The first few months of a baby’s life can be very stressful for parents. Many first-time parents do not realize that babies need attention round-the-clock. You do not only need to feed them and attend to their other needs, but also keep them entertained. Thankfully, there are many innovative toys like baby mobiles that can stimulate and soothe your child while you catch some precious moments of rest.
Babies are easily engaged by the colors and shapes of the toys on a mobile. These toys do not only comfort them, but also aids in the development of their brains and gets them started on their journey to learn about the world.
Baby mobiles are a classic. As a matter of fact, a nursery is considered incomplete without them. With that said, if you are looking to buy a mobile for your child, this article was created for you. We will look at everything you need to consider before buying one.
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Name | Pieces | Our Rating |
---|---|---|
Tiny Love Meadow Days Take Along Mobile | 4 x 7.5 x 13.4 inches | 9 / 10 |
GrowthPic Musical Baby Crib Mobile | 12.4 x 11.9 x 4.1 inches | 8.8 / 10 |
Manhattan Toy Wimmer-Ferguson Infant Stim-Mobile for Cribs | 13 x 3.5 x 13 inches | 8.8 / 10 |
Tiny Love Soothe ‘n Groove Mobile | 4.8 x 16 x 13.5 inches | 8.7 / 10 |
Fisher-Price Woodland Friends 3-in-1 Musical Mobile | 14 x 2.6 x 11 inches | 8.6 / 10 |
Mini Tudou Musical Baby Crib Mobile With Remote Control | 15.8 x 9.3 x 4.8 inches | 8.5 / 10 |
VTech Soothing Ocean Slumber Mobile | 12.6 x 4.7 x 18.3 inches | 8.4 / 10 |
Disney Winnie The Peeking Pooh Nursery Crib Musical Mobile | 8 x 8 x 29 inches | 8.4 / 10 |
This cute and colorful mobile from Tiny Love is fun and engaging for babies. It is made to be carried about anywhere your baby goes so that the entertainment never stops. You can fit it in your baby's crib, stroller, or carrier. The mobile comes with a hook-and-loop fastener as well as a clip so you can choose to attach it to the arm of your baby carrier or stroller. You can also use the clip that comes with the mobile to fix to your baby's crib or play yard.
The mobile measures only 4 x 7.5 x 13.4 inches and is made up of three colorful animals toys that can spin around. This is an electronically-activated, battery-operated mobile, so you don't need to figure out how to position your fan or manually push it to have the toys spinning. The mobile does not only entertain your baby with spinning toys but also music. There are five different melodies to choose from. The batteries can last for up to 30 minutes with music playing non-stop. The music volume is not very loud, but this is good especially if you plan to use it in public. You can get this beautiful baby mobile for only $19.99 on Amazon. It used to sell at $24.99, but the price has been slashed down by $5.
Check price on Amazon.comThe GrowthPic Musical Baby Crib Mobile is a versatile mobile to buy for your little one. It comes with several features including a star projector, music, a foldable, arm, and rotating toys. The baby mobile was designed for use with a crib. It comes with a clip arm that you can attach to a bar on your baby's crib. However, the bar has to measure 1.1 inches for it to fit perfectly.
The GrowthPic baby mobile is made with environmentally-friendly materials. Three toys are hanging on the mobile, and they spin. The toys can be washed in water. They not only serve as toys but can be used as a rattle and teether. However, you have to sterilize the toys before you allow your baby to put it in his/her mouth. You can adjust the arm to three angles: 45 degrees, 60 degrees, and 160 degrees. Each angle will give your baby a different experience.
What makes the GrowthPic mobile really stand out is its music options. There are up to 30 melodies to choose from. You can select different modes for the songs to create the proper ambiance in your baby's nursery. The options are happiness, nature, soothing, and piano music. Happiness mode works best for playtime while soothing and piano music is great when you want to put the baby to sleep. You can easily control the volume of the music to ensure it doesn't get too loud for your child.
This baby mobile also comes with a soft projector light. It projects beautiful images of stars in different colors which will keep your baby entertained. You can choose to use two AA batteries for the mobile or plug it into a socket. You can get this baby mobile on Amazon for only $19.99.
Check price on Amazon.comManhattan Toy is an award-winning company that makes research-backed toys and baby mobiles. Instead of toys, this crib comes with high-contrast images and colors on cards. You will get ten interchangeable cards with each mobile which are labeled by age so you can choose the specific ones that fit your baby's age. According to Manhattan Toy, the high-contrast patterns and colorful graphics on the card helps to develop your baby's vision. It is recommended that you start with black and white cards, then switch to more colorful options as your baby grows. This is because before babies are three months old, they can barely see any color. Therefore, bold black and white images stand out more in their eyes.
