my baby must haves : 6-9 months

Somehow, my baby is almost 10 months old! I'm not sure when or how that happened. But, I figured it was about time to share a few of our favorites from the last few months!

1 | a doorway jumper : this has been the best! McKai absolutely loves to jump until my arms are jello so when we finally got one of these, it was game changer. We chose this one for a few reasons but mostly aesthetics. We aren't a huge fan of all the baby stuff and bright bold colors. This one is a little more modern looking and a lot more subtle as far as colors go. We also love that it has a tray so I can put snacks on it or other toys. The two toys that came with it come off way too easily (we are talking one small tug), so I connected a few of the toys from his playmat and carseat instead and then put the other two on the tray for him to play with (read: throw on the floor). I'm not kidding when I say this is how I get anything done during the day. I'll stick it in the pantry doorway while I do dishes or in the bathroom doorway so that I can get a shower. So nice!

2 | dr. browns sippy cup : this is about the time when introducing a sippy cup is a good idea. We tried the tommee tippee kind first and he didn't get it. My mother-in-law had bought the dr. browns kind and she said he did great with it so I bought that kind as well and he does awesome. My favorite part about it is that it has handles for him to hold and the handles spin around they aren't locked in one spot. They also don't leak on us so that's a bonus.

3 | a lovie : at this age, they start to develop an attachment to things and I think it's the cutest thing ever. this is McKai's ellie whom he loves and adores more than anything. Seriously, he loves this elephant so much! It is so soft even after being washed multiple times already. He is constantly rubbing his face in it, so cute! I worried that because it rattles it would wake him up at night but I think he likes that it rattles. He loves to chew on the trunk and arms. There are only two downsides to his elephant which I've accepted because he loves it. 1. it sheds, I have to keep an eye on his binky and rinse it off frequently because it gets the fur all over it (it's shedding less and less the more I wash it so pretty soon that will be obsolete). and 2. McKai had only really loved on it for a few weeks before the head came off! Luckily he has a nana who can sew because his mom sure can't. She fixed it and it's been perfect ever since.

4 | books : we've been reading books from the day he was born but he is finally to the age where he is actually interested and helps turn the pages so I thought I'd share our favorite. The Going to Bed Book by Sandra Boynton. Though no one actually exercises before bed!
A few of our other favorites: I Love You Night and Day, Dada by Jimmy Fallon (thanks to Maddy for introducing it to us! he will learn to say Dada if it's the last thing I do! :), Little Blue Truck, and If I were an Elephant... (I just had to, there are so many elephants in his life! Bonus: it's touch and feel plus it has a tail!)  

5 | the baby buddy's first toothbrush : we love this! It occupies McKai after bath time while I'm trying to get his jammies on. It's super easy to brush their first little teeth and even if they don't have teeth yet, it's a favorite to chew on. We still use this today on top of his actual toothbrush.

6 | I tried to think of what is favorite toy has been at this age which has actually been tough because he loves everything that isn't a toy (keys, water bottles, paper, remotes, etc...) but I ended up deciding on these infantino textured balls that we got him for Easter because they are so versatile. It's easy to throw a few in the diaper bag or to play with at home. I like that they are different textures so that he gets to use his senses, he loves to push them around the room and chase them, chew on them, and we are currently trying to learn how to pass them back and forth from me to him (okay, maybe I'm just doing it :) He loves to pull them one by one out of their bag and is even figuring out how to put them back in the bag. 

A few of his other favorite toys: this car (also loves to push this around the house and he likes the little balls in the wheels that make noise), this (he will spin those things all day long!), and this!