“A mobile stimulates [a baby’s] motor and visual development and gives them something to focus on while lying down,” says Lyndsey Garbi, MD, co-founder and chief medical officer of Blueberry Pediatrics. “While they can be fun and decorative, a mobile should not be overstimulating or placed within a child’s reach as small pieces can pose a choking hazard,” says Dr. Garbi. When purchasing a mobile, you should consider its features, size and weight, and how easy it is to install and use. You should also be mindful of safety measures, such as the proper place to hang a mobile in your child’s nursery. To create our list of the best baby mobiles for your nursery, we reviewed more than 30 different mobiles and spoke with two pediatricians who explained the benefits of using a mobile and what to look for when buying one. Parents can choose to have the mobile spin with or without music, but there is no way to adjust the volume. Without the music, you may notice the motor makes a sound while spinning, but it probably won’t bother your baby—especially as an infant. Price at time of publication: $30 The one downside we found is that it doesn’t come with an attachment, so you may need to purchase a mobile arm to secure it to your crib or a hook to hang it from the ceiling. However, it costs less than $10 and doesn’t require any batteries to operate, which makes it a good deal overall. Price at time of publication: $8 As a bonus, this mobile converts into a take-along music box for your child to enjoy as they grow. It’s also easy to clean, which is especially helpful as it becomes a toy for your toddler. Price at time of publication: $55 Another great feature of this mobile is its adjustable arm, so you can attach it to a play yard, bassinet, or bouncer. It also has a mirror for your baby to focus on their reflection and rotating images that can be switched from color to black and white. Price at time of publication: $160 This mobile requires little assembly and features an adjustable cord that allows you to change its height. It weighs slightly more than one pound and doesn’t require any batteries to operate. Price at time of publication: $33 This mobile can also play pink noise, which has been shown to improve the quality of sleep. It can also detect when your baby cries and will automatically begin to spin and play music. This feature can be turned off, and you can also operate the mobile with a remote control. Price at time of publication: $27 Price at time of publication: $25 To lull your baby to sleep, this mobile plays 20 minutes of soothing sounds, including white noise, rain, or wind. It also features a parent-activated night light, which can be used when converting to a tabletop sound machine. Price at time of publication: $43 Although this mobile plays more than 45 different songs and sounds, it does not have a white noise option. Unlike other mobiles that attach with a clamp, this VTech mobile attaches to the crib with a buckle (like you’d see on a high chair), so you’ll want to make sure it’s tight enough before placing your baby in the crib. Price at time of publication: $38 When assembling this mobile, you may need to use the included sandpaper to ensure the wooden pieces fit together in place. Although this mobile is designed to hang from the ceiling, it can also be secured to the crib by purchasing a separate mobile arm attachment. Price at time of publication: $34 Price at time of publication: $89 There aren’t any volume controls on this mobile, and it times out after 15 minutes—so you’ll need to turn it on again if you want it to continue rotating. However, the benefit of this is that your batteries will likely last a lot longer than if the mobile were continuously running. Price at time of publication: $40 This mobile has multiple settings, including rotation only, music only, or rotation with music. With the touch of a button, you can also adjust the volume or switch to the previous or next song. In total, this mobile plays 12 songs and automatically shuts off after 30 minutes. Price at time of publication: $43 When turning on the music, you can select from classical artists like Bach, Mozart, or Beethoven. You can also play heartbeat or nature sounds and let your baby listen for up to 20 minutes. As a bonus, this mobile projects a light show onto the umbrella (for when your baby is an infant) or onto the ceiling (for when they can sit up). In addition to the lights, your baby can gaze up at the four colorful animals that slowly dance as the mobile spins. Price at time of publication: $90 In addition to the Pack ‘n Play, this mobile can attach to a crib in two ways: arching from one side to the other or horizontally along the inside of the crib’s railing. It can also be used on a bouncer, car seat, or stroller so your baby can enjoy their mobile whenever they’re away from the nursery. Price at time of publication: $23 After consulting the experts, we spent nearly two weeks reviewing more than 30 different mobiles to develop our list of recommendations. The mobiles we chose vary in features, size, and weight, and when used correctly, are safe to display in a baby’s nursery.
