Wimmer-Ferguson Infant Stim-Mobile
by Manhattan Toy
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Our Price: $26.99 Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Category: Baby Product See more product details |
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Toys and Games Reviews of Wimmer-Ferguson Infant Stim-Mobile
Customer Review: Interesting for my son
Summary: 3 Stars
I bought this for my son at Christmas when he was 2 months old. He has really loved looking at it, especially when we make it move. Unfortunately, it does not move on its own. Therefore, we had to keep moving it to keep our son interested. We found that using the extensions enabled us to move it more easily, but we still had to do it ourselves.
Some reviewers have found that the cards fall off easily. Mine was just the opposite. When I wanted to change the cards around to give my son a different view, I almost had to rip the thing apart in order to get the cards off. Thus, I decided to leave the rest of the cards alone.
We initially used the mobile with the extenders that were supplied with the product. (The extenders were like links of a necklace that we could clip on between the main arch and the arches that held the cards.) As our son grew and could reach the cards, we just kept removing the extending links so he could keep enjoying the mobile. We eventually had to take it down when my son learned to unscrew the knob that kept the mobile anchored to the bed. (He couldn't reach them, so he found another way to get them.)
Here is a final list of this products good points and bad points. For the good: My son liked looking at it, especially while it was in motion. It was a good distraction when he was crying or doing something we didn't want him to do. I liked the fact that there were cards facing my son as he was laying down in the crib. (Most mobiles have objects that only face the parents standing by the crib. What good is that?) There were extender links that enabled us to bring the cards closer to my son when he was smaller and raise the cards out of his reach as he got bigger. The cards did not fall off so my son could not hurt himself on them.
For the bad: The cards only move when a parent moves them. (That was the part of the toy that my son liked best--when the cards moved.) Motion is severly limited unless you use the extender links. I found the cards to be difficult to change without ripping up the toy.
I hope this has been helpful.
Customer Review: Very entertaining for tiny babies!
Summary: 4 Stars
You wouldn't think to look at this mobile, but for a small baby it is very entertaining. I bought this for our son when he was 6 weeks old. We have black and white images taped on the wall right next to his changing table and he would stare at them for what seemed like forever, about 10 minutes :) I saw this while looking for another product and decided to give it a try, I'm so glad we did! My son is mesmerized by this every time I change him, even now 4 1/2 months, especially when I switch out a few cards. I love that this is not too expensive since it can only be used for a short time, and I really like that it doesn't have any sounds or music. Some play music automatically, usually too loud, and I would rather decide my own background music.
A few complaints: In my opinion the cards are somewhat difficult to change, and there should be a larger selection of colored pictures for the older babies who don't enjoy black and white images as much anymore. Biggest grief we've had with this: we have our changing table in the bathroom underneath a towel bar we initially used to hang teether and toys from. I wanted to attach this mobile for use while changing since we don't use a crib, but it is only intended for crib attachment and would not work as it was. We modified it by taking off the screw-on clamp and using small plastic (but strong) clamps to hold the top flat section onto the towel bar, which has straight sides all around. If you bought or are thinking of buying this for use somewhere other than a crib, you can do what we did or buy a clamp-type mobile hanger. We have the JL Childress Crib Mobile Attachment Clamp, which I purchased after modifying this mobile and which I have used since then. It will grab onto a variety of widths and then lock, though honestly we had no problems with our modified attachment and it was just a matter of aesthetics for us. Overall this is a great idea for a mobile and we really enjoy it!
Customer Review: Great patterns but poor execution
Summary: 3 Stars
We have been using the black and white cards on this mobile and they easily capture my baby's attention, starting at around 7 weeks old. She is now 11 weeks and she is obviously entertained by it, with big smiles when it is moving. It places some cards in a horizontal position so that they can be viewed from below (perfect for the baby's perspective). Unfortunately the designs on the cards and the horizontal position for some cards are the only great things about it.
Only some of the cards are designed to be in the horizontal position. I had planned to swap cards between the vertical and horizontal positions to keep it interesting but this is not possible. The only change I can make is to turn over the cards in the horizontal position to reveal the design on the other side. The cards in the vertical position are not viewable from below (where the baby is). I will be looking into using some tape to place the vertical cards into a horizontal position.
The method used to attach the vertical cards to the plastic arms and to the horizontal cards is rudimentary and thus a pain. The vertical cards have a small triangle cut out for placing the card on the knob at the end of the arm. The triangle is small and needs some force to push the knob through. It isn't easy to do when the mobile is already set up and hanging over the crib. Each horizontal card has a couple of slits (that look like cracks) in the center (one larger than the other, at right angles). A tab at the bottom of the vertical card needs to be pushed through the bigger slit and then shifted into the smaller slit. Again, this isn't easy to do, especially when the mobile is already set up and hanging over the crib.
The design of the hanging parts limits the amount of circular motion. It will only turn approximately half a circle. It would be nice if it could handle more motion than that.
Great designs on the cards but poor execution for a mobile.
Customer Review: Baby loves it
Summary: 5 Stars
I wasn't sure about this mobile at first since it doesn't move and it's just a bunch of abstract and simple pictures dangling above the baby, but I needed something to distract my 2 month old daughter at the changing table without having to buy another fancy mobile. At first glance, my baby took to it right away. I don't know why these images attract babies but it does. This has become one of my 2 month old daughter's favorite toy. She loves talking to it...so much so that sometimes I'm reluctant to move her out of the changing table.
The stem is made of plastic that comes in two parts which you snap together and once attached you cannot take it apart. The cards are plastic and reminds me a bit of plastic poker cards. Some of the cards have images like a car, house, cat, and dog, but most have abstract images that comes in bold colors or black and white. Taking the cards apart from each other can be tricky and I can see why some people can accidentally rip it apart. I've found that if you fold the cards so they lay flat against each other and then wiggle/twist the area where they are attached they usually slide apart. So the parts are not exactly sturdy and once my baby can reach it, I'll remove it and just use the cards as flash cards.
The mobile comes with several sets of cards so you can change the images and the baby won't be bored. However, I just put the images I like on the mobile and use the rest as flash cards when traveling to distract my little girl.
For the price and the entertainment it has brought to my baby, I highly recommend this mobile.
Customer Review: Manhattan Toys Infant Stim-Mobile
Summary: 5 Stars
This product is the best 'Santa' present we bought this year for our infant son. He is only 5 weeks old, and he LOVES this mobile. Santa set it up on his play mat and we placed our son under the mobile on Christmas morning and he played for over 30 minutes right away. He is currently playing again, swatting at the mobile and coo-ing and kicking. It is adorable to see, and he is definitely focusing on the cards. We have all black & white cards on the mobile right now, and I can watch his eyes track from one card to another. I did not find them hard to attach, as others have noted. What I like best about this is that it CAN be attached to his play mat so he can lay and play on the floor. I did not want a stimulating mobile for the crib, since it is my hope that he will actually SLEEP in the crib. This is perfect, we just attached it to a link-a-doo instead of setting it up on the included arm. We will be able to hang the mobile up higher on the playmat by taking it off the link-a-doo as he gets older, too. Right now, it is the perfect height for his little arms to swat and make contact with the cards. Or, I think it would be a great mobile for the pack n play as well. Love this toy, highly recommend it if you are looking for something for your infant to play and interact with! I like that it will grow with him with the interchangeable cards and more complex designs. Wish we had it for our first son!
On a side note, I took one of the cards off and set it up in front of my son for tummy time and it doubled the amount of time he was happy on his tummy just to look at the b&w design!