Sleep, eat, cry, diaper change, repeat. It might seem like this is all an infant does (especially in the eyes of a tired parent or caregiver)–but they’re constantly absorbing information about their new environment using all five of their senses. In fact, they begin learning about their new world from the time they exit the womb. 
 

So now you’re feeling a little nervous and stressed out, right? The parent and caregiver anxiety sets in. If my child is learning from the moment they enter the world, am I doing enough?

Every time you interact with your baby, you’re helping them learn, but certain toys such as mobiles are carefully designed and curated to engage infants and support their sensory development. Here are:

6 advantages of Montessori mobiles for babies

Mobiles help the child develop visual focus

The Munari Mobile from our hedgehog box is designed with differing lengths of display (for instance, a black and white triangle hangs down 12 inches from the hook while a black and white circle hangs at 14 inches) which help strengthen the child’s visual attention.

Mobiles get a baby ready to use their two eyes at the same time

The Octahedral Mobile is presented when an infant is able to notice the difference between its high contrasted bold colors and presents three dimensional images, challenging their developing vision.

Mobiles help a baby develop their visual discrimination ability, depth perception, and attention to detail

The Gobbi Mobile from our mouse box helps a baby refine their chromatic sense as they gaze at the set of lightweight balls in the same color arranged from darkest to lightest.

Mobiles help infants develop visual tracking and depth perception

The Dancer Mobile is made of lightweight, iridescent, abstract human shapes that move easily and catch the light at different angles. This particular mobile not only encourages the baby to track the movement, but is an introduction to the concept that things remain constant and things change as the objects move, but keep their shape and color.

Mobiles build focus and concentration

Since Montessori mobiles introduce a single skill, it makes it easy for babies to focus and concentrate on the change in shape, size, and/or color of these interesting toys. This will help improve your baby's attention span.

Mobiles lay a foundation for later mathematical abilities

The spheres, rods, and various shapes presented in the Munari Mobile introduces an infant to basic math concepts. Similarly, the Octahedral Mobile uses geometric shapes providing babies with a first introduction to formative mathematical concepts. Exposure to these mathematical concepts in infancy may help children develop mathematical abilities as they reach school age.

References
Achwal, A. (2020). Montessori mobiles for babies - types and benefits. Firstcry Parenting. https://parenting.firstcry.com/articles/montessori-mobiles-for-babies-types-and-benefits/?amp 
de Bellefonds, C. (2021). The best baby mobiles to stimulate your newborn. What to Expect. https://www.whattoexpect.com/baby-products/nursery/best-baby-mobiles/ 
The Topponcino Company. (2021). The 4 essential Montessori mobiles (and where to buy them). https://topponcinocompany.com/blogs/montessori/montessori-mobiles 
UNICEF. (n.d.) When do babies begin to learn? [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/NlvI0j7_bjE