What to Look for in Baby Mobiles
Safety
Medical professionals encourage parents to make sure their child’s mobile has passed safety testing and meets current regulation guidelines set by the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), which requires that all children’s products (for children ages 12 years and younger) sold in the United States be subject to children’s product safety rules and must undergo third-party testing to receive a Children’s Product Certificate (CPC). Without a CPC, it’s considered illegal to sell such children’s products in U.S. stores or online. Parents can take it a step further by registering their baby’s mobile with the manufacturer to be notified about recalls and other important updates. Another important safety aspect for mobiles is how and where to secure them. Mobiles that are secured to the ceiling or wall are best as they’re the farthest away from a baby and pose less of a choking or strangulation hazard. However, mobiles that attach to the crib can be perfectly safe as long as they’re secured according to the manufacturer’s guidelines and are removed once a baby can push up to their hands and knees to touch the dangling objects (around 5 months of age).
Features
Nowadays, mobiles come with a variety of features, such as music, lights, or a motor that spins. Our top pick, the Tiny Love Take Along Mobile, has all of these and is small enough to take on the go. Others, like the Fisher-Price Rainbow Showers Mobile or the VTech Soothing Ocean Slumbers Mobile, have a sensor that automatically turns on the mobile if your baby begins to cry. Some mobiles, like the Fisher-Price Precious Planet 2-in-1 Projection Mobile, come with a remote control so you can turn the mobile on or off without disturbing your baby. The Nurture Smart Baby Crib Mobile has several unique features as well, including a picture holder, an adjustable arm, and a button that allows parents and caregivers to record a message for their baby. While many of these features are helpful, some families may prefer a simpler mobile, like the Cheers US Baby Crib Mobile. It has a gender-neutral design, doesn’t require batteries, and costs less than $10. The Everlove Montessori Black and White Mobile for Crib is another great option because it has an uncomplicated design, displaying only black-and-white patterns to stimulate a baby’s vision.
Size and Weight
When it comes to choosing a mobile, you’ll want to make sure that it fits in the space you have in your nursery. If you plan to hang the mobile above the crib, it should hang 12 inches above your baby’s head, which is low enough for the baby to see but high enough so that they can’t touch it. While some mobiles, like the VX-star Baby Travel Play Arch, can attach to nearly every type of crib, others are more specific and may not be compatible with cribs that have thick, rounded railings. Remember to carefully read the assembly instructions before purchasing a mobile to ensure it will fit with your child’s crib.
Ease of Use
The easiest mobiles to use will be those that are more traditional in design and don’t require any batteries, like the Sorrel + Fern Baby Crib Mobile or the Pehr Follow Me Giraffe Mobile. However, these may be more challenging to install as they need to be mounted to the ceiling and may still require some assembly. A mobile that attaches to the crib may be easier to position but may have its own set of challenges, too. For example, the Fisher-Price Precious Planet 2-in-1 Projection Mobile requires a screwdriver to change its batteries and the Nurture Smart Baby Crib Mobile won’t attach to a crib that has a rounded railing. Weighing the pros and cons of each option will go a long way in helping you determine the best mobile for your baby.
Why Trust Verywell Family
Laura Lu is an experienced health writer who has a Master of Science degree in Health Communication. Her work has appeared in publications like The New York Times, Media Psychology, Brit+Co, and Parents.com, to name a few. She’s also a mother of two young children and has spent countless hours researching the best products to help them sleep, develop, and learn. While it’s okay for a mobile to be decorative, play music, or display lights, make sure that it’s not too stimulating, as it could actually prevent your baby from falling asleep. Mobiles that have high-contrast images or patterns can promote visual development, while those that play white noise can actually be helpful for inducing sleep.
