Nursery Question- Do you really need a mobile?

LaurenWarwick

Getting down to the little details in the nursery.  I can't find a mobile that I like.  Are mobiles really necessary?  Anyone have one they love and recommend? Was trying to find something cute to go with the nursery, but I'm having trouble, so maybe function over matching will win out, or just cut it out altogether.

Irisheyes1247

I don't think it is completely necessary, no. 

But we did have one we loved. It uses a projector and shows some pictures either on the mobile or once you remove that, onto the ceiling. DDs figured it out once they got a little bigger and sometimes would turn it on in the morning when they woke up and it would keep them quiet/happy so we could get a couple extra minutes of sleep or whatever.

https://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Precious-Planet-Projection-Mobile/dp/B001GQ2SA2/ref=sr_1_1?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1403027411&sr=1-1&keywords=fisher+price+mobile 

HorseLover11

I was told not to have one so the baby associated the crib with sleeping and not play time

julestony

Its a personal choice...we were planning to have one, but it didn't fit onto our crib (and wasn't adjustable) except for on the front...every one we looked at was the same. So, no mobile for us, and that's just fine as far as we're concerned.  Maybe she'll fall asleep better  

suitern

We never had one and arne't planning on getting one this time.

Bella2425

We have one but hardly used it. The only time I'd use it was if I had him in bed while I folded his clothes/tidied up. I'm not sure I will even put it up this time since it doesn't match anything.

camichael84

Definitely not necessary, and if you do decide to get one I'd go with functioning over matching.

dal2aus

I was just wondering this same thing this morning.  As cute as they are, I'm worried they might be overstimulating.  I've been advised from experienced moms about not going overboard on all the distractions like bouncers, mobiles, and swings.  The theory is that they overstimulate the baby which makes them more irritable, exactly the opposite of what I'm trying to accomplish.

chardonnay24

By the time we moved my kid to the nursery, he was pulling up (~7 months) so we had to take down the decorative touches that he could have pulled down or strangled himself with (mobile and crib canopy). I'm still planning on doing a mobile for #2's nursery, but it'll be decorative and hanging over my rocking chair or somewhere she can't reach it.

LaurenWarwick

I didn't think about it being an association with playtime vs sleep time!  I did have my sister in law suggest something mobile-like at the diaper changing table for a distraction, so I may find something like that over the crib mobile!  Thanks ladies!

ConversationFear

We probably wouldn't have had one but I found an adorable Snoopy one where he is playing a guitar and is surrounded by music notes (DH is a guitarist and HUGE Peanuts fan.)

They are not necessary. They are nice for playing music, and making baby smile, but that's about it.

beccalee721

My mentality with DD (19 months) was, I wanted her to be able to sleep without any outside aid like a mobile. Some kids get really attached to certain noises or atmospheres when they're adapting a sleep schedule. I made sure she slept when it was silent, loud, bright or dark in the room. My thought was, she doesn't know what a mobile is so she obviously doesn't need it to sleep so why introduce something she might become dependent on.

LTMama

Definitely not necessary.  We had two - one was the traditional type that dangles over the crib, and for a short period DD was fascinated by it and would stare at it.  But once she started pulling up, we took it down because it hung from the side of the crib.

The second looks a little like a TV, and plays soothing music and has lights and little fish that swim around.  That was nice for DD to play with when she got a little older, to give us a few more minutes of sleep.

CplusJ=S

I bought one to make the nursery look cute. My DD has never slept one night in her crib and didn't start napping there until she was 18 months old. They are definitely not a necessity.

MrsLaLaBug

mobiles - not a necessity.
diapers - a necessity.

Djcieply

Irisheyes1247 said:

I don't think it is completely necessary, no. 

