What is the Thing That Hangs Over a Crib Called?

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What is the Thing That Hangs Over a Crib Called?

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Imagine: you’re fixing the nursery for your baby’s impending arrival, but their sleeping area lacks the thing that hangs over crib. In this case, what you’re looking for is a crib mobile.

The spinning thing above the baby crib is a simple device that stimulates a baby’s brain and lulls them to sleep. If you’re hesitant about using one, I researched the safety behind them and researched the five top rated mobiles for your consideration.

Our Top Picks for Nursery Mobiles

	Title	Price	Prime	Buy
Top Top	Sorrel + Fern Baby Crib Mobile Woodland Fox -Baby Shower Gift Nursery Decoration I		PrimeEligible	Buy Now
Top	Lambs & Ivy Jungle Safari Musical Baby Crib Mobile - Gray, Beige, White, Animals		PrimeEligible	Buy Now
Top	Tiny Love Classic Mobile, Into The Forest		PrimeEligible	Buy Now

Are Baby Mobiles Safe?

We worry about many things surrounding the welfare of our babies, and their sleeping area is one of the most vital factors to consider.

There are many safety guidelines and recommendations any parent should follow. The main thing is to ensure that nothing will interfere with your baby, and that includes what hangs over the crib as well as inside of it.

Crib mobiles, for the most part, are safe. However, there’s potential for danger as is with anything else around your baby. So, it’s important to take proper steps to make certain that no harm comes to your baby.

Height

A good safety point to follow is to make sure the mobile is close enough to see, yet it is far enough so that your baby can’t reach it once they start moving around.

As newborn babies only see within an 8 in – 15 in range, it’s advisable to stay within that height when hanging a mobile. Around 12 in above the crib mattress is a good rule of thumb. They’ll still be able to make out the mobile, but their curious little hands won’t grab hold and yank it down.

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Security

Always take care to follow the instructions on your crib mobile of choice as proper installation is fundamental to your baby’s safety.

You don’t want the mobile or any attached toys to fall. If it lands on your baby, there’s a high risk they may suffocate your newborn, who won’t be able to move to free themselves.

When To Remove

There are many benefits our baby gleams from watching a toy mobile, but that only goes on for so long. Whether your baby has grown disinterested or in the stages of sitting and standing up on their own, it’s time to take the mobile out.

For developing babies, there’s too much of a risk that they’ll remove the mobile or start putting toys in their mouths, so you must always be aware when it’s time to ditch the mobile and move on.

Five Best Crib Mobiles

There are enough things on your mind trying to decorate your child’s nursery that you shouldn’t have to worry too hard about the spinning thing above the baby crib.

That’s why I felt compelled to ease whatever stress you’re feeling and give you somewhere to start your search. My top five crib mobile recommendations should provide an idea of what other parents enjoy so that you may have enough information to reach a decision.

1. Sorrel + Fern Baby Crib Mobile

If you’re in the market for a straightforward crib mobile, then you can’t go wrong with this adorable piece from Sorrel + Fern.

You get to choose from two design options. There’s a cute evergreen woodland color with a fox, and there’s a winter-like woodland design with a mountain. Either option can serve as a great addition to a nursery that features an animal and forest theme.

The plush figures have a 3D design so that they may stand out more for your baby. It’s also a way to put a spin on a classic mobile approach.

There are no sounds or lights on this mobile. So, this may be an ideal choice if your child is more prone to gentle stimulation.

Another highlight of this woodland crib mobile is that it features natural materials as everything is 100% eco-friendly and hypoallergenic.

2. Lambs & Ivy Jungle Safari Musical Baby Crib Mobile

This musical mobile from Lambs & Ivy aims to both soothe your baby while also providing uncomplicated visual stimulation.

With a safari theme, the mobile fits in a safari-based nursery, and it uses simple colors such as gray, beige, and white. It features four plush animals, and each animal has just the right amount of details like a furry mane on the lion to capture your baby’s interests.

The mobile readily attaches to the majority of standard cribs so that installation may go by smoothly. Once you complete the setup process, you can activate the battery-powered functions. This mobile can spin on its own so you can set it to lull your baby to rest at night.

You can also turn on the music. It plays three classic soothing tunes for your little one to enjoy, and if needed, you can adjust the volume.

There’s no need to check on the mobile often either since it automatically turns off after 20 minutes.

3. Tiny Love Classic Mobile, Into the Forest

If you’ve noticed your baby responds to brighter colors better, you should check out this cute Into the Forest mobile from Tiny Love.

The mobile utilizes bold colors in addition to using three adorable woodland creatures. If that isn’t enough to snatch their interests, then the three black and white spirals can be useful in engaging your child’s visual cognition.

As it’s battery-powered, the mobile spins without needing electricity. It also features a music box that plays various soothing tunes, and it has a gentle nightlight when it’s time to calm your baby down.

You can opt to use all three functions at the same time or ease your baby into the stimulation one by one. It also shuts off after 20 minutes.

What’s even better about this mobile is that it grows with your baby. When they don’t need anything hanging from the crib, you can simply use the music box that they can learn to activate without assistance.

4. Fisher-Price Precious Planet 2-in-1 Projection Mobile

The Precious Planet 2-in-1 Projection Mobile from Fisher-Price is a versatile way to soothe and entertain your little one in their crib.

It features four colorful and simple animal toys, and as they’re all widely different from one another, it may help your baby learn to distinguish between various animals and shapes. They hang at a comfortable height as well for easier focusing.

This battery-powered mobile features three musical settings. You can play classic lullabies, white noise or a heartbeat sound, or even ocean and nature sounds.

There’s also the fun projection that you can play alongside the music to engage more of your baby’s senses. It offers up to 20 minutes of entertainment before it automatically turns off.

Once they’ve outgrown it, you can remove the mobile and use the music box on the crib instead.

5. VTech Soothing Ocean Slumber Mobile

Are you creating a sea-theme for your nursery? Then you may want to look at the VTech Soothing Ocean Slumber Mobile.

It has four charming ocean-animal friends smiling down at your baby. They are all vibrantly colored and feature various patterns to visually stimulate your little one.

This mobile focuses on your baby’s hearing development as well as it features a mix of 45 different melodies, songs, and phrases. All of them are gentle enough to soothe your baby, and there’s a sound sensor that detects crying. Once detected, lullabies automatically play.

There are even beautiful stars and ocean-themed projection you can put on at night to calm your baby. You can set the music and projection to 20, 30, or 40-minute timers.

This is a good mobile to grow with your baby too since you can use it as a crib toy to take advantage of the projection and musical tunes.

Final Thoughts

Now that you know what the thing that hangs over the crib is called, you can bring more life to your baby’s nursery with the proper mobile.

Some are more stimulating than others, so it may help to test different ones to see what your baby focuses on better. As long as they’re properly installed and a safe distance away, there’s no harm in guiding their visual and audio development even as they just lie still on their backs.