The 4 Montessori Mobiles.

When I was pregnant with Walker I didn’t buy a whole lot of stuff. But one thing I did buy were the 4 Montessori mobiles. I never used them with my other kids and while I knew everything would be fine without them — part of me, felt a strong urge to add them into our home. I bought a used set (and during a going out of business sale!) from Tiny Earth Toys and the brand is MontiKids. I believe both those companies are no longer in business which is a shame because their stuff was so good. I ended up getting the stand, these 4 mobiles (and two others) for $50… a steal if you’re familiar with these or have ever come across them on Etsy.

MUNARI MOBILE, 2-5 WEEKS: When babies are born, their eyesight is the least-developed sense. Since newborns can only see highly contrasting colors, and can only see about 12 inches away from their face, the first Montessori mobile is the Munari mobile. It has three 2D black and white shapes, plus a clear ball. (You could easily DIY all of these mobiles.)

This is Walker using the Munari mobile at just a week old. He didn’t really focus on it yet, but we were just practicing being put down! 🙂

A few weeks later, and he started to focus on the shapes.

OCTAHEDRON MOBILE, 5-8 WEEKS: In the second month of life, I swapped out the Munari mobile for the Octahedron. At this stage in their development, babies can see bright colors. This mobile includes three 3D boldly colored octahedrons: red, yellow and blue. Walker loved this for many, many weeks. I still think it’s his favorite.

GOBBI MOBILE, 7-10 WEEKS: The next step in the progression of a baby’s eyesight is being able to see shades of color. Enter: the Gobbi mobile! It’s made of five balls in one color, but different shades of that color. I’ve seen them in green, red, blue, purple — ours happens to be green. In addition to the varying color shades, this mobile hangs the balls at different heights so there is a focus on depth perception, too.

DANCER MOBILE, 8-13 WEEKS: The last of the original 4 Montessori mobiles, is the Dancer mobile. This one is made up of “dancers” that resemble people, and they are made out of an iridescent material that reflects the light as they move. It’s really attractive and eye catching. He loves this one a lot, too.

At 15 weeks, Walker still uses the mobiles and they can be swapped out pretty easily. Ours is just velcro and I’ve seen others use a 3m hook. I’m happy that I purchased them all and I do think they have helped his focus and concentration and they have definitely helped lengthen the time he allows me to put him down on the ground. A lot of people wonder what should I do with my baby — and this is something that we do multiple times a day! He really loves laying there and I prefer him on the ground being able to move freely compared to being confined in a swing (which we do have and use, too!) It’s just nice to have options!

In the next few days, I’ll swap out the Dancer mobile for the “Grasping Ball on a Ribbon” which also came with the set I purchased. It’s next in the progression and I’m excited to watch him continue to develop!