Many people have heard about the benefits of the Montessori mobiles and are happy to shell out serious money to get them! However, they might not be clear about how to hang them and as a result they lose out on some important aspects. Correctly hanging Montessori visual mobiles is not that difficult, there are only a few things you have to pay attention to. Read on so that your baby can use them for their full potential and receive all the benefits they offer.
1. Hanging the mobile above the cot
This is probably the most common mistake people make when hanging Montessori visual mobiles. Why should you avoid it? Babies are very good at having a reference to a place. They know that when you place them in a bathtub full of water they are going to have a bath. Or when you place them on the changing table, they are probably going to have a nappy change. Similarly, being in the cot represents to them the action of sleeping, of having their belly full, feeling relaxed and loved.
The aim of a Montessori mobile is stimulation, to make your baby ‘work’. This why it’s better if you set it up in the baby’s waking space, preferably on a movement mat. (You can read about how to set up a Montessori baby’s working space in this post). If you bring your baby to this area every time when using the mobile, your baby will instantly know what to expect and what s/he’s expected to do. The Kavanaugh Report blog has a post of how a baby’s work space look like week by week.
You might not have enough space to have a movement area for your baby or you are in a temporary living space. That’s ok. Everybody has different circumstances and we all have to do the best we can with what we’ve got. The Montessori Notebook blog has a post about how to use a small area as a baby ‘work’ space.
2. Using the mobile when your baby is not ready for it
Observing a Montessori mobile is hard work for your baby! Vision development ultimately happens in the brain which results in serious brain exercise, neurons connecting and re-connecting all over the place. Not to mention the physical effects. Muscles are strengthening, movements are being controlled, sequences of actions are executed… This is not easy! You need your baby fully awake, well-fed and well-rested for this. A grouchy, hungry, tired baby will not want to do all this work.
Observe your little one for signs of contentedness or, as eventually happens, signs for when s/he’s finished working. If you’d like to know more about the reactions babies make and how they let us know when they are ready to something else, read this post.
3. Hanging a Montessori mobile above the baby’s face
Having the mobile right above your baby’s face results in it being too close so your little one can’t observe it fully. In order to give the right amount of challenge to the eye sight, a mobile should be hanging above your baby’s chest, at a 30cm/12 inch height. Another important factor to consider is that this material is intended to be watched, not to be touched. It is not a toy, so make sure that your baby can’t pull them on himself by accident. Which brings us to the next point.
4. Not monitoring your baby while using a mobile
As I mentioned in the previous post, a Montessori mobile is not a toy. Babies, however, don’t know this. This material so attractive to your baby’s developing eye sight that your little one simply can’t resist to try to reach for the elements and try to grab them. This is something you can definitely expect with older babies, around 3 months+, but might happen accidentally to very small babies, too.
5. Not inspecting the mobile before using it
This is very important. Please always inspect them thoroughly before hanging Montessori visual mobiles. Some thread might have come lose during shipping or something might have accidentally torn while taking out/putting it away. As with everything around a tiny baby, it’s also a safety hazard. I imagine you would look carefully at everything you use around your child so mobiles shouldn’t be an exception either.
FINAL THOUGHTS
These are the 5 most common mistakes people make when they hang Montessori Visual mobiles. These suggestions are not that hard to adhere to and the results are simply spectacular on your baby’s vision development! There’s nothing like seeing your baby delight in a mobile! Head over to my Instagram site to look at some photos of ‘my’ Montessori babies, who are growing up on the DIY Montessori mobiles I sell in my Shop.
Click on the links to read more about how the Montessori Visual Mobiles, the Montessori Tactile Mobiles or the Sensory Baby Play help your baby’s development.
How did your baby react to this mobile? Please share your photos on my Instagram site. #montessoriedited, @montessoriedited