Must Have Items for an 8-10 Month Old Baby

Heres the things I just can not live without right now. Honestly, parenting without these items is unimaginable. Im sure this list will change as he gets older and his needs change (its certainly changed since he was a newborn) but seriously, these are some awesome products!


Mini Food Chopper

Mine is a Black & Decker but I dont think it really matters what brand you get. Whatever is cheap will do the trick. In fact, I think my B&D isnt as efficient as some others brands (I used one at a friends house the other day and it practically liquified the pork and peas we were eating for dinner) but it works for me. Because I dont buy jarred baby food, this item is completely indispensible for feeding my little monster. Case in point, tonight we ate brown rice and chicken with green papaya, and so did our baby because I was able to sufficiently puree it with the help of my chopper. The clean up took about 20 seconds as compared to the five minutes it takes me to properly wash my full size food processor. Yum yum, fresh and healthy!

Ergo Baby Carrier

I swear to the Lord that without the Ergo I wouldnt get a thing done on a daily basis. For chores like dishes and laundry that are hard to do with a whining baby climbing your leg, there is nothing easier than simply throwing him in the backpack and going about your business. Browsing the typically small, crowded stores common to Hawaii is a breeze without a bulky, annoying stroller to cramp my style. Can I even count the number of times he has fallen asleep in the front-load position? Its comfortable enough to wear while hiking, my husband will actually use it, and its stylish enough that I wore it with a nice dress at my sisters wedding.

Big Homemade Hooded Towels

Amazingly, I didnt even make these - I got them as a gift from my aunt. Someone had made these for her and she insisted I would love them and be able to use them well into toddlerhood. She was right! Those stupid, rinky-dinky hooded baby towels they sell at Babies-R-Us are just lame. They dont absorb anything and your baby will surely grow out of using it within the first month. These towels are made from a plush and cushy adult-sized Ralph Lauren towel and a washcloth, which has been made into a hood using the most basic of techniques. I believe that even the most craft challenged among us could accomplish this project easily and would benefit greatly from having done so. These towels are not only softer, more absorbent, and of higher quality than their "baby" counterparts, they are also so awesome that I occasionally catch my husband using them in lieu of his own towel. Homemade hooded towels are now my go-to, no-fail baby shower gift.