The Best Baby Mobile
You know those cute little things that hang over the baby’s crib and have all kinds of animals, lights, and sounds that babies seem to be fascinated with all the time? They are called baby mobiles and, believe it or not, they are more than just simple toys. That being said, there’s an entire list of things that you should know before purchasing a baby mobile, so we’re here to bring you all that precious information in one place.
1. Manhattan Toy Wimmer-Ferguson Infant Stim-Mobile – Editor's Choice
- Type: crib-mounted
- Dimensions: 13 x 3.5 x 13 inches
- Weight: 1.25 pounds
2. Tiny Love Meadow Days Take Along Mobile
- Type: crib-mounted, portable
- Dimensions: 4 x 7.5 x 13.4 inches
- Weight: 12 ounces
4. BOBXIN Baby Musical Crib Mobile
- Type: crib-mounted
- Dimensions: 16.1 x 9.2 x 3 inches
- Weight: 1.8 pounds
5. Nurture Smart – Baby Crib Mobile
- Type: crib-mounted
- Dimensions: 29.3 x 9.4 x 8.5 inches (package dimensions)
- Dimensions: 29.3 x 9.4 x 8.5 inches (package dimensions)
Best Baby Mobiles
1. Manhattan Toy Wimmer-Ferguson Infant Stim-Mobile – Editor's Choice
Highlights
- Type: crib-mounted
- Dimensions: 13 x 3.5 x 13 inches
- Weight: 1.25 pounds
Pros
- Interchangeable cards.
- Constructed after research.
- Adjustable height.
- Teaches babies about patterns and perception.
- Cards are labeled by age.
Cons
- Complaints about poor engineering.
We sometimes wrongfully assume that when they’re newborns, babies have no idea what is going on around them. The truth is babies are more perceptive than you think and they become aware of their surrounding environment pretty fast. The Manhattan Toy baby mobile is here to make sure they enjoy a developmental toy that’s suitable for their fragile age.
Constructive after intensive research, this baby mobile is based on high-contrast patterns and black and white images that stimulate and help develop a baby’s perception. The baby mobile has an adjustable height that allows you to raise or lower the cards as the baby grows and can see things further away.
It is designed with 10 interchangeable cards that are labeled by age, so they will always pose a challenge suitable for your child. When the baby becomes acquainted with the black and white card, you can switch to the colored ones. Overall, this baby mobile is designed for infants in order to help raise the awareness they have of their surrounding environment, as well as for teaching them patterns.
2. Tiny Love Meadow Days Take Along Mobile
Highlights
- Type: crib-mounted, portable
- Dimensions: 4 x 7.5 x 13.4 inches
- Weight: 12 ounces
Pros
- Up to 30 mins of music playback.
- 5 melodies.
- Spinning design.
- Portable.
- Easy to move around.
Cons
- Short motor lifespan.
The Tiny Love baby mobile is an adorable product designed for parents who want their children to grow fond of animals from a very young age. But leaving aside the cuteness of the product, let’s focus on what the parents are really interested in: features and functionality. This is a crib-mounted baby mobile that can be detached and secured to the stroller thanks to the integrated clip attachment.
The baby mobile is designed with a music box that can play music up to 30 minutes without any interruptions. It also gives parents the possibility to choose between 5 different melodies, each one more suitable for babies than the last. The adorable big-eyed toys will spin around to stimulate the curiosity of your baby and trigger amusement that can last for hours on end.
3. Baby Crib Mobile
Highlights
- Type: ceiling-mounted
- Dimensions: 12 x 17 inches
- Weight: 5.6 ounces
Pros
- Hypoallergenic.
- Handmade.
- Places out of baby’s reach.
- Multiple color options.
Cons
- Customers questioning the high price.
We completely understand if some parents out there are concerned about their little ones pulling the baby mobile and injuring themselves in the process. Ceiling-mounted baby cribs were designed to provide parents with that peace of mind knowing that even if their babies are left unsupervised, they aren’t in any danger.
But there is so much more to this baby mobile than meets the eye. It is a hand-crafted product made from hypoallergenic materials that are completely safe around babies and children. The hanging elements of this mobile are made from hypoallergenic felt and fillers, and are designed to be lightweight and not pose a threat of falling.
The only downside is that you will have to eventually take it down and fill the hole you made when you mounted the mobile. While it doesn’t have any music or spinning features like products that are more technologically advanced, this baby mobile looks like an adorable traditional product handmade by talented artisans.
4. BOBXIN Baby Musical Crib Mobile
Highlights
- Type: crib-mounted
- Dimensions: 16.1 x 9.2 x 3 inches
- Weight: 1.8 pounds
Pros
- Multiple lullabies.
- Projector function.
- Remote controlled.
- Music timer.
- Spinning feature.
- Screwdriver included.
Cons
- Poor battery life.
If there were such a thing as a home entertainment center for babies, the BOBXIN would certainly be it. Despite its relatively low cost, this product comes with a bunch of features that will keep babies amused and will spark an interest in the surrounding environment. You may be wondering what all the fuss is about, so let’s dive into the action.
This baby mobile is equipped with 150 lullaby songs, as well as some songs and nature sounds. You can adjust the volume to a setting that your baby feels comfortable with. The music box has three timer settings (20, 40, and 60 minutes), allowing you to choose when the music will automatically turn off.
It also has a projector function, with images that will entice the baby’s curiosity. It can also serve as a calming night light thanks to the beautifully projected stars. The baby mobile can be fiddled with by using the remote control that’s included with the purchase.
