You’ll need some basic things no matter what type of mobile you choose to make, such as wooden dowels, a ceiling hook, sturdy string or yarn, and cardboard or paper. Keep scissors and glue on hand as well.

First, take a look at some store-bought mobiles online. Get a feel for what’s being sold. Then, pick a base to start with. Using wooden dowels that criss-cross are safer than the traditional coat hanger method used in the past. And be sure you have a way to secure your mobile to the ceiling or crib so that it will not fall.

There is a great site http://www.sleepingbaby.net/jan/Baby/mobile.html that offers patterns for mobiles that are proven to grab a young baby’s attention. Young infants like to look at bold patterns and colors like black, white, and red. Until they are older, these will be the easiest for them to see and recognize. So choose swirls, circles, squares, and dots.

Choose a pattern and print it out. Instructions are included and are very detailed.

Picking the theme for your mobile can be really fun. Do you want the individual shapes that hang to be two- or three-dimensional? Should they be teddy bears, circus animals, or cars? Match them to your child’s nursery theme or create something out of your favorite childhood story book. Cut out shapes that will serve as your focal points on the mobile. Choose to make flat shapes like squares, or 3D animals that stand out.

The 2-D designs are easy. Just glue a design to a piece of foam board or cardboard, and then attach it by string to the mobile. Hot glue works best for the attaching as it dries fast and makes a quick connection.

You can choose to make all ponies or butterflies (or any animal) out of felt, stuffing, and glue. Draw a shape on felt and cut out two identical pieces. Using a glue gun, glue around the edges of the felt leaving one portion open. Stuff with fiberfill or raw beans. Seal the opening with more glue. When the animals have had time to dry, create a yarn loop to secure them to their hanging strings. You can do this by hot gluing a loop of yarn to the top or back of each one. Remember, baby will be lying down looking up, so you want the animals to face her.

Securely tie string or yarn to the ends of the criss-crossed wooden dowel. Knot the yarn through the loop on the animal and you’ve got yourself a mobile. All you need to do is hang it from the ceiling with a hook. You can find hooks at home supply or hardware stores. Make sure it’s secure and not so low that baby can pull it down.

Watching your baby enjoy a mobile you made yourself is fun and exciting!

Start in obvious places. Go to local antique stores in your area and when you travel. Ask if they have any antique horses. You may be surprised when the owner goes into the back room and comes out with one. Leave your name and number so that the dealer can call you if they come across any vintage rocking horses. Often, they’ll scope out specific items if they know they have a customer ready to buy them.

Your search locally will probably turn up a few rocking horses. You might also put an ad in the paper that you are seeking an old horse or two. You may get calls from a little old couple who’s had one in the family for years and now is downsizing. Be prepared to offer a fair price, and in cash, as most people won’t take checks.

Next, search eBay or other auction sites. Simply type in “old rocking horses” and see what you find. Inventory changes daily, sometimes hourly, so check back often so you don’t miss a great deal. If you find a seller who has lots of horses, you may be able to cut a deal. Just don’t arrange to pay anyone outside of eBay. You can have them adjust the price for a multiple purchase at the time they send you an eBay invoice. Do everything on the up and up and don’t try to sidestep the rules. Often, you are covered by eBay’s guarantee, so go by the rules and you’ll be entitled to that coverage.

Other sites like www.oldrockinghorses.com can be a great resource. Anyone who loves and specializes in vintage horses will be a wealth of information. On a site like this you will find photos of old rocking horses, help with identifying the age of one you find, tips on restoration, and more.

www.rockinghorseelite.com.uk offers photos of vintage rocking horses for sale. You will find many that charm you. You’ll have a hard time deciding on just one. Check shipping charges before you buy anything. Make sure you ask any site how they will package and ship your bulky purchase. If at all possible, deal with a local vendor so you can pick up your horse. If that’s not possible, at least ensure they use a reliable shipping company and get a tracking number.

There are so many sources for vintage rocking horses. Once you find a site you like, check their link listings. They will lead you to more and more sites about antique rocking horses.

If you are decorating a nursery with a whimsical vintage rocking horse, you will be pleasantly surprised at how many options you have open to you. Many craftsmen now are lovingly restoring vintage horses. But you may opt for one that has its own aged patina. Often, horses that have not been retouched are more valuable. So don’t necessarily look for one in perfect condition or rush out to refinish one you find on your own.

A Santa Suit

Nothing in the world is more adorable than a baby in a Santa suit. If it says “Baby’s First Christmas” on it, so much the better. A Santa hat, red pants, or skirt and a top trimmed in white fuzz are festive and fun on the littlest guests. Add some cute booties, and you’ve got yourself a gift.

