Yahoo Finance 10 best baby mobiles for the cot or crib: Send your little one into a sweet slumber
You’ve purchased your cot, placed your bedding and are now on the hunt for soft furnishings to complete the look, and while you’re in the throes of nursery design you’re likely to consider purchasing a baby mobile.
Mobiles come in three basic designs: strapping onto the side rails of your baby’s cot, dangling from the ceiling, or come complete with an arm to attach to the cot.
But they go beyond fluffy décor, they are designed to stimulate and soothe babies, allowing them to drift off to the land of nod. Always ensure that a mobile is safely out of baby’s reach and removed once baby is starting to get up on its hands and knees and into the crawling position.
From the all-singing, all-dancing to the handmade, there’s a variety of baby mobiles on the market. But what were we (and our 16-week helper) looking for when testing?
First and foremost is safety. In order to comply with safety guidelines and to ensure baby gets a good view too, those that were easy to position a safe distance and felt secure were highly favoured.
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By opting for one with an arm frame means they’re placed in a safe yet stimulating position. Of course aesthetics are key too (cue #nursery pic upload), favouring pretty colours and shape while also using stylish materials such as wood.
Additional features such as lullabies, lights and movement can be appealing to babies, however parents know too well the cost associated with baby paraphernalia, so when selecting the best baby mobiles price has been considered too.
The best baby mobiles for 2022 are:
Best overall – Little Dutch wooden music mobile: £58.95 Scandiborn.co.uk
Best musical baby mobile – Cam Cam balloon musical mobile in pressed leaves rose: £29.95, Themodernnursery.com
Best Scandi-inspiredbabymobile – Snuz baby mobile: £49.95, Snuz.co.uk
Best baby cot mobile – Mamas & Papas welcome to the world musical mobile: £39, Mamasandpapas.com
Best safari baby mobile – Bloomingville safari mobile: £44, Kidly.co.uk
Best animal baby mobile – Meri Meri under the sea baby mobile: £53, Merimeri.co.uk
Best motorised baby mobile – Fisher-Price calming clouds mobile and soother: £34.99, Amazon.co.uk
Best knitted design – Oyoy grey koala music mobile: £20, Oyoylivingdesign.co.uk
Best long-term investment – Infantino 3-in-1 projector musical mobile: £37.45, Amazon.co.uk
Best baby mobile for on the move – Tiny Love take along mobile meadow days: £24.99, Amazon.co.uk
Little Dutch wooden music mobile
Best: Overall
Weight: 680g
Batteries: N/A
Music: Yes
Rotation: Yes
Lights: No
In the box you’ll find five soft toys, a wooden frame and a music box, which need to all be put together and then attached to the cot, there’s instructions but it’s a straightforward task. Adorable animals? Check. Frame attachment to the cot? Check. Lullaby to soothe? You bet – no other than Old McDonald! As the music box plays it also turns the hook holding all of the dangling toys, meaning they gently rotate as the melody plays out. Combined, this stimulated our mini tester often leading to a slumber.
Due to the wooden frame, the mobile is the perfect and safe distance from baby, allowing them to appreciate the swaying figurines – and what’s not to love about these sea-inspired creatures, there’s even an oyster shell with built-in mirror. Our only gripe is that the tune could last a little longer, but even without the music it’s a joy to look at.
Buy now £58.95, Scandiborn.co.uk
Snuz baby mobile
Best: Scandi-style mobile
Weight: 2400g
Batteries: N/A
Music: No
Rotation: No
Lights: No
If you’re someone who likes products to match and you’re the proud owner of the hugely popular SnuzPod or SnuzKot then you’ll be pleased to know the brand has its own range of accessories too. The arm frame comes in six neutral colours, matching the SnuzPod colourways, and the mobile itself follows the neutral theme with grey and white accents across puffy white clouds, plush stars, and a curvy crescent moon. This gender-neutral design lends itself well to a Scandi-inspired nursery.
Buy now £49.95, Snuz.co.uk
Bloomingville safari mobile
Best: Safari baby mobile
Weight: N/A
Batteries: N/A
Music: No
Rotation: No
Lights: No
With this Danish designed safari-inspired mobile from interior brand Bloomingville, you’ll find four of the big five dangling sweetly above baby’s cot. There’s a lovely artisan feel with this mobile thanks to the hand-finished manes and tails on the animals. Both the zebra and giraffe make a satisfying rattle noise, which didn’t just fulfil us but caught our mini tester’s attention too.
Aesthetically speaking this baby mobile is simply beautiful, and we love the combination of the beech wood with the linen animals (complete with smiling faces), giving it a natural vibe. As you have to hang this mobile yourself (it doesn’t come with a stand) we did feel as though it was quite a distance from the cot – at the longest part it’s only 50cm long – so it’s hard to know how much the our mini tester could appreciate it visually, still we know that it’s certainly a stylish addition to the nursery.
Buy now £44.00, Kidly.co.uk
Fisher-Price calming clouds mobile and soother
Best: Motorised mobile
Weight: N/A
Batteries: 3 AA batteries required
Music: Yes
Rotation: Yes
Lights: Yes
Let baby drift off with this motorised mobile and soother from Fisher-Price. Designed to calm baby with the help of gentle lights and soft sounds (you’ll need three AA batteries), we love the plush fluffy clouds and colourful raindrops which spin helping to stimulate baby’s eye-tracking. The smartest function for us has to be the genius built-in sound sensor which automatically restarts the movement and music when baby cries. This product also offers longevity doubling us as a tabletop sound machine and nightlight. We didn’t have any problems attaching it to our cot, and while it’s not as attractive as some of the wooden options, the design is sleek.
