Do you have a mobile/toys in cot? Does it affect sleep?

[Moi]

Before DD was born a few people told me not to put a mobile or any toys in DD's cot because she would not sleep with them there. But now I'm wondering would it really affect her sleep? I'm wondering if it might help her settle more?

So do you have mobiles/toys in your child's cot? Why/why not? And does it affect your child's sleep?

TIA!

[visitor1]

I have toys in my DD2's cot....i have from an early age. It does bother her at all. Gives her something to play with when she first wakes/goes to bed!

[Esme]

DS has had soft toys in his cot since he was about 5 months old. It helps keep him entertained when he is not quite ready to go to sleep yet and when he wakes up. Lately he has taken to throwing them out of his cot and then start crying, so it doesn't keep him entertained for too long .

[{sarah}]

Juliette wouldn't sleep with the mobile overhead even if it wasn't on, it was too much for her to look at. She has however had a pig in her bed for a few months that she loves to pat while she's going to sleep.

[PinkPalace]

DD has had her Pooh bear in her cot from birth.
She still to this day sleeps with him (and he goes to CC with here too).
She since has Iggle PIggle too lol... I find she will squeeze him for the music to put herself to sleep

DS has a mobile. At night i dont have the mobile circulating but do use the night sounds/light.
He has a toy in there for familiarity but he is too young to know i guess yet

[Moi]

Thanks guys. I might try putting a mobile over her cot and see if she'll still sleep with it there. And then try some stuffed toys. I think it might help her settle but if not I can always take them away again.

[SamiH]

Everybody's different Tanya SIDS recommendation is no stuffed toys in cot for when they roll might smother - judgement call you make - my kids had teddies from around 6 months old, I would just move it into a corner when they fell asleep

Hope the mobile help!

[LimeSlice]

Charlotte has always had toys in her cot - teddies and thongs. She loves it. We bought her a glow worm for her birthday that actually plays lullabys....she carries it around the house now to dance with lol
They have never caused her to not sleep. in fact she cuddles them often.
We did have a mobile above her cot and found she didn't mind, haven't put it back up since we moved (haven't been home)
Perhaps you could put the mobil eon the other side of the room so they can see it if they want, but it isn't right there in their face, iykwim?

[Sammiejane]

MJ's mobile is on her change table, its a great distraction when they dont want to be there!

I didnt put toys in her cot until a couple of weeks ago (she was 10mths)
she didnt have any from birth just cos of the SIDS recommendations then i dint put them in as she wasnt interested...
Now (we are having huge problems going to sleep) she has a selection in there that she can cuddle, they dont help her when she wakes as she always wakes and then crys loads...

HTH

[Frangipani]

We've always had a glow seahorse lullaby thing in DS's cot, right from the beginning (we got it for a baby shower present). For us I think it helped him settle to sleep, as I would push it's tummy (to turn it on), stay for the first play of the songs, then second push would be when I started to sneak away. I then take this seahorse everytime we've gone out at night time as it helps him settle in his pram (I think its the something familiar with him to sleep).

We also have a musical mobile (which has the little light) which we got when DS was about 6weeks old and I use to use this during the day. I found that DS would watch the animals go round and eventually tire out and fell asleep.

Then at 6 months I introduced a little teddy (with the intent for him to take to child care, when I have to go back to work), which he now cuddles. But the seahorse is still in there, and I quite often hear DS moving around, then all of a sudden the seahorse starts up and everything goes quite from DS - so I still think he loves his seahorse the best.

Obviously all babies are different, but for us I felt they helped.

[Georgi]

Tanya I think it's something that you should try at least. Every baby is different. My sister had a mobile on her daughters cot as she found it kept her entertained in the morning which meant my sister could get another hour or so sleep. Whereas I could never put one on Byron's cot as it would definately stimulate him. He already looks at the wall hangings he has so sometimes I have to cover his eyes until he closes them.

I say give it a go, and see what type of baby Maya is. I'm sure it won't take long to figure it out.

[Pandora]

we had both to start with. toys were fine, no dramas, no sleep association problems. Mobile went after about 2 week, it kept him awake and he wouldnt sleep

[Ca Plane Pour Moi]

The official advice on soft toys and babies, which comes with the toys, is "yoink!" to sound a bit scooby-doo. You're supposed to remove toys from sleeping babies as they are a hazard.

DS has slept with a soft toy since he was a month old. He sleeps better with Herr Hare (or, at a push, Kitty the squirrel monkey or Coo) than he does alone.

DS also has Tinephant, Zaph the hoopy loopy monkey, a blankie bear, a car muslin and a bear in his cot. As well as a few books within reach. Just so he stays a bit more quiet in the mornings and I can have an extra half-hour asleep!

[deni]

I have a mobile attached to the top of the cot which I use to occupy 14 wk old DS while i go off to the loo etc; but for sleep he sleeps with his feet at the bottom of the cot so the mobile is behind him - i think he'd be stimulated by it but admittedly i haven't tried it.

He started having a cuddle toy (Tigger head with soft fabric/no body) at bedtime from 12 weeks which worked surprisingly well to soothe him, I tuck it under his arm and he immediately pulls it to his mouth and starts sucking on Tigger's ears - but i put away it to the far corner of the cot once he's asleep..

[belfie]

we haven't got any toys or mobiles in/near his cot (partly cos I just haven't gotten around to buying a mobile)... but we recently rearranged the room and there's more on the walls above his new cot location, but doesn't seem to have fussed him too much.

So saying, when it was soooo hot here yesterday I put him on the big mummy & daddy bed (with some barriers to stop him rolling) and let him watch the ceiling fan. It worked wonders (as well as cooling him down) and he went off to sleep...