I was dubious when R's Mom found us this mobile (at either a yard sale or a secondhand shop). It seems a little too engineered to be much fun, one of those products that is meant to appeal to the parents more than the baby in the end, the kinds of things R and I have tried to avoid (so far). Not having money has made this incredibly easy, by the way. Try it! It totally cuts down on your consumption, conspicuous and otherwise.
Anyway, we attached it to the changing table in a fit of boredom when Z was still doing her sit-in, and joked about the claims made on the box, and the ultra-specific instructions it came with. Proper distances from the baby, when to switch to a more complicated pattern... Again, it all seemed a little too engineered. Some of the best-loved toys I've seen have been (a random sampling in no particular order): a monkey made from a stuffed bleach-stained dress sock (a Mom Roberts creation), a one-armed Micronaut (a Mom Roberts find from the old days), and a Lost In Space flying saucer made out of glued-together paper plates (a Lila and cG creation of long ago). What I'm trying to get at is kids-- even babies-- can be made happy with just about anything, and a lot of stuff is just over-designed.
That said, this mobile is awesome. It is one of those rare beasts that doesn't fail to live up to its hype. It's so great that at times I get a little jealous at the way Z stares at the various parts of it. In fact, if the love affair goes on much longer, I'm going to start wearing a mask with the various mobile designs blown up to face size.
Check it:
You can't tell here, but her little fists are flying! She really loves this thing. I think she also digs the shapes of the photos on the wall, but that's a distant second. Nota: the hairdryer is for diaper rash (pediatrician approved!), not styling. Really.
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