PJ's

Christmas pajamas come in every design from reindeer suit to little elf feet pjs. Gift baby with a few sets she can wear through the winter holidays. Get a few in slightly bigger sizes so she can wear them as she grows. Try to avoid ones with bows and sequins that can fall off in the wash and opt for screen-printed or embroidered designs.

Ornaments

Step into any store that sells ornaments and you’ll be bombarded with “Baby’s First Christmas” ornaments. Make your way through the choices with an eye towards finding the cutest and best quality one they have. After all, you want it to last through the years. Most will come with a date already printed on it, but if yours doesn’t have the year, take a permanent marker and write the date on the bottom.

A Stocking

Chances are, they don’t have their own baby christmas stocking yet. Embroider one or purchase a ready-made one with her name on it. Choose a design that’s needlepointed for lasting heirloom appeal. Fill it with baby toys for a complete gift.

Lullabies of the Season

Get baby started listening to Christmas music by purchasing CDs of holiday music. There are collections made just for baby’s delicate ear. Or you can make a recording for baby of downloads of your favorite Christmas tunes from iTunes. If baby doesn’t have a CD player in her room, choose a model that’s made for babies so she can use it now in her nursery and later when she’s able to push buttons herself.

A Handprint Kit

Many keepsake kits come with plaster of Paris mix so you can make a print of baby’s tiny hand. Some use baby-safe gel. You can either give the kit as a gift or make the print for the new mom and dad to commemorate their first Christmas with their new bundle of joy. Some kits allow you to make handprints or footprints in ink or as castings. There’s even a kit with several tins that lets you take baby’s handprint several times as she grows. Check out what’s available and choose the one that looks best to you.

Personalized Toys

Any personalized baby toy will be a hit as baby learns to recognize and spell her name. Personalized kids furniture with her name on it will come in handy after she learns to walk. Wooden letters in the form of a train are fun for new walkers to pull as they toddle.  You might choose purely decorative items with baby’s name for the nursery such as plaques that detail what baby’s name means.

It really doesn’t matter what you read. A baby will not be able to tell the difference between Little Red Riding Hood and The Very Hungry Caterpillar. As a result, it’s a good idea to pick a children’s book that you loved as a child or just one that looks fun to you. If you're stumped, here is a list of the best 100 childrens books from 1999. It may be old, but they were (and still are) great books for kids.

Newborns cannot see well at first and slowly will start to recognize red, white and black. That’s why most baby books feature large shapes in those colors, but your baby will love anything you read to her. It’s more about spending time with her than about the story at this point.

There are many places to find great books that your baby will love well past their infant years. I've noticed that books that feature a song throughout the book become baby favorites. Some examples of these include The Wheels on The Bus, I'll Love You Forever, Baby Beluga, and more. You can always purchase baby book gift baskets for your baby or for a friend that are sure to make for good reading. They make great gifts and the books will always get used for years to come.

Create a cozy reading area that has a comfy chair, good lighting and an undisturbed atmosphere. If older children are running through the house with their friends, select a spot off in a corner and out of the rush of things. This is your time with baby. Choose a time to read when you are both happy and relaxed. If you are stressed out, reading to baby will help calm you down. Start by cuddling baby up in your lap. Make sure she’s had her diaper changed and is well-fed. That will make her more attentive, and then more likely to fall into happy sleep afterwards. Cuddle baby under a soft blanket and rest her head in the crook of your arm or on a pillow.

Once you are both comfortable, start reading. Baby will recognize your voice and listen to you attentively, often making adorable faces as she tries to decipher just what you are saying. She’ll coo and make noises to tell you in her own way that she likes this time with you. It’s some of the most precious time you will ever have with your baby.

As baby gets a little older, she will want to chew on anything that she can get her hands on. So, offer her sturdy board books that are designed to withstand that kind of abuse. Let her play with the book. You’re instilling a love of holding books and telling her that reading is a pleasurable activity. So, even if she pulls the book out of your hand or flips pages while you’re mid-sentence, just let her. She’s exploring her world. Choose books that are short and simple enough that you won’t mind rereading them. When she gets slightly older, she’ll want to hear the same story over and over again. There’s something comforting to small children about hearing familiar words and looking at familiar pictures.

