Best Crib Toys For Babies And Toddlers

If you’re in a hurry and just want to find the best crib toy, I’d recommend the Tiny Love Meadow Days Baby Mobile.

If you have a new baby, you’re likely using a crib at least some of the time. Crib toys can help your little one learn to settle and sleep happily out of your arms. Looking for the best crib toys? We’ve pulled together some of our favorites here for you.

Here are the crib toys I will be reviewing:

• Tiny Love Meadow Days Baby Mobile
• Manhattan Toy Stim-Mobile
• SHILOH Plush Mobile with Music
• Fisher-Price Projection Mobile
• Tiny Love Portable Mobile

What Are Crib Toys?

You’ve read all the books and you know your crib should be empty when your little one is in there sleeping. When we talk about crib toys in this article, we’re specifically looking at mobile-style toys. These toys are not free-floating in the crib and do not pose a crib hazard.

Crib toys are designed to catch your baby’s attention. They can help provide mental stimulation and keep them occupied. This can be a good way to help soothe your child and keep them happy. It can also be a welcome way for them to wake up and ease into their day.

Your little one is learning to do a lot on their own for the first time. A good crib toy can make the process just a little bit easier.

What To Consider When Shopping For Crib Toys

When shopping for your little one’s crib, you’ll want to keep the following important considerations in mind:

• Where are you using your crib toy? Have multiple bassinets, pack‘n plays, or cribs you plan on using the same toy with? You need to make sure the toy you choose is compatible with them all. If the unit isn’t compatible, it may render the toy unsafe.
• What kind of features do you want? Are you looking for a crib toy that runs on batteries and spins, lights up, or makes music? Are you interested in something that’s visually appealing but not mechanical? Crib toys come in a wide variety of styles to suit your needs and preferences.
• Has the toy you’re considering been safety tested? You want your child to be safe. Look for toys that have been fully tested and comply with the United States’ safety standards. Crib toys should always have a reliable locking system.
• What kind of budget do you have? Crib toys are available at a wide variety of price points. Know how much you want to spend ahead of time to help you settle on the best crib toys for you and your baby.

My Crib Toy Reviews

You probably have a better idea of the kind of crib toy you’re looking for now. Here are some of our favorites you may want to consider.

Tiny Love Meadow Days Baby Mobile

Have you been searching for the perfect crib accessory that’s more than just a toy? This unit from Tiny Love is designed specifically to match your growing child’s emotional and developmental needs.

This mobile can be used in several different modes. The musical component can be separated from the spinning portion. Use the traditional set-up when your child is young. As they grow and the mobile becomes tempting to a child capable of standing, you can use just the musical component.

Whether you’re using the musical base unit alone or with the mobile, it mounts directly to the crib. Two high-quality speakers help give you a better sound and more accurate control over volume.

When choosing your music you’ll have six different categories to choose from. There are 18 unique songs to help ease your little one into quiet time. There is a shuffle option you can select to give your child musical variety. Once your little one’s outgrown the mobile model, the music box is easy to bring along with you when you’re traveling.

This baby mobile meets all ASTM safety standards and is approved for use in cribs. This unit does require three C batteries that are not included with the purchase. Fasteners for mounting are included. You’ll want to check the mounting frequently to make sure everything is as it should be.

This crib toy is designed for babies aged 0–5 months in its mobile mode. After 5 months of age, you’ll want to move to the independent music box mode. This mobile is available in four different motifs to best suit your child and nursery.

Manhattan Toy Stim-Mobile

During your newborn’s first weeks, they are able to see only a few colors. This mobile from Manhattan Toy capitalizes on the opportunity to engage your child by using newborn-friendly colors. Made with red, white, and black, this mobile is visible and engaging to even the youngest babies to help stimulate their development.

First developed in 1988, this mobile is backed by 40 years of research and has been the recipient of many awards. These high-contrast images are great for early vision development. This unit doesn’t have a mechanical motor, so it works well for shared spaces and light sleepers. The brightly colored disks can be surfaced washed as needed.

You’re able to customize your baby’s mobile with different image cards. Each one is labeled with the prime age for use with your little one. This is when your child will get the most visual development out of the image. There are 10 cards in total for you to use with the mobile. Each card features an image on each side, so you have 20 images to choose from.