The Wimmer-Ferguson Infant Stim-Mobile is designed with adjustable cords. This allows you to control the distance of the card from your baby. The adjustable arm is particularly useful when your child begins to crawl around and reach for the card. One of the potential dangers with baby mobiles is that children can reach for them and put the toys in their mouth. However, with the adjustable cord on this mobile, you can avoid that from ever happening.
The Stim-Mobile has been around for up to three decades. So, when you buy this mobile, you know that you're getting the benefit of years of research and experience. The company's baby mobiles do not only support the development of your baby's sight, but also his/her motor skills, self-awareness, pattern recognition, and more. You can get this Manhattan Toy baby mobile for only $24.99 on Amazon. The original price was $29.99, but it is selling at 17% off.
Check price on Amazon.comTiny Love makes some excellent baby mobiles, and the Soothe n' Groove is one of them. There are two versions of the Soothe n' Groove Mobile. One is suited mainly for babies aged 0 to 4 months. However, the other one can be used for babies aged 0 to 12 months.
This mobile can easily be fitted in your baby's crib, and it can also serve as a stand-alone music box when your child grows a bit older.
The Soothe n' Groove mobile is a bit different from other baby mobiles on the market. At the base of the device is a music box with colorful buttons that you can use to activate the music or change the songs. You simply need to remove the arm of the mobile to transform this device into a music box. There are 18 melodies to choose from in six categories. There is even an option to play "white noise" which studies show can soothe babies. The device comes with two speakers, and you can adjust the volume of the music being played. The mobile runs on three size 'C' batteries. You can play music for up to 40 minutes.
Tiny Love recommends using the setup with the music box and arm when your baby is about 0 to 3 months old. Once your baby is 5 months old, you can take off the arm and leave only the music box for your child to play around with.
This mobile does not only soothe your baby with music but also a soft night light. The light comes from the music box. The mobile features several colorful toys that will enchant your little one. The toys don't spin but move slowly and also go up-and-down. This will captivate your baby and helps to keep him/her calm. You can get this Tiny Love baby mobile for only $39.99 on Amazon. This is a 20% discount on the original price; $49.99.
Check price on Amazon.comThe Fisher-Price Woodland Friends 3-in-1 Musical Mobile is a great option to engage and calm your baby. This versatile mobile can be converted to a standalone music toy when your baby outgrows his/her crib.
There are four different toys on this Fisher-Price mobile; an owl, a fox, a bear, and a raccoon. These beautiful toys can quickly become best buddies with your child. The owl is not only a toy but also serves as the music box. The owl can be attached to your baby's stroller. It gets activated automatically and plays happy tunes when your baby is on-the-go. Alternatively, you can press the blue button on its belly to have it start playing music. The familiar, friendly face of the toy will keep your child feeling happy and composed in public. You can adjust the sound of the music so that it is not too loud and becomes a nuisance.
The Fisher-Price Woodland Friends 3-in-1 Musical Mobile is a motorized device. The toys spin around to keep your child entertained. You can get up to 20 minutes of non-stop music from this mobile. Sometimes the spinning of the toys stops, but the music continues. This design reduces visual stimulation and is particularly useful when you want to put your baby to sleep. If you want the music to play for up to 20 minutes, the owl must be mounted on the stick. The baby mobile runs on three size 'AA' batteries. You can get it on Amazon for only $22. This is a $3.78 discount off the original price of $25.99.
Check price on Amazon.comThis musical crib baby mobile from Mini Todou has a multi-functional design, and it even comes with a remote control as well as a projector.
The design of this baby mobile is very unique. The mobile is made of up of an arm and a UFO-like disc which serves as the central control unit. There are colorful attachments to the UFO-like structure with the toys hanging from it. There are four different pony toys on the mobile, and they are made of environmentally friendly materials. Although this baby mobile seems elaborate, it is not large.
Apart from the spinning toys and soothing music, two features make the Mini Tudou Musical Baby Crib Mobile stand out:
This Mini Tudou baby crib mobile comes with up to 108 melodies. This means there are many music options to soothe your baby to fall asleep or keep him/her in a fun mood. Some songs in the selection include popular kids tunes like 'Little Star,' 'Edelweiss,' and 'Song of Joy.' You can skip to another song if you find that your baby does not like a particular tune.