Start a library full of kids books for your child as early as you can. Showing your child that books have an important place in your house will help make her a life-long reader. Baby Einstein books are also great for developing babies. Take short trips to the local library or bookstore and read to her there. She’ll start associating reading with happy times with mom or dad. It’s never too early and never too late to start reading to your child. And if you know a child who is short on books, donating your gently loved books is a good way to help another child fall in love with reading.

Benefits of Reading to Your Baby

One helpful hint is to have a special set of toys designated for the play group. This way the toys don’t seem to belong to any one person. Aggression and fighting over toys can also be reduced with planned activities. The activities should be ones that are creative, messy, and fun, such as painting, or playing with blocks, sand, and molding material.

Difficulties with Changes in the Routine

Eighteen month olds are very ritualistic. Often routines must be carried out in exactly the same way or the toddler is upset. Recognizing this, you can help your toddler by trying to maintain as consistent a routine as possible. By doing this, your toddler doesn’t have to try to figure out what’s going to happen next. Transitions are also eased by letting children know what to expect.

Toddler’s typical ritualistic behavior may be due to their limited understanding of language. Sometimes we are fooled into thinking that eighteen month olds know more than they do. On occasion, parents should stand back and evaluate why the child acted the way he did. Perhaps he did not understand what was said or asked. While toddlers understand a great deal, not all ideas hold the same meaning for eighteen month olds as they do for adults.

Because of this, your child’s reactions to disruptions in his routine are likely to be more intense than they were earlier in his life. The toddler’s distress and obstinacy are said to be, in part, related to the beginning development of his sense of self. To the toddler, parent and child are becoming two separate people, which may be a stressful adjustment.

The emotions of fear and worry may seem more apparent with toddlers than with young babies. Some two year olds seem quite wary when confronted with new situations. In particular, such things as firecrackers, loud noises and vacuum cleaners can be pretty frightening. Toddlers don’t understand the relationship between cause and effect yet and may attribute magical or lifelike properties to noises and machines. The toddler may even think that these strange occurrences happened because of something he did.

Some children hold onto their parents until they are comfortable and secure in a new setting. Yet at home, if all is going well, your child should be able to leave your side to play by himself in another room. Your child’s caution and his checking in on you represent a beginning sense of reality. It is part of the normal developmental process, without which your child would not develop into a healthy, independent person.

Although at times your toddler will be difficult to manage, this is the age when it is even more important to be firm in setting limits, consistent in your demands, nurturing during the bad as well as the good moments. Your role is to balance the toddler’s desired independence with his continued need for reassurance, love and affection.

Related Articles:

• Top 10 Baby Toys For Newborns (0 to 12 months)
• Top 10 Best Baby Toys

1)      Gymini Super Deluxe Light and Music by Tiny Love ~$55

This colorful 32” square activity mat features a soft cushioned where baby can lay on their back to play with the items hanging from the two overhead curved arches. The animal and bird hanging items that make unique sounds such as a parrot whose wings crinkle and a monkey that rattles. Music and lights complete this fun package for baby. And best of all, this durable activity mat is super-portable, folding nearly flat for travel.

2)      Ocean Wonders Aquarium by Fisher Price ~$60

Designed to help baby fall asleep, the Ocean Wonders Aquarium attaches directly to baby’s crib. Calming music, the sound of bubbles and swimming fish will have baby snoozing in no time. And when naptime or nighttime is over, baby will have a great time playing with this toy as they spin the starfish or open up the clams. You can choose the music setting for either playtime or naptime.

3)      Baby Einstein Caterpillar Discover & Play Entertainer ~$80

Designed to entertain and stimulate baby, this stand-up activity center features nine different interactive toys all within reach of baby’s hands as the seat swivels a full 360 degrees. The intriguing colors, shapes, textures and sounds will keep baby engaged for long periods of time and help them learn to distinguish between them. The push button animals make realistic sounds. Other learning items are a shape tower, hand puppet, spinning toys and books. They’ll be entertained for hours at a time.

4)      Multi-Sensory Clutch Cube by Learning Curve ~$15

An affordable toy gift option, this brightly colored soft cube is ideal for young babies (from 1 month and up). The bright colors, various textures, peek-a-boo flaps, clinking rings and jingling chimes will hold their attention for hours and improve the child’s hand-eye coordination. The cube is scented like apple for some reason.

5)      Tiny Love Trio ~$23

Another affordable gift option for younger babies, this unique set of 3 colorful toys stimulates baby’s motor skills as they learn to rattle, pull, grasp and more. The super-portable size makes this toy trio great for Moms on-the-go.

Does your newborn baby have a favorite toy? Share your toy information with other parents on the Toy Discussion Forum at Baby Gifts & Gift Baskets.