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Baby Mobile
 When
a newborn isn't eating, sleeping, or crying, he spends most of his
time looking around — which is why a mobile attached to his
crib is an ideal first toy.
"The shapes, colors, and movement will fascinate him,"
says Dorothy Singer, a developmental psychologist at Yale University.
Place the mobile no more than 12 to 18 inches from his face, since
that's as far as a newborn can see. Once he can sit up (at around
6 to 8 months), reach it, and possibly become entangled in it, remove
it from the crib and mount it higher up.
To maximize viewing pleasure, select a mobile with:
HIGH DEFINITION
Young babies are drawn to contrasts, so a black-and-white model
is ideal at first. Starting at 6 to 8 weeks, babies begin to see
and be attracted to bright, primary colors. (Skip pastels for now
— it's not until 6 or 7 months that infants respond to such
subtle shades.) "Vivid hues help develop a baby's visual ability,"
says Singer. "As the mobile moves, he'll track it and learn
how to focus."
GOOD DIRECTION
The best mobiles are designed to be seen from your baby's point
of view: The patterns on the objects face downward, not outward
toward an adult's line of vision.
FACE VALUE
Babies are born with an innate love of faces, whether animal or
human, real or illustrated. When Madeline McCarthy was 6 weeks old,
her mom, Kathy Kelleher, of Santa Monica, CA, hung a mobile that
featured a baby-safe mirror. "Madeline loved watching her face
move," she says.
SPIN CONTROL
Mobiles that automatically twirl or play music offer more stimulation
than the silent, static variety. But if you opt for a stationary
unit, you can always give it a gentle nudge or open a window and
let it get some natural play in the breeze.
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