Crib Mobiles

Dear S.,
I am a mom of 4 children and am now 52. When I think of mobiles I have visions in my head of my babies watching them with so much interest and smiling and trying to reach for them. I personally think their great as it stimulates them not just with thier minds but their muscles and coordination. I had one that you wound up and it would keep them intertained for a little while after first waking up. I hope that gives you some things to think about. Let me knnw what you decide.
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I wouldn't bother. I've got four kids, and with my oldest we invested in the usual black and white mobile. With my third child, we tried a colorful one that played classical music. None of my children has ever had any interest in the mobiles!! Total waste of money. Then again, my kids have all loathed spending any time in the crib when they weren't sleeping. Maybe your baby is different. All my kids seem bright and well-adjusted, though, even without the mobiles, so I think it's more important that they're getting enough stimulation outside of the crib! Good luck!

My baby is 11 months and she still loves her mobile. I turn it on when I lay her down for naps or bedtime and she coos and watches it. She has both a traditional mobile of animals and a projector that reflects birds onto the ceiling that rotate. In my opinion, it helps with establishing a positive bedtime routine in addition to helping entertain her while she drifts off to sleep.

Hello mom of four month old angel!
I have a daughter, 10 months and everyone is always commenting on how content she is to play by herself and how she always wakes up happy. She IS very good at entertaining herself but she wasn't always that way. I read in the book Babywise, that allowing your baby to cry for a bit after she wakes up or when she's playing gives her the opportunity to try to adjust herself so she's more comfortable or find a new toy to play. It talked about how it leads to having a toddler who learns and loves to play by himself and with others better, instead of always having to be entertained and it gives them a headstart to developing their own imagination. At 2 months I started to do this, leave my daughter in her crib for a bit once she woke up but I couldn't stand to hear her cry at first so I bought something to hang in her bed that she could look at. At first it only gave her enjoyment for a minute or two but after awhile she started playing for 10-15 min after she woke up instead of immediately crying for me. Now at 10 months I have a soft fabric book that I keep in her crib that she loves to wake up and read, I never walk into the room to a crying baby in bed. She's usually in there squealing and talking to herself. That's probably the only reason I would ever buy a mobile or a toy that hangs on the side of the crib.

I used a mobile from birth. That is strange that it would say 5 months. I liked having it when my daughter was little because I could put her in her crib and turn it on while I was picking up her room,cleaning the bathroom, or folding clothes and she would just lay there and watch it and kick and play. It seemed to relax her. You would probably be surprised on how often you would use it.

We used a mobile for both our kids and they loved it. Have you thought about putting one on the changing table to entertain her during dressing? Great distraction from what Mommy's doing! Plus you get all the same benefits except the amount of time. Again, our boys loved this. I moved it from the crib to the changing table after they could roll over so I could get the benefits without the safety risks of having it in the crib. Good luck and enjoy this time. (I, too, would recommend Babywise if you haven't already read it.)

S.,
I have 4 children and I used one for the simple fact it gave them something to look at if I was not immediately in to tend to them. Remember, she may be near asleep now when you lay her down, but in a few months the story may be totally different. I say IF you have the extra monay - why not. All my children loved thier mobile. The one thing I did read was when you buy a mobile look up at it from her view to be sure she is seeing the items going round. I am not sure if I explained that good or not. Also try finding one that can be a floor toy too. We have one from target that the music box comes off and has a mirror for a floor toy. Our 3rd child's mobile was Sassy, I think and e. of the "items" came off and were floor toys. Enjoy your peanut!

It sounds like you have a wonderful nap/bed time routine with her already. You may not want to risk the distraction at bedtime.

For me, the mobile was particularly handy for a wee bit of personal time. I wasn't comfortable leaving either of my babies long enough for a shower unless I knew they were asleep but I might leave them for a bathroom break. Usually, when I turned the mobile on, I was holding my son or daughter, swaying to the music and talking about what we saw.

It might not be the best investment but it's cute entertainment.

Mobiles are for that age because their eyes are not fully developed. Babies that age cannot see more then a couple of feet. Since your daughter is already 4 months, I would invest in pictures or items for the walls and/or ceiling instead of a mobile.

J. Robertson
www.janinerobertson.com
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Since your daughter is already half asleep when you put her down, a mobile might just wake her up. You really don't need one at this stage, especially since she'll be sitting up soon and that's when she could pull the mobile down on herself and possibly be hurt. Spend your money on something else like an exersaucer (if you don't already have one, they are fantastic).

However, a friend loaned me her mobile for my second child and it was WONDERFUL. It was called "The Symphony in Motion" and would keep my baby happy for at least 20 minutes in her crib (we left it on her crib until she was sitting up). Long enough to shower, eat, clean, etc and keep her safe. If you have another child, I highly recommend this particular mobile. While it didn't necessarily help her go to sleep, I'm sure you realize the benefits of 20 minutes with a happy and entertained baby!

I was told that when the baby gets more mobile that it needs to come down. Such as rolling over,etc. So I would say about 4 or 5 months, I would take it down. =)

Theoretically babies may start pulling themselves up and sitting up soon so they could become entangled in the mobile. Thus they can become strangulation hazards.