But we did have one we loved. It uses a projector and shows some pictures either on the mobile or once you remove that, onto the ceiling. DDs figured it out once they got a little bigger and sometimes would turn it on in the morning when they woke up and it would keep them quiet/happy so we could get a couple extra minutes of sleep or whatever.

https://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Precious-Planet-Projection-Mobile/dp/B001GQ2SA2/ref=sr_1_1?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1403027411&sr=1-1&keywords=fisher+price+mobile 

Everything she said! This is also the same mobile that we had.

whataboutscience

The one that goes with our nursery decor is expensive and had bad reviews for breaking/not functioning properly, so we won't have one.

Dawson56

Our DD hated it.... She was fine as long as you didn't turn it on...

BabyMayinMarch

We ended up putting a mobile above the change table.  Kept DS somewhat still during diaper changes!

ashaw512

Its not necessary but I would put DD in her crib during the day (when she was still sleeping in her bassinet) before I completely moved her to sleep in her bed at night. During the day I would turn the mobile on and she would watch it and coo at it. It actually helped her transition but not all babies are the same, it worked for her but may not for yours.

mrsdanielleM2010

We aren't getting one. 

A&DPritchett2be

I registered for one that matches our theme, but if someone doesn't buy it at the shower we will not be buying it as we have other items still left to buy.

brittneyandadam

I wasn't planning to get one. I've seen one or two on Etsy that were perfect with the decor...if I do get one of those, it will just be hanging in the room for decoration.

mcstrepp

A&DPritchett2be said:

I registered for one that matches our theme, but if someone doesn't buy it at the shower we will not be buying it as we have other items still left to buy.

Exactly this.

blue+skies

We did not have an actual mobile, but we did have the fisher-price rainforest soother in DD's crib. That thing is like baby Valium....I highly recommend it.

fernane

Like the majority of baby stuff, totally optional

RedBaramid

I too got the suggestion of putting one over the changing table, and skipping the one over the crib.  When DH and I got married we folded the 1000 origami cranes for good luck/prosperity(they were used as decor at our wedding) and we still have a lot of them tucked in a shoe box, we decided we were going to make our own mobile out of some of those. It will be mostly decorative(so our of reach for her little hands), but it's something that DH came up with, and the idea of it makes us feel good... otherwise we probably wouldn't bother.

MMason12

brittneyandadam said:

I wasn't planning to get one. I've seen one or two on Etsy that were perfect with the decor...if I do get one of those, it will just be hanging in the room for decoration.

The only one I have found that I like is also on Etsy. It has no working features but is the only i've I can find that I matches our room and as I said I like. It is $70-80 though and I cannot bring myself to spend that much on a mobile when we other more important things left to get.

Ceridwen21

DS liked his.  We got it off etsy.  https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/120688862/ceiling-hung-baby-mobile-nursery-mobile?ref=shop_home_active_4

Will be using the same one for DD.

kayemgi

I'm making one with felt plushie sea creatures that we will hang over the changing pad on the dresser.

@RedBaramid I love that you are repurposing the cranes from your wedding! What a lovely idea.

emmylu30

We did not have a mobile either but got the Baby Einstein ocean soother as a gift which we put on the side of DS crib and he loved.

Edit grammar

LaurenWarwick

Planning to get a sleep sheep which I will probably use in lieu of a mobile.  I like the idea of soothing sounds, over the visual stimulation of a mobile.  Anyone have one of those? Thoughts?

https://www.amazon.com/Cloud-Sound-Machine-Soother-Sleep/dp/B000GKWA66

brittneyandadam

MMason12 said:

brittneyandadam said:

I wasn't planning to get one. I've seen one or two on Etsy that were perfect with the decor...if I do get one of those, it will just be hanging in the room for decoration.

The only one I have found that I like is also on Etsy. It has no working features but is the only i've I can find that I matches our room and as I said I like. It is $70-80 though and I cannot bring myself to spend that much on a mobile when we other more important things left to get.

The one I like from Etsy is also non-functional. It's $45 and I ended up putting it on our Amazon registry. If someone gets it, or makes one , then that's awesome. If not, no biggie