The Only 11 Items I Needed for My 1-Year Old

First off, if you didn’t read my article on the only 16 items I needed for my newborn, I’d recommend reading that first. I was still using those items as my baby turned 1 and beyond. This list is a follow-up to that article. It’s all the things you’ll need as your baby gets beyond the newborn stage.

You may wonder what these baby articles have to do with art, and the answer is absolutely nothing! Every once in a while I like sharing lifestyle articles on other things I’m interested in. According to Chat GPT, parents purchase an average of 50-70 items for their newborns and 150-300 items total by the time their baby is 18 months old. I detest all the clutter and out-of-control spending that comes with having a baby, so I’m on a mission to help simplify for other moms. My essential items for newborns article has recently gotten more traffic, so I thought this would be a nice follow -up. These are all the things you will need for the 6-18 month age range. My son is almost 16 months now, so this list is current with what he has needed until this point.

Also, I should add that I have not partnered with any of these brands. While some of the links below are Amazon Affiliate links, I have purchased every single item on this list with my own money and on my own accord.

1. Convertible Car Seat

I knew nothing about car seats until having a baby. I now know that newborn carseats typically last until babies are around one-year-old. Then, you get a convertible car seat for their toddler years. Your convertible car seat will first face backwards and then forwards when your baby is big enough.

Our baby boy (Connor) has always been pretty long, so he looked cramped in his car seat long before his first birthday. We went to Target (they have a great display of carseats to try out) and loved the Chicco OneFit. We were open to spending more if necessary, but we thought this one felt sturdier than the higher end brands. Also, it seemed to have the simplest installation and is flame-retardant free. This carseat has rave reviews online and I can see why. We couldn’t be happier with it and Connor is much happier with the extra legroom.

2. High Chair

The worst baby purchase I made was a cream plush Maxi Cosi high chair. Don’t get me wrong, it was beautiful, but SO IMPRACTICAL. I ended up rebuying this Abiie Beyond Junior one and couldn’t be happier. The straps are black (trust me, you’ll want this), and the seat is black leather so you can pretty much just hose it down when it gets too dirty. I’m obsessed with our high chair and will never buy another!

3. Dr. Brown’s Sippy Cup Attachment Handles & Spouts

We loved the Dr. Browns glass bottles when Connor was younger. Since glass is better for babies than plastic, I was looking for glass sippy cups. Big surprise, they don’t exist. However, I realized our bottles actually have sippy cup attachments with handles and spouts to purchase separately. It was a game changer. The style and flow of the cup is perfect, as Connor struggled with other types of cups. You’d think the glass would be breakable but Ryan and I are the only ones who have broken them. Connor has never had an incident.

4. Silicone Catch All Bib

A must-have for when babies start eating, otherwise food ends up everywhere! We actually only have one bib for Connor, but I wish we had a few more, hence this set I’d recommend.

5. Spoons

We attempted baby led weaning and it didn’t go very well. While I liked the concept of Connor feeding himself, he was constantly biting off big chunks of food and making me nervous. For the first few months of eating, I had him feed himself mashed foods using these spoons and it worked great. He still uses them as a 16-month old.

6. Snacks

This is kind of a weird one to mention, but it is the bulk of what you’ll buy for your baby after 6-months. Babies are true grazers. Our favorite snacks for Connor are Once Upon a Farm Puffs, Once Upon a Farm Pouches, Amara Smoothie Melts, Organic String Cheese (cut up into little pieces), and Organic Yogurt Pouches. He was eating most of these by the time he was 10 months old.

7. Teething Accessories (Teethers & Relief)

I’m grouping all teething accessories into one category, because it’s pretty personal for every parent and their baby. What I hear works for some doesn’t work for others. Teething is such a big part of this life stage though, it’s worth mentioning. What worked best for our son was this teething oil and these silicone teethers you can fill with frozen fruit. When the pain got really bad, we gave him a half dose of this cleaner version of tylonel before bed (also on my newborn list). It worked like a charm.

8. Push Cart or Walker

Even though it’s no longer popular opinion, we loved using this walker for Connor when he was 6-12 months old. It was so convenient and he was happy in it for hours. Now that he can walk, he still loves pushing it around by the handle. If you’re against walkers, a push cart like this could be something your baby enjoys as they start walking.

9. Zipper Onesies with Footies & Hand Cuffs

Other moms are probably judging me for this, but I pretty much only dress our son in these unless we’re going somewhere nice in the evening. As a visual person, you’d think I’d want him to dress cuter, but I just want him to be comfy. And these are the comfiest. We have nine of them and he wears one every day. He sleeps in them too. They’re easy to put on and I love how you can cuff the footies and hands for extra warmth. It’s what I would want to be wearing all day if I were a baby!

10. Shoes & Outdoor Gear

As walking becomes a big part of your baby’s life, so will shoes. I was told the Robeez brand of soft sole shoes is good for their feet. I bought these for Connor and he loves them. I also have a pair of rubber soled shoes for when it’s wet outside.

I’m throwing outdoor gear into this category too because our son has a Patagonia snow suit and coat he wears all the time with his shoes. What you will need obviously depends on the seasons by you.

11. Crib with Mesh Sides or a Pack n’ Play

I don’t know if this was specific to our baby, but I tried a regular wooden crib and Connor HATED it. He kept rolling into the sides. He’d hit his head and wake up hysterical. I managed to find one of the only cribs with mesh sides that existed on the market, since I already had a crib mattress.

Looking back, a regular pack n’ play would have sufficed, since he doesn’t always sleep in his crib. He ends up in our bed quite a bit. However, it is nice to have so we can get some uninterrupted sleep.

Sadly, I haven’t yet found a pack n’ play I love, so I don’t have a recommendation here.