After writing about my newborn must-haves a few months back, I’ve been keeping a list of 3-6 month and 6-12 month must-haves to share. I have found there’s a bit of research involved in choosing baby items (because there are for some reason 1000 different types of pumping bras and at least that many stroller options). I always have found posts like this really helpful because they provide a personal recommendation from someone who has used and loved the products. Today, I’m sharing my favorite items for the 3-6 month age range!

Note: this post may contain affiliate links (i.e., if you click my link and make a purchase, I’ll make a small commission at no additional cost to you). Read my full disclosure policy here.

Pumping

When Jamie was 12 weeks old, I returned to work, and found that there is a bit of a learning curve when it comes to pumping. Through a bit of trial and error, I found a few of products that made pumping as enjoyable as it can be (which is not very enjoyable, but at least not terrible).

• Bravado Designs Clip n Pump Bra: This is the best pumping bra because it makes any nursing bra (with clips) into a handsfree pumping bra. There’s no weird changing in your office and it’s really easy to just keep in your pumping bag. If between sizes, consider sizing up. I use a size small but could’ve probably used a medium.
• Extra Set of Pump Parts: I keep an extra set of valves/membranes/shields, extra tubing, and milk storage bags at my desk at work. These have saved me (I once forgot all my pump parts at home after sanitizing! My pump motor always stays in my bag, so I was able to use the spare parts and pump directly into the milk bags).
• Stasher Bags: I store all my pump parts in the fridge during the day and then just wash and sanitize them once I get home. I used to store the pump parts in plastic bags so they didn’t get milk all over my cooler, but switched to the 1/2 gallon stasher bags to reduce plastic consumption. They work great, and I love that they can go in the dishwasher! (Note: these are on sale for Earth Day through April 23rd!)

Play

Jamie started getting really fun around this age, because he got a lot more interactive and started to actually enjoy toys! I love watching him interact more with the world around him.

• Exersaucer/Activity Center: Jamie loved his activity center around this age! He loved being able to stand up, and enjoyed the music, lights, and toys. We like that this skip hop one can transform into a play table once he gets too big for the seat. We keep it in the kitchen, so Jamie can hang out in there while I prep dinner. (Now that he’s a year old, we’re going to be replacing it with a learning tower!)
• Lovevery Play Mat: We didn’t splurge on very many baby things, but this play gym is 100% worth the money. (I wish we had bought it earlier!) The play book that comes with it is an amazing resource for developmentally-appropriate play, and the play gym looks nice enough to leave in our living room all the time. Jamie has loved it and used it most days since we bought it!
• Play Blanket: We used a large throw blanket as a nice, easily washable space for Jamie to play. Since Jamie was still spitting up a lot through 6 months (and beyond!), we used it to protect floors from his spit-up – both in our house and when traveling.

On-the-Go

After a few months, I really got in the groove of going places with a baby. This was a great age to travel because Jamie wasn’t eating any solids yet, which made the whole food situation a lot easier!

• Wildbird Sling(s): I love my slings and used them as my primary baby carrier starting around this age. Jamie was able to see out of it more easily than the wrap or ergo, and I LOVE how quick it is to take him in and out. (We still like our ergo 360 best for front-facing or for long trips, but didn’t start forward-facing until around 6 months). I got a lot of use out of this when running errands, since we moved Jamie to a convertible car seat early (he hated his infant seat), but he couldn’t sit in a cart until 7-8 months.
• Colugo Compact Stroller: This is the best stroller. It’s super small and lightweight, the raincover is awesome, it’s easy to travel with, and reclines almost flat. We started using it around 4-5 months (we just kept it totally reclined until he was a good sitter), but they also sell an infant bassinet insert for use on smaller babies! We also bought a Ryan & Rose cutie holder since there aren’t any cupholders.
• Rohm Travel Sound Machine: We use ours in the car, when visiting people, for travel, etc. It’s a really great small sound machine, and it stays in my diaper bag at all times!

Sick

We did really well at keeping Jamie healthy for the first several months of his life, with the fall/winter season came a number of colds. Thankfully, Jamie is a real trooper and does pretty well on his own, but there are a few products that really helped make getting through his colds easier.

• Diffuser/Humidifier: We ran this every night for most of the cold/flu season, since it really helped with both dry skin and with keeping his congestion under control. Although we have a whole-house humidifier, we still ran an extra one in his room. I’ve just been using my Young Living dewdrop diffuser since I already had it on had.
• Nosefrida: It is gross, but it’s also the best snot-sucking device out there. Does Jamie hate it? Yes. Is it still totally worth it? Also yes.
• Boogie Wipes: Yet another congestion-related item, we used a lot of Boogie Wipes at this age. (Jamie got sick about 10 times this cold/flu season, the poor guy!) These are perfect for getting all the gross crusty stuff off of Jamie’s nose when he’s congested.

Other

• Sleep Sacks: Jamie started rolling onto his stomach just before turning 3 months old, so we stopped swaddling pretty early! He was already using an arms up swaddle at this age, so we didn’t have any trouble switching to a sleep sack. We like the aden and anais ones – the .5 TOG weight is perfect for summertime (or for rooms like Jamie’s that are always warm). We bought the Medium size, and he’s still using them at 12 months old.
• Poop Bags: These are great for containing poop and also for changing dirty diapers on the go. (I don’t want to leave a stinky diaper in my mom’s trash can, you know?). We also use one of these for all his dirty diapers to keep our diaper pail from smelling bad.
• Cutie Teether Rattle: Jamie started actually using toys around 3 months, and this was one of his earliest favorites, since it’s easy to grab onto, makes a noise, and is made of silicone (and thus good for chewing on).

Jamie learned and grew so much from 3 to 6 months; it was such a fun and special age! During this time, he really started to interact with us and the world, which was really amazing to watch, and sleep was so much better than for the first three months of his life (minus the 4-month sleep regression which was a DOOZY). It is such a joy to get to watch him grow up, and I love how it keeps getting better and better. I hope this list of my must-haves for this age makes your life just a little bit simpler, easier, or better.

Do you have any must-haves for babies this age? If so, be sure to comment below with your favorite items!

Pin this Post: 3-6 Month Must-Haves