What to add to the baby registry between six and twelve months

Somewhere between month six and month twelve, the baby who lay on a mat looking at the ceiling becomes a person who crawls into the cupboard under the sink, throws porridge off the high chair and pulls up on every piece of furniture in the house. The registry you built during pregnancy was for the first baby. Go back through it now, because the second one needs different things and the family still wants to buy them.

Once the baby crawls, the house needs work

Crawling usually starts at six to eight months, and from that day the whole ground floor is a playground. Cupboard locks, socket covers and corner protectors move from optional to urgent within a week. A stair gate at the top and one at the bottom matter more than anything else on this list.

Add furniture anchors for the bookcase and the chest of drawers, because a baby will pull up on anything tall enough to reach. Door handle covers and a toilet lock look absurd right up until the ten-month-old finds the bathroom and the toilet brush in the same minute.

Mealtimes get messier before they get easier

Between six and twelve months, eating becomes an event. A sturdy high chair is the first thing to add if it is not on the list already; the IKEA Antilop at €20 does the job as well as chairs at ten times the price. Suction bowls save you from picking food off the floor forty times a day. Silicone bibs with a pocket catch most of what would otherwise land there, and you want four, since they are washed daily.

Once finger foods start at eight or nine months, add a training cup with handles, a set of soft baby spoons and a splash mat for under the chair. People who have not done this stage think the mess is exaggerated. It is not.

Toys go from rattles to puzzles

Rattles stop holding attention around now, and toys that ask something of the hands take over: stacking rings, a wooden shape sorter, big soft blocks. A small drum or a xylophone helps with rhythm and tests the parents' patience. A push-along walker or a pull-along dog supports the first walking attempts, which tend to arrive between nine and twelve months.

Books with textures, flaps and one big picture per page become the bedtime regulars. Everything still goes in the mouth, so keep to toys that are too big to swallow and easy to wipe.

Sleep changes too

A more active day changes the night. If the baby is outgrowing the bassinet or the bedside crib, a full-size cot that later converts into a toddler bed is the buy that lasts. A sleeping bag in the right tog is safer than loose blankets and keeps the temperature steady.

A white noise machine helps once the baby starts noticing the dishwasher and the neighbours. Blackout blinds make a real difference to bedtime, particularly through summer evenings when it is light until ten.

Strollers, carriers and shoes for a baby on the move

Once the baby sits well, usually around six or seven months, a stroller with proper support and a good recline is worth it for longer outings, especially if the newborn one was a light travel model.

If you are still carrying the baby, a carrier built for older babies who want to face outwards and see the street works well at this stage. Shoes look pointless before walking, and hard ones are. Soft-soled leather shoes protect the feet during outdoor crawling and give some grip on a wooden floor.

Every baby hits these stages at its own pace, so some of this will come earlier or later than the months above. Add the safety gear first, then whatever fits the baby you actually have this month. You can create a baby registry for this stage and share it with the grandparents, who are usually asking what to buy anyway.