This mobile can also be adjusted to keep the images at a prime distance from your little one. The image disks will need to be lower when they’re younger, but as they age and their farsighted vision improves you can adjust the images. An adjustable cord allows you to customize the mobile to your baby’s exact needs.

The base of the mobile locks directly to your crib. The arm can be adjusted to suit most cribs.

SHILOH Plush Mobile With Music

This mobile is available in three different styles. You’ll have your choice of cars and planes, blue sky, and bees. Both the cars and planes and blue sky are vibrantly colored. The bees motif is a great option for newborns as it uses only black, white, and red.

All of these mobiles are soft with stuffed focal points. All the materials used in the mobile are child-safe with environmentally-friendly and non-toxic ABS, cotton, and velvet. This unit is made with durability in mind and the high-quality components and products are made only by manufacturers with ISO authentication.

This mobile comes loaded with 60 different songs. Cycling through the tracks will give you about an hour of music. This unit does feature an auto-off feature which will turn off the mobile and music after 30 minutes if there’s no interaction. When you’re ready, simply press the on button again and the mobile will resume where it last left off.

In addition to the auto feature, this unit offers six different control buttons to give you a custom experience. These control options are music, volume up, volume down, spin, music previous, and music next. This unit does require two AA batteries to run.

This mobile is made with longevity in mind. As your child ages and outgrows the mobile, these plush toys can be taken down for them to play with and enjoy. Each plush has a built-in rattle to keep your little one invested and occupied. Once your child’s transitioned away from using the mobile, these plush characters can continue to help them settle in for sleep.

Fisher-Price Projection Mobile

This Fisher-Price model promises to grow with your child. This mobile has plush animals that will spin when the motor is on. An umbrella behind them creates the perfect plane to project a light show on from the musical box.

The interface on this mobile is easy to use. Large buttons will be straightforward to navigate when your child gets older. As babies, they’ll be able to enjoy the mobile, music, and light show. Once they’ve graduated beyond the mobile, the music box can be easily taken with them wherever they go.

This unit is designed to help stimulate your young child’s mind and to encourage growth. The projection display can also serve as a night light for your little one, easing them into darkness as they learn to sleep alone.

This mobile does come with pre-recorded sound options. Music options include Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart. There are also ambient noise options like white noise, heartbeat, and ocean and nature sounds. You can choose the sound style that best suits your little one—and change it as needed.

Batteries are required for operation. Each set of batteries should get you about 90 hours of use. To make sure this unit is totally safe for your young child, the battery compartment must be opened and closed with a screwdriver. This can make battery replacement time-consuming.

This unit is designed to be strapped through the side of a crib using the bars as support. It can’t be fitted properly to mesh-sided or solid-sided sleeping locations like pack ‘n plays or bassinets.

Tiny Love Portable Mobile

Have you been looking for a truly travel-friendly mobile option? This unit from Tiny Love is designed specifically for traveling. It’s great for regular use at home, but it’s also made to work with a wide variety of furniture and equipment. It’s great for strollers, cribs, pack ‘n plays, and bassinets.

This mobile offers multiple ways to attach. You may choose to attach the mobile with the classic arched handle. This is a great option for traditional sleeping spaces like cribs. When using this setup, the base of the arm will snap firmly to your mounting space. A velcro attachment and a clip attachment are also included. These can be great for strollers and car seats and allow for attachment at the top of the motor.

This mobile plays five different songs for your little one and can provide up to thirty minutes of music. The plush woodland animals rotate to help provide visual stimulation and engage your child’s brain.

This mobile is available in four different motifs. You can choose between the Meadow Days, Magical Tales, Animal Friends, and Tiny Princess Tales. Each style features cute and happy woodland creatures your little one is bound to love.

This unit is lightweight to make travel easier. It also has a smaller size, which means you can use it in tight places. This mobile does require three AA batteries for use. Each set of batteries will get you about 20 hours of use, so this is a mobile unit you’ll likely want to save for when you’re on the go.

Bringing Home The Best Crib Toys For Your Baby

Crib toys can make your baby’s time in the crib a little easier. I am especially fond of the Tiny Love Meadow Days Baby Mobile. It can grow with my child while also offering volume control keeps it at the top of my list. The fact that I can choose a style which suits our needs is just icing on the cake.