3 Things to Consider When Buying a Mobile

One of the baby items most overlooked by dads is the purchase of a mobile. A mobile is a nice little addition to a crib, changing table, or swing. It basically consists of items hanging from strings and dangling over your kid's head.

Ah, but thanks to a modern marvel called "batteries", these suckers now play music and spin around. This opens a whole universe of things to consider when buying one. Trust me, Noodads, it's not as easy as it looks.

{mosnooad}Kids Find Butts Boring
One of the most annoying things about mobile makers is the inability to think like a kid. You will find many mobiles that look great in the picture on the outside of the box but when you bring it home you realize something is wrong. See, the mobile might have cute little stuffed animals parading around in a circle but they may be hanging by their backs. "So, what's the problem?" you may ask. The problem is from your kid's perspective, all they see is stuffed animal asses. They don't get to see the cute little faces, just butts (and maybe, just maybe they'll catch a glimpse of the tag). When buying a mobile, make sure the animals or whatever it may be, is faced down so the kid can enjoy them.

Newborns are Color Blind
Ok. That isn't entirely true. But newborns cannot distinguish colors until they are about 6 months old. Instead they need high contrast (typically black, white, and red) shapes to register at an early age. That's why, when shopping for a mobile, you will see some options that look like a bloody zebra. Might be boring for you but will be wicked interesting for the little one. I'm not suggesting you should definitely get that variety, just know that a frilly pastel stuffed elephant may match the nursery but, to your kid, it will look exactly like a turd or your head for that matter.

Make Sure You Like the Sound
You may have a cranky kid that thinks a mobile is just a nuisance. Or, you could get lucky and have a kid that won't sleep without the mobile on. Make sure you check what type of sounds the thing plays. Make sure it has volume control. And make sure it isn't annoying. You may be hearing the same song over and over again for many months.

Here's one other thing to consider when it comes to sound. It annoys me to no end but maybe I'm alone in this one: make sure to check whether the sound will not play when the battery starts to lose full power or whether it will slow the music down gradually until the battery runs out. We have some baby items that gradually slows the music down into a twisted acid trip of a nursery rhyme until the batteries run dead. This gradual decline in fidelity drives me nuts, and I'm convinced, slowly drives your kids into madness.

There you have it Noodads. When buying a mobile, remember 3 things: Butts, Color, and Sound. Good luck.