SE T1.04Dancers Mobile
Four human figures cut from light, shiny paper that move in the slightest air, hung above the awake infant as the last visual mobile.
Safety
- Use only while the infant is awake and an adult is watching; never hang any mobile over a crib, bassinet, or other sleep space.
- The figures swing more than other mobiles; hang them so no figure or thread comes within reach, and take the mobile down as soon as the infant reaches toward it.
- Attach it to a secure ceiling hook, or to a stand with a wide, weighted base that cannot tip onto the infant.
- Check the threads before each use; metallic paper tears, and a torn figure is removed.
Presentation
- 1
Take down the Gobbi mobile; hang only one mobile at a time.
- 2
When the infant is awake, fed, and calm, lay them on their back on the movement mat.
- 3
Hang the Dancers mobile about 20–30 cm above the infant's chest, and check that no figure can swing within reach.
- 4
Sit a short distance away and stay quiet. Point of interest: the figures turning and reflecting light.
- 5
Watch how the infant follows the figures, how long they look, and whether their arms and legs move while they look.
- 6
End the session when the infant looks away, fusses, or tires; take the mobile down or move the infant.
- 7
When the infant starts to reach toward the mobile, take it down and offer the Bell on a Ribbon in the Movement area instead.
Extensions, easiest to hardest
- Hang it near a window where daylight falls on the figures, keeping direct sun out of the infant's eyes
- Hang it at a different point above the mat so the infant turns their head to find it
Control of error
None in the material; the adult observes where the infant looks and for how long, and takes the mobile down when interest drops or the infant starts to reach.
Ready to move on when the child…
- Follows one figure with the eyes as it turns
- Moves arms and legs while watching the mobile
- Reaches or swipes toward the mobile: the sign to take it down and offer the tactile mobiles
Guide note
Most sources offer the Dancers at about 10–14 weeks, as interest in the Gobbi drops. It is the last visual mobile; the next mobiles are for the infant to reach, hit, and grasp.