A new concept in crib mobiles is geared to nurture intelligence.
By Daniella Ashkenazy
Long before crib mobiles were invented, mothers and nannies used to place babies on their backs in prams, underneath a big tree in the garden. The soothing motion of the leaves gently blowing in the breeze could mesmorize an infant for hours. This idea has now returned in
a new, artificially constructed stimulus for babies - the Symphony-in-Motion crib mobile.
In addition to turning (like other conventional crib mobiles), Symphony-in-Motion also moves up and down, plastic beads slide back and forth on the mobile's arms and bright
3-D animals or geometrical shapes hang down, turning individually above the baby's head. The elements in the mobile seem to be engaged in a kind of dance - constantly changing motion, some elements at rest while others move. The combination creates multiple three-
directional movements, reminiscent of those leafy tree branches of yesteryear.
Symphony-in-Motion is made by the Israeli toy company Tiny Love, which manufactures soft toys for infants and toddlers. The staff at Tiny Love include two industrial designers and an expert in infant development. They are all mothers, and often test their ideas on their own children.
Tiny Love stresses that the design of a mobile should not be based on aesthetics alone, but should also nurture visual, aural and linguistic development. Yael Katz, a child psychologist who advised Tiny Love on the development of Symphony-in-Motion, explains: "In the past, parents were not interested in the cognitive development of babies before birth. Today, mothers are aware that they can influence this development during pregnancy, and in the very first stages of their babies' lives."
Until some two months of age, an infant's eyes can focus only at a fixed distance of 20-30 cm; objects closer or further away are blurred. However, already from the age of about one month, babies begin to move their eyes in unison and learn to track a moving object. While the mobile is designed to be hung at the optimal distance and angle for the infants' focus, babies can strengthen their ability to change focus when they look at different parts of the mobile. In contrast to the soothing pastel "baby colors" of most conventional mobiles, the bright contrasting colors and the diverse shapes of the elements in the Symphony-in-Motion mobile help develop perception of color and form. The developers at Tiny Love believe this "salad" of visual stimuli - colors, outlines, shapes and pace - and the relationship between
them, nurtures the ability to accurately perceive visual-spatial reality.
Parallel to spatial development, say the designers, the mobile also strengthens the ability to perceive and process aural stimuli. While the average mobile plays the same lullaby over and over so that babies eventually fall asleep, Symphony-in-Motion was designed to stimulate musical development and brain activity in general, strengthening intercellular connections. The mobile contains 15-minute recordings of three famous musical compositions by Bach, Beethoven and Mozart, specially arranged for "babies' ears" by a top musicologist. The pieces can be played separately, or all three in one 15-minute shortened arrangement, and the volume is adjustable. The incorporation of classical music is founded on recent studies that indicate its positive developmental effect on young children - a phenomenon called "The Mozart Effect".
Each composition was chosen to provide exposure to a different aural experience in terms of melody, rhythm and musical style - designed to stimulate, interest and relax the babies. The developers suggest that parents select the music according to the baby's mood or surroundings - for example, the relaxing piece by Bach during nap time, the more upbeat piece by Beethoven for more active moments. Tiny Love points out that classical music can also hone infants' abilities to differentiate between similar sounds in verbal language, contributing to their linguistic development.