Mama & Munchkin Must Haves | Months 6-9

We have reached the nine month mark!! Only 3 more months until our baby boy turns 1 year old! Ugh! Where has the time gone?! Cooper has started crawling, is so interactive now, and has just the cutest little personality. He is getting so much hair, and his eyes seem to get bluer every day. He LOVES to eat, especially his applesauce and Gerber Organic Puffs, although we haven't found a food that he won't eat. We've even started him on purred meats, he wasn't too fond of the texture at first, but has since taken to it. I make all of his food, it's way cheaper and I know exactly what he's getting. He is a crawling machine, pulls himself up on everything and loves to stand on his own. We're still waiting for him to walk, so we're still getting some use out of his bouncers etc (see Mama & Munchkin Must Haves | Months 3-6). We wanted to get him a walker, but after talking with a very intelligent and informed sales associate at Buy Buy Baby, we decided against it. I felt foolish for not having researched it beforehand, as I have done with everything else I have purchased for him. Apparently, new studies are showing that babies that use walkers walk later than babies who do not use them, and they have a greater chance of developing pigeon toe, bowleggedness, and hip problems, but I still consider getting one every now and then, especially when he's sick of being held but won't stop pulling himself up on the cabinets or trying to climb the walls, which really puts my anxiety over the top. These are the things that I feel are must-haves when your little one is 6-9 months old!

Teething pods/gel: See my post for Mama & Munchkin Must Haves | Months 3-6. Teething is in full-swing around here. Cooper has his two bottom teeth and his first top tooth is just about to break through. Poor baby has been so miserable from that darn tooth. We started using Baby Orajel Naturals and even Orajel Nighttime Extra Strength for nights that he's really in pain. (We've been cleared by our physician to use these in small amounts, as they can numb a baby's swallow reflex, allowing them to choke.)
Blender/Food Processor: I LOVE my Magic Bullet Mini! I was actually planning on getting the Ninja Mega Kitchen System , and probably still will, but I found this mini Magic Bullet at Walgreens one day and decided to pick it up and have fallen in love with it. Not only does it do a great job pureeing food for Cooper, but I have made dips, salsas, smoothies and even coffee drinks in it! I find recipes for baby food online sometimes, but most of the time I just cook fruits/vegetables/meats and blend them up and make different combinations. (Note: do not combine different foods until your babe has tried each individual food for at least 3-5 days... We did a week for each food before we switched him to something new, and tried everything individually before I started mixing things)
Storage system for home-made baby food: I love my Infantino Squeeze Station, It is a bit messy, and the whole baby-food making process does take some time, but I find that it is so worth it. This system uses 4 oz. bags with twist on tops. Food can be stored for 48 hours in the fridge or 2 months in the freezer in these bags. They have a place you can write the date/what is in them. They also have these little spoon attachments that go right onto the bag that have a hole in the top of the spoon so food comes out onto the spoon when you squeeze the bag. Very nice when you're on the go and don't have a spoon/bowl etc.
Interactive toys: Cooper got (3) Scouts for Christmas, and he absolutely loves them. He also loves his TMNT Ball pit, He also got big piece puzzles and cardboard books for Christmas as well that he enjoys playing with. Pretty much anything that he can pick up an put in his mouth, bang together, or that makes noise/lights up.. he's more than happy with, for at least 5 minutes.

We are still using most of the things that are in my Must Have lists for months 1-3 and 3-6, like the bottles, pacis, breast pump, nursing pillow, pack'n'play etc.

I still keep the cabinets filled with granola bars and other snacks as I am still breast feeding Cooper and often wake up in the middle of the night starving. Water/gatorade bottles are a must as well.