Buy now £34.99, Amazon.co.uk
Oyoy grey koala music mobile
Best: Knitted design
Weight: N/A
Batteries: N/A
Music: Yes
Rotation: No
Lights: No
Who can resist this adorable face? Well, our eyes are rather fond of it and our mini tester’s ears loves the gentle Go to Sleep Little Baby lullaby that plays when the handle is pulled. There’s a velcro fastening to attach to the cot (just make sure it’s well out of baby’s reach) and you have your very own companion to look over the baby while she’s sleeping. The fine knitted design and subtle colour look chic against a wooden cot.
Buy now £20.00, Alexandalexa.com
Infantino 3-in-1 projector musical mobile
Best: Long-term investment mobile
Weight: 599g
Batteries: 3 AAA batteries required
Music: Yes
Rotation: Yes
Lights: Yes
Looking for an all-singing, all-dancing mobile? Then Infantino’s three-in-one projector musical mobile may be just the ticket. This is designed to be used in three stages: from birth to around five months the baby will enjoy the musical mobile, then until an infant is 18 months it acts as a nightlight and projector, graduating as a standalone table-top light for the toddler stage.
While this is made from plastic, the brand has done a good job in making this appealing to baby and keeping it attractive too with a neutral white-grey-cream colour scheme. There are six melodies and four nature sounds to be played, but the winning feature for us is the multicolour projector which works its way through an array of colours and can project stars on the nearby walls. This product has a lot of longevity, cutting out the need for a nightlight.
Buy now £37.45, Amazon.co.uk
Tiny Love take along mobile meadow days
Best: Babymobile on the move
Weight: N/A
Batteries: 3 AA batteries required
Music: Yes
Rotation: Yes
Lights: Yes
Unlike the other mobiles we tested, Tiny Love’s take along mobile is designed to move with you on your daily adventures. A three-in-one product, this can be attached to a cot, pushchair or car seat so you can soothe baby on the go. Battery operated (you’ll need three AA batteries), there are five soothing melodies to choose from. While the Tiny Love characters might not be to everyone’s taste, our tester loved watching them spin in the air and with an arm to attach it to the cot it was easy to place this in the right position.
Buy now £24.99, Amazon.co.uk
Meri Meri under the sea baby mobile
Best: Animal baby mobile
Weight: N/A
Batteries: N/A
Music: No
Rotation: No
Lights: No
French brand Meri Meri is best known for its children’s partyware but as its under the sea mobile proves, they know how to instil a touch of calm too. Designed with a traditional hanging ring, this one has been made with bamboo and then wrapped in a plush organic knitted cotton.
There are four sea creatures to enjoy, with the star of the show for us being the octopus and his dangling tentacles! The creatures have a subtle metallic thread detailing which shimmers beautifully in the right light, and the neon fish is a cool contrasting pop of colour. This doesn’t come on a stand, but there’s a sturdy loop which can be attached to a hook on the ceiling.
Buy now £53.00, Merimeri.co.uk
Mamas & Papas welcome to the world musical mobile
Best: Baby cot mobile
Weight: 950g
Batteries: N/A
Music: Yes
Rotation: No
Lights: No
Baby giant Mamas & Papas has a beautiful “welcome to the world” interior collection, and this mobile co-ordinates wonderfully with its floral range, with a subtle ditsy floral print featuring on the inner of the mobile ring. Complete with four floating swans and four pom poms, they’re attached to a music box which turns as the lullaby plays out, making them dance above baby’s head. The Twinkle Twinkle Little Star inspired tune is gentle and soothing while the mobile arm ensures you can place it in the safest and most visible place on the cot. Sweet dreams indeed.
Buy now £39.00, Mamasandpapas.com
Cam Cam balloon musical mobile in pressed leaves rose
Best: Musical mobile
Weight: N/A
Batteries: N/A
Music: Yes
Rotation: No
Lights: No
Cam Cam Copenhagen is known for its stunning nursery interiors, so naturally a baby mobile round-up wouldn’t be complete without one of its offerings. Shaped like a balloon and featuring a gorgeous pressed leaves print, this musical mobile should help baby float off to the land of nod. Each mobile is lovingly handmade making it as unique as your baby, and sustainability is well considered too using organic cotton textiles. For our mini tester the melody seemed to be a hit, having a calming effect.
There’s a velcro tab which allows you to attach to the cot, keeping it well out of baby’s reach. Unlike most musical mobiles this one doesn’t feature a traditional lullaby, pull the small wooden ring and you’ll hear a melodic version of Summertime, a song by American composer George Gershwin which makes a welcome change. Visually it’s likely to win more points with the grown up testers as it’s just one solid object so doesn’t allow for much visual stimulation, but the unique balloon shape will certainly take your nursery styling to new heights.
Buy now £29.95, Themodernnursery.com
Baby mobile FAQs
Are baby mobiles good for babies?
Other than being visually stimulating, baby mobiles are also thought to improve development, whether that’s their eye and head development while watching its moving parts or, once they begin to reach their arms out to them, their hand-eye coordination. Mobiles can also help your baby drop off to sleep more easily and beneift their spacial awareness too.
When should I start and stop using a baby mobile?
Baby mobiles should be removed when they’re around five months old, or whenever they are able to move onto their hands and knees to crawl, to prevent them from pulling it down.
Can you attach baby mobiles to bassinets?
Yes, your baby mobile can be attached to the bassinet, just so long as it can be safely secured.
The verdict: Baby mobiles
Little Dutch’s stylish wooden music mobile is easy on the eye, feels safe and sturdy thanks to the arm frame and boasts sustainable qualities creating a beautiful addition to a nursery. If you’re looking for something a little more technical then Fisher-Price’s calming clouds mobile and soother provides smart features at a good price.
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