’re not feeding him. We just sit it on the table for dinner when he’s eating with us and it doesn’t even take up too much space.
James loves his workbench! He will sit in front of it and play with it for a long time in baby time (10 minutes!) before he wants to play with something else. All of the lights and sounds and things to push is perfect for this age!
James also loves this toy. The gears come out of the main toy and they’re perfect for him to hold and chew on. Charlotte also loves using them as teeny, tiny pom poms!
Zubels Caterpillar and other animals
Charlotte had a number of small BlaBla dolls that she loved chewing on and these are the same kind of thing only they have a lot more options for boys. They are so soft and must feel good on James’ gums because they’re constantly in his mouth. This one has a rattle which is nice too. And the best part is that they are easy to throw in the washer and dryer to get them all clean again!
**As a sidenote, in case you’re curious you can wash pretty much any toy in the washer. I don’t dry things that have a lot of plastic but I dry most toys. Even things that just say surface wash, I usually throw in and they are fine. If it’s really delicate I will put it in a delicates bag but I usually just wash them in with everything else. If it’s a hard plastic toy I also throw those in the dishwasher all the time. It is very rare that I give either of my kids a toy or animal that hasn’t first gone through the washer or dishwasher. Just wanted to throw that out there in case you haven’t though of cleaning toys in that way!
We went ahead and moved James to a convertible car seat before our trip to the beach. I feel like he’s a lot more comfortable in this than his infant seat because it just seems a little roomier and cushier. Both of our kids are in Britax Marathon’s and we love them. They will stay in them until they weigh out if I have my way!
James loves his Sophie much more than Charlotte did. She is the one toy that is almost guaranteed to calm him down if he’s upset. She is so soft and must feel so good to chew on! The only downside to Sophie is that the instructions said not to put her in the dishwasher so be aware. I just wash her with soap and water and she’s good to go again!