The remote control is a very convenient addition to the unit because you do not have to walk to the crib whenever you want to lower the music - especially when your baby is asleep. The projector flashes stars on your ceiling or roof. It can shine light in different colors like blue, red, and green.
The mobile is built with a motor and is designed to move slowly to engage your child's attention and help to develop his/her vision. The pole that supports the mobile can be rotated 360 degrees. This means you can turn it away when you want to reach for your baby in the crib and put it back in place when you want to entertain your child with the moving toys.
When your child outgrows mobiles (at about 5 months old when he/she starts reaching for it), you can just remove the mobile and leave the rest of the unit for your child to play with. You can get this Mini Tudou baby mobile for only $37.99 on Amazon.
Check price on Amazon.comIf you want to give your child a mobile with an ocean theme, the VTech Soothing Ocean Slumber is a good option. This unit is designed with toys that have bold, contrasting colors so it will appeal to both newborns as well as babies over 5 months old. The mobile has a motor, so you do not have to spin the toys manually. I should mention that the toys do not only spin round but also dangle from side-to-side.
This VTech baby mobile also plays music to entertain your baby. It is programmed with over 45 tunes as well as nature sounds and nursery rhymes. This means that it does not only entertain your child but also educates him/her. The melodies can play for a long time, so it is perfect for lulling your baby to sleep. At night, you can turn off the light in your baby's nursery and turn on the projector light on the mobile. It shines soft, colorful lights on the ceiling on the wall featuring images of the moon and stars.
One of the most impressive aspects of the VTech Soothing Ocean Slumber Mobile is that it comes with a timer, so you do not have to head to your baby's crib to turn it off manually.
When your child is under 5 months old, you can use this unit as a baby mobile and projector. However, once your child passes that age, you can convert the mobile into a crib toy and light projector by removing the mobile arm and attaching the dangling toys to the base of the bluefish/ central control unit. You can get this VTech baby mobile for only $34.97 on Amazon.
Check price on Amazon.comKids love Winnie the Pooh, so this baby mobile from Disney with popular cartoon character is bound to be a hit with your baby. The design of this baby mobile is quite simple. It doesn't only feature Winnie the Pooh but also Eeyore, Tigger, and Piglet. The toys are made with polyester with a velboa finish to give it a nice feel.
This Disney baby mobile does not only soothe your child with the moving toys of famous cartoons but also music. The device comes with a wind-up music box that plays Brahms lullaby. The music plays for about a minute before you will need to wind it up again for the rhythm to repeat. You can get this lovely mobile on Amazon for only $47.46.
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A baby mobile is a simple structure that is made up of several toys attached to strings, which are connected to a sort of beam or hoop. Baby mobiles are built based on the principle of equilibrium, so the weight of the toys balances each other. Most mobiles are designed so that the toys can rotate around freely in a clockwise or anti-clockwise motion. Modern mobiles can also move up and down. However, some mobiles are designed to remain more or less stationary. Mobiles that can rotate are either powered by the wind or a motor. Motorized baby mobiles are more trendy because all you need to do is plug them. On the other hand, wind mobiles require the flow of air to spin them, and so they are not always practical for use in a nursery.
There are generally two types of baby mobiles; crib-mounted mobiles and ceiling-hanging mobiles. Ceiling baby mobiles are older than cot-mounted mobiles. However, crib mobiles are more popular today due to the difficulty of hanging up and taking down ceiling mobiles. Also, crib mobiles can support more weight so they can hold more fancy toys.
The history of baby mobiles can be traced back many decades ago. Sculptor Alexander Calder, who gained fame in the 1930s and 1940s, is credited with being the inspiration for baby mobiles.
Calder created innovative, colorful sculptures which have movable parts that are put into motion by touch, currents of air or mechanical motors. Calder received several honors for his work including a United Nations Peace Medal. The United States Mint also issued a limited-edition one-half ounce gold medallion to honor this artist.
While Calder created the foundations for what is known as mobiles, many other artists refined the idea over the years to result in what we know today as baby mobiles.
New-born babies spend most of the time laying on their backs. Without any form of stimulation, your baby is likely to just lay down looking up to the ceiling, and most likely feeling bored. A mobile engages your child’s brain and keeps him/her feeling calm. But apart from entertainment, there are other benefits of buying a mobile for your baby. The following are some of the top benefits.
So, we can all agree that baby mobiles are essential. However, it is essential to install your baby mobile according to the manufacturer’s instructions to avoid accidents. Here are several things to keep in mind when buying and installing a baby mobile in your nursery.