My pictures are a little too big, creating more overlap than I’d like, but I will keep trying and the great thing about this mobile is that it’s easy to change as Pebble’s interests change! The pictures are attached with a tab on the back of each photo (I used some leftover tabs from filing bits and pieces) and then clipped to the alligator clips on the mobile. You can get yourself a similar mobile online (I paid $14.99 at a National Pharmacies chemist).
Grandma has promised us a cute baby mobile for over the cot, so this one is over the change table. Hopefully it will create a nice diversion while I’m handling the poop.
Why use a mobile at all?
Babies aged 0-1 month can:
- follow a slowly moving object through a complete 180 degree arc
- follow objects moving vertically if the object is close to their face ie. 25 – 35cm (this mobile is approx 30cm from the change table height),
- fixate on a moving object at a distance of 30cm
- more smoothly visually track objects across 180 degree pathway vertically and horizontally
- move their eyes from one object to another
- focus on small objects and reach for them.
(Allen and Marotz 1999)
Why use contrasting pictures?
Because babies are contrast sensitive – they prefer to look at objects with a greater difference in the amount of light between different parts of a pattern. Infants prefer larger contrast, ie. bigger squares on a checker board, or larger circles. If the contrast is minimised, ie. smaller squares on a checkerboard, then the image is blurry to the infants vision.
Why use pictures of faces?
Newborns prefer to look at simple patterns resembling a face, so having refreshed my memory on that little bit of development I’m going to swap out the pictures of Daddy for a simpler face until about 3 months of age. At that age babies can distinguish between the finer features of different faces (they can tell the difference between the faces of two strangers, even if those faces are similar).
(Berk 2002)
Do I have too much time on my hands right now?
Yes.
I really like how you've made a modern style mobile. I've been looking at mobiles in the stores and am just not thrilled with anything I see. My favorite part about the mobile you made is the contrast of black and white, and not the typical blue and yellow etc. The link you have is sold out, but luckily I found another photo clip mobile online. Who would of thought I'd find it at the Phoenix Art Museum store? I can't wait to give it to my friend next month, I hope she loves it as much as I do. Thanks for the inspiration!
ReplyDelete