The Best Baby Mobiles
I’ve been checking out mobiles for a few months now and finally have a substantial collection of favorites to share. I love mobiles for kids rooms but, after spending $50 on a pastel Flatso mobile for my daughter’s nursery only to sell it a year later at a yard sale for a ridiculous $4 (yard sale hagglers are on my list of ‘Never Coming To My Party Ever’), I wish I’d gotten something which would grow with my baby or at least be beautiful enough to be relocated to another room in the house. Almost all the mobiles I’ve collected could be put in other non-kid rooms and for good measure, a few are a bit more juvenile because they’re only little once.
This modern wall mobile from Kool Roomz reminds me of a wall hanging quilt. Each mobile is hand made, signed by the artist and are available in a dozen color combinations. Perfect for your modern nursery or anywhere in your home. You can’t say that for the Winnie The Pooh mobile your mother-in-law sent.
I came across these Adrift Mobiles at DesignMom and love their minimalist sensibility. With all the lights and buzzers on so many baby toys, I like the idea of something very serene hanging over the crib. I like the Flight version, along with Rift, probably because they remind me of birds.
If you’re looking for something a little more juvenile, Small Concept carries a huge collection of Flensted mobiles. These mobiles are designed to allow all the elements to be constantly moving, while the entire mobile remains balanced. Penguin Talk, Circular Bunnies and The Monkey Tree are my favorites in the collection. Although, tumbling bunnies might be a little higher up on my list simply because they are always very difficult to resist.
For a more colorful and less sleek mobile, take a look at the mobile collection at blablakids. These mobiles are hand knit and come in several different versions, like an elephant riding on a whale, or a bird wearing a dashing fedora while transporting a cow. My favorite for hanging over a crib is this large Big Birds mobile.
The Wise Ol’ Owl Mobile by Helene Ige looks like something my parents would have hung in my 1970’s nursery which would have made it seem incredibly dated to me ten years ago, but today it bubbles up nostalgia in my heart. The copy says it’s inspired by Japanese and Danish design of the 1960’s, I’m sure that’s what my parents were inspired by as well. Only not really.
Mimmo offers several mobiles as well, but three have caught my attention. Feathers is one I’d like to put in my own room, my husband gets fussy at night. I think the Sheep mobile with it’s stark contrast could hold a newborn’s attention for long enough to take a shower. I also like it because there’s a black sheep analogy to be made in my own life.
ThisJonah’s Whale mobile has a sense of humor, note poor Jonah totally freaking out inside the whale.
Julie Frith has several modern mobiles to offer. She also has a Flash-based website so I can’t link directly to my favorites. However, my favorite is the Blue Fish mobile. I’d love to see it in my 6-year-old’s room or even in an office. Check out Frith’s gallery of client photos for lots of mobile inspiration.
