11 best baby mobiles for a cot or crib: Send your little one into a sweet slumber

In the box you’ll find five soft toys, a wooden frame and a music box, which need to all be put together and then attached to the cot, there’s instructions but it’s a straightforward task. Adorable animals? Check. Frame attachment to the cot? Check. Lullaby to soothe? You bet – no other than “Old MacDonald”. As the music box plays, it also turns the hook holding all of the dangling toys, meaning they gently rotate as the melody plays out. Combined, this stimulated our mini-tester, often leading to a slumber.

Due to the wooden frame, the mobile is the perfect and safe distance from baby, allowing them to appreciate the swaying figurines – and what’s not to love about these sea-inspired creatures, there’s even an oyster shell with built-in mirror. Our only gripe is that the tune could last a little longer but, even without the music, it’s a joy to look at.

We love baby brand giant Mamas & Papas’ stylish “Born to be Wild” interior collection, showcasing everything from wall art and blankets to changing mats and sleep bags. Perfect for those opting for the popular “safari” theme, this mobile features a traditional ring design in which a floating elephant, zebra, lion, leopard and giraffe, plus adorable pom-poms dangle from. They’re attached to a music box that turns as the lullaby plays out, making them dance above baby’s head. The “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”-inspired tune is gentle and soothing while the mobile arm ensures you can place it in the safest and most visible place on the cot. Sweet dreams indeed.

If you’re in the throes of decorating your baby’s nursery and currently don’t know the baby’s sex, the Kaloo all-soft musical mobile makes a great unisex choice. We love the neutral tones, including the mobile arm itself which is a grey wood. It’s beautifully soothing too, as it plays a gentle melody, while the design features subtle fairy lights that are hidden in the fluffy pom-poms. Suspended above baby, the three sweet teddy bears look adorable as they rotate elegantly in the air. The quality is undeniable, but at almost £70 it is the most expensive of those we tested.

If you’re someone who likes products to match and you’re the proud owner of the hugely popular SnuzPod or SnuzKot, you’ll be pleased to know the brand has its own range of accessories too. The arm frame comes in six neutral colours, matching the SnuzPod colourways, and the mobile itself follows the neutral theme, with grey and white accents across puffy white clouds, plush stars, and a curvy crescent moon. This gender-neutral design lends itself well to a Scandi-inspired nursery.

Let baby drift off with this motorised mobile and soother from Fisher-Price. Designed to calm baby with the help of gentle lights and soft sounds (you’ll need three AA batteries), we love the plush fluffy clouds and colourful raindrops, which spin, helping to stimulate baby’s eye-tracking. The smartest function for us has to be the genius built-in sound sensor, which automatically restarts the movement and music when baby cries. This product also offers longevity, doubling as a tabletop sound machine and nightlight. We didn’t have any problems attaching it to our cot, and while it’s not as attractive as some of the wooden options, the design is sleek.

Who can resist this adorable face? Well, our eyes are rather fond of it and our mini tester’s ears loves the gentle “Go to Sleep Little Baby” lullaby that plays when the handle is pulled. There’s a Velcro fastening to attach to the cot (just make sure it’s well out of baby’s reach) and you have your very own companion to look over your baby while they’re sleeping. The fine knitted design and subtle colour look chic against a wooden cot, too.

Looking for an all-singing, all-dancing mobile? Then Infantino’s three-in-one projector musical mobile may be just the ticket. This is designed to be used in three stages: from birth to around five months the baby will enjoy the musical mobile; until an infant is 18 months, the mobile acts as a nightlight and projector, graduating to a standalone table-top light for the toddler stage.

While this is made from plastic, the brand has done a good job of making this appealing to baby and keeping it attractive, too, with a neutral white-grey-cream colour scheme. There are six melodies and four nature sounds to be played, but the winning feature for us is the multicolour projector, which works its way through an array of colours and can project stars onto nearby walls. This product has a lot of longevity, cutting out the need for a nightlight.

Unlike the other mobiles we tested, Tiny Love’s take-along mobile is designed to move with you on your daily adventures. A three-in-one product, this can be attached to a cot, pushchair or car seat, so you can soothe baby on the go. Battery operated (you’ll need three AA batteries), there are five soothing melodies to choose from. While the Tiny Love characters might not be to everyone’s taste, our tester loved watching them spin in the air. As the mobile comes with an arm to attach it to the cot, it was easy to place it in the right position.

French brand Meri Meri is best known for its children’s partyware but as its under-the-sea mobile proves, the brand knows how to instil a touch of calm too. Designed with a traditional hanging ring, this one has been made with bamboo and then wrapped in a plush organic knitted cotton.

There are four sea creatures to enjoy, with the star of the show for us being the octopus and his dangling tentacles! The creatures have a subtle metallic thread detailing, which shimmers beautifully in the right light, and the neon fish is a cool contrasting pop of colour. This doesn’t come on a stand, but there’s a sturdy loop that can be attached to a hook on the ceiling.

Baby brand Mamas & Papas has a beautiful “welcome to the world” interior collection, and this mobile coordinates wonderfully with its floral range, with a subtle ditsy floral print featuring on the inner of the mobile ring. Complete with four floating swans and four pom-poms, they’re attached to a music box that turns as the lullaby plays out, making them dance above baby’s head. The “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”-inspired tune is gentle and soothing while the mobile arm ensures you can place it in the safest and most visible place on the cot. Sweet dreams indeed.

Cam Cam Copenhagen is known for its stunning nursery interiors, so, naturally, a baby mobile round-up wouldn’t be complete without one of its offerings. Shaped like a balloon and featuring a gorgeous pressed leaves print, this musical mobile should help baby float off to the land of nod. Each mobile is lovingly handmade, making it as unique as your baby, and sustainability is well considered, too, with the use of organic cotton textiles. For our mini tester, the melody seemed to be a hit, having a calming effect.

There’s a Velcro tab that allows you to attach the mobile to the cot, keeping it well out of baby’s reach. Unlike most musical mobiles, this one doesn’t feature a traditional lullaby – pull the small wooden ring and you’ll hear a melodic version of “Summertime”, a song by American composer George Gershwin, which makes a welcome change. Visually, it’s likely to win more points with the grown-up testers, as it’s just one solid object, so doesn’t allow for much visual stimulation, but the unique balloon shape will certainly take your nursery styling to new heights.