At an early age, babies benefit from visual and audio stimulation, of which crib mobiles are one of the best tools to do so. Basically, crib mobiles are hung over the crib, with a variety of things attached to attract the baby's attention. It can be colorful objects in various shapes and sizes like butterflies, fishes, stars and balls, to name a few examples.
Shopping Secrets
Indeed, there are so many choices in crib mobiles that it can sometimes bring on the urge to just purchase all of them. But reality being what it is, you only need choose one, or at best two, for your baby. Well, to choose the right one, you may consider the following features:
Mobile Movement - You can choose from mobiles that either move in a horizontal direction only or move in many directions. For the latter, the main arm will move like a wave while the attachments move in a horizontal direction. Of course, the more movements a crib mobile has, the pricier it will get.
Music Boxes - You may also choose from mobiles with built-in music boxes. This way, your baby can be stimulated on visual and audio levels. It can also serve as your baby's go-to-sleep song, sort of a nighttime ritual. This means, however, that your baby is able to distinguish between the times you are putting him to sleep or the times when you are stimulating him. Thus, certain adjustments may be made.
Method of Operation - Nowadays, crib mobiles can come in two forms: operated by wind or operated by motor. Your choice will depend on your budget since the two are basically the same in terms of providing for stimulation.
Remote Control - You may also choose a remote-control operated crib mobile. At the very least, you need not get up out of bed in the middle of the night to calm a fussy baby who you know is dry and well-fed.
Basically, you just need to choose based on your preference and budget. Just remember to remove the mobile once your baby can reach it, which should be at about 5 months old, for his own safety.
Benefits Provided
As previously mentioned, babies are provided with visual and audio stimulation with the right crib mobile. This is good for your baby because he develops neural connections in the brain, which is essential for faster learning.
There are many color combinations that have been proven to provide the most visual stimulation. There is black and white, bright red at the center of the black and white, black and yellow as well as the primary colors of blue, yellow and green. Be sure to hang it at about 12 inches over his head, which has also been shown to provide optimal visual stimulation.
As for audio stimulation, you must opt for those with soft lullabies instead of fun and quirky songs and melodies. In many ways, it soothes the baby to sleep, thus, performing a double function for many parents.
Other benefits include the enhancement of motor skills when your baby is reaching for the mobiles pieces, introduction to language when parents point to the objects in the mobile and good hand-eye coordination later on.
So, shop for a crib mobile today. The benefits of fun and learning for your baby will be well worth the investment.
