Grasping Mobiles

James at 3 months

Around three months we changed James' mobile again. This was a fun change because he was starting to interact more with things in his environment and the purpose of the mobile was to help him learn that he can manipulate things and that his movements cause things to happen. We started with a bell, then added a wooden teething ring, and then around five months started to put various toys on the string. Each toy was attached with a piece of elastic so James could eventually pull it to his mouth.


Video of James at 3 months:
He mostly just looked at the bell and his closed fist hit the bell a few times, which helped him learn cause and effect: his movements caused the bell to make a sound.

In this video, a few weeks later, his fists made more contact with the bell and he was more aware of himself in the mirror.

James at 4 months

Video of James at 4 months:
At four months we kept the bell but added a ring. He started to play with the ring (hitting it back and forth) and after a few weeks he eventually was able to reach for the ring and pull it to his mouth.

James at 5 months

Video of James at 5 1/2 months:
Around five months we took the ring off and put other toys on the mobile. One of his favorites is the squish toy (here in the video) and we also use rattles. We found that after a time of playing with one toy on the mobile he lost interest in it and so we'd rotate the materials and he would have a new found desire to play under his mobile because of the rotated toys.

Once James is able to sit up he won't need the mobile anymore! The focus will switch to presenting him two to three choices of materials to play with. We love to watch James grow and are so thankful for our little boy!