The Best Baby Mobiles to Captivate and Calm Your Little One

If music is a must-have feature then Tiny Love’s Soothe ‘n Groove mobile is your best option. This one offers a wide variety of musical choices, with 18 melodies in six different musical categories. It can also play up to 40 minutes of continuous music, which is great for babies who need extra help falling asleep.

This mobile also has volume adjustability and comes with a white noise option. Once you’re done using it as a mobile, you can remove the mobile arm and use it as a standalone baby sound machine.

Lisafe Carreon, Senior Product Manager with What to Expect, says her daughter loves this mobile, both for sleeping and as a music box. “I could turn off the light and just have the music playing, and I could also adjust the volume,” she says, noting that her daughter had no problem falling asleep because of these customizable settings.

Grace Pan, Product Designer, also used the Soothe ‘n Groove for her daughter saying it really grabbed her interest as a newborn. “It helps engage her when we have to wake her up from the nap,” she says.

While reviews are overwhelmingly positive for this mobile, there are some things to note. A lot of people have said that the motor is quite loud, and at times can overpower the music or white noise. Reviewers have also said that the spinning animals make a clicking sound that may be irritating to some. That said, caregivers are particularly fond of the versatility of this option, especially when it comes to the variety of music and versatility in using it as a sound machine as baby grows.

This VTech Soothing Ocean Slumbers mobile projects images that are so soothing, even parents will want to watch. The ocean-themed images are projected as the sound of crashing waves plays, creating a relaxing environment for sleep. If ocean sounds aren’t your baby’s things, the VTech mobile plays music, melodies and phrases, too. There is also a button on the side that allows parents to control the lights and the volume, and there is a timer that can be set for 20, 40 or 60 minutes. Once your baby is too old to use it as a mobile, the arm can be removed and it can be used as a standalone projector or toy, with a button that is easy for your little one to press. 

This is quite a large item, and a lot of parents have noted that it feels pretty bulky. Some reviews point out that it was hard to attach and a few caregivers noted they weren’t able to use it on a pack and play. 

With more than 10,000 five-star ratings on Amazon, it’s safe to say that this Tiny Love Take Along Mobile is a parent favorite. A universal attachment makes it easy to mount it to a crib, bassinet or pack and play. It can also be removed from the arm and has a clip so it can be hung from a stroller or used as a travel toy. Leah Rocketto, What to Expect’s Associate Commerce Director, hung it from her daughter’s play gym to provide additional entertainment and help with tummy time. 

“My daughter was hypnotized by the spinning creatures,” says Leah. “I personally liked that the hanging toys were basic colors — black, white and gray — to help with her visual development.” 

I personally own this mobile and love how easy it is to use. From the moment I took it out of the box I was able to figure it out in minutes, and I found that it was easy to attach to my pack and play. I love the stroller clip for walks, which is the primary way that I’ve used it.

Like other parents, however, I found it to be a little heavy and it tipped easily when used on fabric or soft material. But attaching it to a more solid part of the crib, pack and play or bassinet usually fixed the problem. The battery life is also fairly short, and it lacks volume control.

The Sorrel + Fern mobile is an attractive mobile with a more classic look featuring soft felt figures that won’t be overstimulating to baby. It hangs from the ceiling, so it ends up looking more like a piece of decor rather than a mobile. Plus, it’s super lightweight and easy to install since you just need to hang it from a ceiling hook — although one major con is that it’s not included. 

With no music or lights, this mobile can’t be used as anything else once baby has outgrown it. Still, reviewers note that they love the overall look and find that their little ones are happy to watch the 3D figures twirl in the air above them. It’s a great non-distracting alternative to mobiles that play music and light up because you won’t risk interrupting baby’s sleep. And, you can likely keep it hanging longer than a crib-mounted mobile because it’ll be higher and away from baby’s reach even after they learn how to sit up.