Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Product Review: SkipHop Moonlight and Melodies Mobile

My baby is now 4 months old  (Can you believe it?!) and I decided rather late to try out a crib mobile. We didn't get a crib until we moved back to South Carolina, so a mobile was never an option for us early on. So as he is becoming more aware (and bored at times), I decided to invest. I found this mobile and it had pretty good reviews and I thought it was 'cute' but also functional. I felt like a lot of mobiles didn't look that great - and the one that I thought looked the best (BlaBla Kids) was $150...and I just couldn't stomach spending that - especially since  I wasn't even sure he'd pay that much attention to it.


THE VERDICT:


So, I think if you wait until 4 months, your baby might not care about a mobile. Mine doesn't seem to. Overall it's a cute mobile, but I feel like there are more cons than pros. I'm a little annoyed I spent $65 when I probably could have gotten a cheap one for $30 but honestly, I'm too lazy, exhausted, and overwhelmed to drag myself to BuyBuyBaby to return it. So, I'm keeping it. (not much of a glowing endorsement, eh?) I think if my crib had ends that had bars, I'd probably really like this - so if you have that crib - go for it!

Pros:


It's cute, and it has a projector on top that puts a star pattern on your ceiling. It has a lot of options for sounds and songs, and great volume control. It also comes with a remote, so you can stand at the door and turn the monitor back on without the little one seeing you - which is nice. The leaves softly glow and it was very easy to put together. When your child is too old for the mobile, you can keep the base on the crib and use it as a sound machine, which is nice.

Cons:


{1.} The remote has 1 button. On/Off. So you can't change the sounds, the lights, nothing...just turn it back on/off. The remote does not go through the door...so you have to open it to use it.

{2.} The attachment to the crib requires you to have rails like the picture above. I really wanted to put it on the end of my crib, but my crib has solid ends. So I had to do the side...which makes the buttons in reach of the baby. Not sure I want that.


DISCLAIMER: I did not paint my walls that color. Yes, it's bright. And actually, its MUCH cuter in these pictures than it is in person. In person, it makes me want to gouge out my eyes. I will get a painter at some point but for now, it's electric blue.



See how close the buttons are to baby? At this point he is too small to get to them but not for long...I suppose I could drop the mattress.

 I do have the option to turn the control to the outside, and then switch the arm around. But, when you do that, the mobile is no longer centered, its more to one side of the crib. Not a huge deal but I think annoying. Also, when you turn the arm around, it messes with the balance of the unit. The strapping system is such that it is not totally flush with/tight on the rails. So, when its affixed like above, it leans in some. When its on the other side, it leans out of the crib -- which I find annoying.


when moved to the outside, the weight of the arm makes the unit do this - and there is no way to make it any tighter to stop this - unless I push it up against the wall. Of course, when its up against the wall, the buttons are blocked.

And, when it's set up like this, the mobile it's more to the right.


Notice, it leans forward a little bit.

Close up of the clasp. I don't love the extra 'tail' that it has when tightened.



{3.} The projection feature is cool, but it doesn't move at all..I think it might be cooler if it moved. At this point, Beckett totally ignores that, and I'm not sure when he is the age to notice it that it will be something that we are still using.

Projection feature..

So, do I wish I'd just spent $150 on the blabla one? Yep. But, the thing about babies is that you NEVER know what they will like. Sometimes they love the stuff you hate and vice versa. He looks at this and it 'does the job'. My next baby might be obsessed. Maybe there is not a single mobile on the market that my baby will love...but at the end of the day, who has the time to test several on their baby? And, since it is over the bed, do you want him to be enthralled with it? Probably not. Overall, I think I might just not be a mobile person. 

Hope this helps you if you're on the market for a mobile!







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