How to Use Montessori Mobiles to Encourage a Newborn Baby's Development and Delight

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If you’re a Montessori parent or caregiver, you might be wondering if Montessori mobiles are essential. Are they worth the money to buy one or the time needed to make one?

I raised two Montessori children and helped care for my now-4-year-old granddaughter, Zoey, without using Montessori mobiles. They did have mobiles and other Montessori-friendly materials in their environment. But they didn’t have specific Montessori mobiles. So, obviously, I don’t believe the Montessori mobiles are essential.

But I’m using them with my second granddaughter, Sophia, and I’ll be using them with my soon-to-be-born grandson, Caleb. After observing Sophia’s response, I think the Montessori mobiles are wonderful and well worth the money or time needed to have them if it’s at all possible for you.

Preparing a Montessori Newborn Baby Space in Your Living Room

You can read about our current baby space in my post on preparing a Montessori newborn baby space in your living room.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links (at no cost to you).

Montessori Mobiles Used in My Montessori Newborn Baby Space

A newborn baby can be defined as one up to approximately 8 weeks. I’m including the Gobbi mobile because it can be used starting at 7 weeks. Also, you might have some variation depending on how much time the baby is around the mobile. I only take care of Sophia 3 afternoons and evenings each week, so she doesn’t have daily exposure to the Montessori mobiles. I tend to keep them up a bit longer than normal because of that.

The newborn baby mobiles are meant to be visual mobiles. There will be Montessori mobiles later for the baby to grasp.

Munari Mobile for baby at approximately 3-6 weeks
Octahedron Mobile for baby at approximately 6-8 weeks (or 5-8 weeks)
Gobbi Mobile for baby at approximately 7-10 weeks (I purchased the set of 4 mobiles.)

There are a number of Montessori mobile sellers on Etsy. You might want to choose your seller depending on the country where you live. I’ve been very happy with the mobiles I received from Bella’s Casa on Etsy. With my set of 4 mobiles, I also received a bonus of black and white printable animal cards that Sophia loved as a newborn. (See my newborn baby space post to see how Zoey uses them with Sophia.)

For more resources and examples of Montessori baby rooms, see “How to Prepare a Montessori Baby Room.”

Our Experience with Montessori Mobiles for a Newborn Baby

The Montessori Munari Mobile

Enjoying Her Montessori Munari Mobile (1 Month Old)

I first started using the Munari mobile at around 3 weeks. I used a wooden mobile holder (the one I used is no longer available) but would have preferred a plant hook in the ceiling because of the size of the Munari mobile. Since I attach the mobile to the floor mirror rather than a crib, there isn’t a lot of room for a large mobile. I experimented with different heights for the mobile, although Sophia enjoyed it at a variety of heights. I just made sure she could see it clearly.

The Montessori Octahedron Mobile

The octahedron mobile is often used at 5-8 weeks or 6-8 weeks. My son-in-law, Tom, had attached the plant hook to my ceiling for the octahedron mobile, which worked well.

Enjoying the Montessori Octahedron Mobile at 8 Weeks

Sophia loved the Montessori octahedron mobile and was often very animated while watching it.

8-Week-Old and 4-Year-Old Sisters Having Fun Together with the Montessori Octahedron Mobile

The octahedron mobile gave extra opportunities for sister bonding and playtime, since Zoey loved to gently touch the mobile and make it move for Sophia. Sophia loved that, too!

The Montessori Gobbi Mobile

Because the Montessori Gobbi mobile is fairly short, I tried it with the wooden mobile holder (no longer available) because I wanted to use the music box that turns the mobile. I knew that Zoey would love to share that experience with Sophia. When you wind up the music box, it plays the tune “Mozart’s Lullaby” and turns the attached mobile.

4-Year-Old and 10-Week-Old Sisters Having Fun Together with the Montessori Gobbi Mobile

As I anticipated, it’s been a wonderful experience for Zoey to wind up the music box for Sophia. Sophia is delighted by both the sound and the movement.

Finding Delight in the Montessori Gobbi Mobile at 10 Weeks

This photo is from when Sophia is 10 weeks old, but you can see the absolute delight she has in the Montessori Gobbi mobile.

Concentrating on the Montessori Gobbi Mobile at 10 Weeks

The Montessori mobiles not only help the baby’s visual tracking, but they’re also wonderful for developing concentration. Sophia spends a long time focusing on the Gobbi mobile. It’s so much fun to observe her ability to concentrate developing already.

The Next Montessori Mobiles

Now it’ll be time to switch to the Montessori dancer mobile! (Note: While the dancer mobile is also a visual mobile, I’m not including it in my newborn post. It’s typically introduced from 8-12 weeks. You’ll see some overlap, since the Gobbi mobile is recommended for 7-10 weeks. Just go with the age that’s best for your baby or the baby you’re caring for.)

At 12 weeks, it will be time to introduce the mobiles/hanging toys for grasping! I have the bell on a ring and wooden ring on elastic ready to go!

More Resources for Montessori Mobiles

A helpful book about Montessori babies is Montessori from the Start.

Here are some blogs and posts from around the blogosphere with helpful information about Montessori mobiles.

PREPARING MONTESSORI SPACES IN YOUR HOME

See “How to Create a Montessori-Friendly Home” for ideas for a number of levels. Here are some of my main home environment posts here:

Jo Ebisujima and I have a free Montessori at home webinar and introduction to our Montessori Crash Course.

Learn more about my eBook Montessori at Home or School: How to. Teach Grace and Courtesy!

The Montessori at Home! eBook and Montessori at Home! eBook and Materials Bundle are AMAZING resources! You can learn more about them here. Buy them in the Living Montessori Now shop.

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How to Use Montessori Mobiles to Encourage a Newborn Baby’s Development and Delight

Preparing a Montessori Newborn Baby Space in Your Living Room

Montessori Mobiles Used in My Montessori Newborn Baby Space