Toys
This non-toxic wooden rattle is ideal for a young infant. They will learn to make sounds when they shake it and the texture of the silicone rings is comforting when teething.
This rolling toy helps develop early motor stills. Your baby can explore with their hands while hearing the sounds when they roll the wheel. It is non-toxic and safe for teething. As their skills develop, they will continue to have fun with this toy. I’m always a huge fan of toys that are made with non-toxic materials, and are beneficial developmentally while also looking nice.
These sensory balls are AWESOME for older infants. The set comes with three different wooden tumbler sensory balls: auditory, visual and texture. They are simple and will entertain your 6-12 month old while also stimulating their senses. Additionally, they are non-toxic and made of natural reclaimed rubber wood trees.
This wooden box and ball may look simple but playing with it will help your baby learn object permanence while teaching gross motor skills.
This silicone teether has an ideal shape for building oral skills. Your baby doesn’t have to actually be “teething” to get those benefits from this.
Colorful links • These are a simple little thing but very nice to have. Something like Silicone Chew Bead Links, Bright Starts Lots of Links or Sassy Ring Links are multi-purpose. They can be a toy, or connect toys to an activity mat. We use them to connect toys to the high chair. They promote many developmental skills and only cost $4-$15!
Stuffed Animals • I love this brand of stuffed animals! They come in almost every animal imaginable and they are soft and super adorable. A personalized embroidered one is one of my favorite new baby gifts!
Oball with rattle • The design makes it easy for young babies to hold and to attach with links to the activity mat.
Wooden Rainbow Stacker • I LOVE wooden toys. This one grows with your baby. They can nest and stack the colorful blocks.
Outdoor
Outdoor Blanket • I love this Skip Hop Outdoor Blanket. We use it all the time. This is waterproof, can be carried as a purse, and has a detachable cooler bag. The blanket is 5 feet by 5 feet. This is a “must have” for picnics, tee-ball practice, little league games, or just if you want to hang outdoors with your children. The Monkey Mat is another good option for a waterproof picnic blanket.
KidCo Go-Pod • This is a portable seat and activity station for babies that is great for when you aren’t at home. We use it a lot for outdoor events: hanging on the patio, watching older siblings soccer practice, entertaining the baby while the adults do some yard work, etc.. There are loops to attach toys and a cup holder for drinks. The recommended age range is 4 months to walking.
Baby Clothing
Obviously, you will buy clothes you like and think are adorable. If it’s your first baby and you know the baby’s sex beforehand, you will get a lot of gender-specific clothes as gifts before the baby arrives. We didn’t find out the sex either time, so pre-baby we received almost no clothes and post-baby we received some gender-specific clothing, which was really nice!
Reverse Zipper PJs make diaper changes easier! These are hard to find, but here are some.
These have an inverted zipper AND the fold over hand cuffs that I love so much in the newborn days! These have a separate inseam zipper which seems pretty cool!
Here are links to some other ones: Old Navy
In the early days, especially if your baby is born in the winter, it’s very helpful to have their hands covered when you go out in public. Strangers will come up and touch your little baby’s hand. Germy children will put their snot covered hands on your little one. Keep those hands covered to help prevent the spread of yucky winter germs!
Zippers • I do recommend that you have some zippered footed pajamas. Most are just snaps. The zippers are really nice for those middle of the night diaper changes. Check out Hanna Andersson PJs because they are adorable!
Booties that say on! • These two types of boots are the best to actually stay on baby’s feet! Both come in multiple patterns.
How cute are these pants?!