SE T1.02Octahedron Mobile
Three eight-sided shapes of shiny red, yellow, and blue paper hung above the awake infant: the first mobile in color.
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.
- Hang it so no shape or thread is within reach of the infant's hands or feet, and take it 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 and the glued paper edges before each use, and repair or replace a shape that is coming apart.
Presentation
- 1
Take down the Munari 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 Octahedron mobile about 20–30 cm above the infant's chest, with every piece and thread out of reach.
- 4
Sit a short distance away and stay quiet. Point of interest: the colored shapes turning and reflecting light.
- 5
Watch which shape the infant looks at, whether they follow it as it turns, and how long they look.
- 6
End the session when the infant looks away, fusses, or tires; take the mobile down or move the infant.
- 7
Offer it at later awake times. When interest drops for several days in a row, replace it with the Gobbi mobile.
Extensions, easiest to hardest
- Hang it at a different point above the mat so the infant turns their head to find it
- Hang it where daylight falls on the shapes, keeping direct sun out of the infant's eyes
Control of error
None in the material; the adult observes where the infant looks and for how long, and changes the mobile when interest drops.
Ready to move on when the child…
- Looks at the shapes within a few seconds of lying under the mobile
- Follows one shape with the eyes as it turns
- Stays calm and attentive under the mobile for several minutes
- Later looks away quickly or ignores it: the sign to change to the Gobbi mobile
Guide note
Some sources offer the Octahedron from about 4–6 weeks; this draft follows the 5–8 week range in the sources for this strand.