5. Nurture Smart – Baby Crib Mobile
Highlights
- Type: crib-mounted
- Dimensions: 29.3 x 9.4 x 8.5 inches (package dimensions)
- Dimensions: 29.3 x 9.4 x 8.5 inches (package dimensions)
Pros
- Non-toxic materials.
- No loose parts.
- Music integration.
- Water-resistant buttons and speakers.
- Easy to clean.
- Adjustable height.
Cons
- Expensive.
Now, this is the baby mobile to end all baby mobiles. As you might have noticed, the price is spicier compared to that of other products in the niche, but there are a bunch of features ready to justify that price tag. It is the kind of product that was created after researching what it means to make baby-safe products with a positive impact on their development.
This mobile is made from durable and non-toxic BPA materials, so you can rest assured that no unwanted toxins will go anywhere near your child. Furthermore, there are no loose parts that your baby could pull and choke on, so that’s double the safety so far.
As for the entertainment feature, the mobile is equipped with 6 rotating images (contrasting colors and black and white images alike). AS we’ve mentioned earlier in this article, these types of images have been proven to stimulate the baby’s perfection and to help with visual development. The baby mobile is also equipped with 5 musical options, including ocean sounds and white noise.
Types of Baby Mobiles
For babies, these mobiles are both entertaining as they are fascinating. A baby mobile is a structure that hangs above your baby’s crib and it supports various types of toys. Typically, baby mobiles are already sold with these toys attached to them, and most respect a certain theme (like cars, animals, or space). Since babies spend most of their time lying on their backs and staring at the ceiling, a baby mobile can be very stimulating to them.
Baby mobiles are typically divided into two major categories. First, you have those that hang directly from the ceiling. A while back, this was pretty much the only type of baby mobile that you could find on the market. The good thing about ceiling-mounted baby mobiles is that they will never get in the way and, since your baby can never reach them, there aren’t any chances of them pulling the thing down.
However, mounting these types of baby mobiles can be a pain considering that you will actually need to drill a hole into the ceiling. That means that whenever it’s time to remove the mobile, you will need to fix that hole that will be left behind.
The second category is the crib-mounted baby mobile. This is now the most common variety of baby mobile out there, as it is really easy to install since you can attach it to the crib directly. It will likely come with some sort of clip that allows you to mount it, but some models can also be screwed directly on the crib’s edges.
Baby mobiles can also be divided into categories depending on what fuels their movement. First off, you have wind-operated mobiles. These are constructed to be super lightweight, which means that the slightest breeze can move them. However, since it is unlikely for a nursery to have any breeze, not a lot of people opt for this type of baby mobile anymore. Parents who do purchase these will often use a fan to get these to move.
The most common type of baby mobile is the mechanically-operated one. With the help of a small motor, these baby mobiles will automatically move, without the need for further intervention. However, these types of mobiles require batteries to operate and even that small motor inside does make a little bit of noise, which is something that some mothers disagree with.
Other Baby Mobile Considerations
There are a few more things that we wanted to talk to you about before we move on to showing you actual baby mobiles:
- If having your baby surrounded by fully organic products, you will be happy to know that you can purchase organic baby mobiles as well. However, these are more difficult to find compared to any other type of mobile, so you will have to do quite a little bit of digging to find a product of this kind.
- Baby mobiles are just toys hanging from a bunch of hooks. They can be equipped with a ton of cool and entertaining features, including lights, music, remote control operation, or even glow in the dark components.
- Some baby mobiles are portable, which means that you can remove them from the crib and mount them to the stroller. This is awesome if your child finds baby mobiles soothing, as you can bring along their “distraction” even as you’re going out for a walk.
- Needless to say, baby mobiles come with a wide variety of toys and most of them follow a certain theme. Since babies are probably too young to care just what kinds of toys they’re looking at, you can choose a baby mobile that matches the theme of the nursery.
- Musical mobiles deserve a little bullet point of their own because they are really popular right now. Baby mobiles that are equipped with music boxes will either have a wind-up or a battery-operated one. Wind-up music boxes have like a little dial that requires turning if you want the music to start playing. The main problem with these is that the music won’t play for very long (pretty sure most of you know how a wind-up music box works). The battery-operated music box will start making sounds with a simple push of a button. There are certain baby mobiles that offer a broader selection of tunes for the little one to listen to. Depending on the model chosen, these mobiles can play songs for 30 seconds and up to 20 minutes.
- There is such a concept as crib mobile safety, and there are a few things that you should be aware of before installing a baby mobile. Consider the fact that this contraption might be accessible to babies when they’re old enough to reach for it. You will need to make sure that the mobile is either placed higher up where the baby can’t reach it or that it’s sturdy enough and the baby can’t remove any of the parts that could pose a hazard (even if the baby is at no risk of choking, the mobile could still fall and injure them). Don’t choose baby mobiles that have really small parts that can be ingested.
- When your baby is about 5 months of age, you want to remove the baby mobile from the crib. At this age, plenty of babies are already capable of crawling on all fours, so it’s only a matter of time before they can reach the mobile and start pulling it down.
Are you ready to join us as we explore some of the cutest, funniest, and most practical baby mobiles on the market right now? Buckle up, it will be a ride filled with giggles!
Bottom Line
It is very easy to get distracted when looking to buy baby mobiles because most of the products available on the market make our hearts go “awwww”. With so many playful designs and plenty of features adapted to the needs of parents and children alike, baby mobiles are a form of entertainment but also a source of relaxation for the little ones. Babies can easily get distracted by the toys, lights, and music that comes with such a product, helping them stay amused when awake or aiding them in falling asleep faster.