Babyshapes and Mobile Reviews

I have used the books professionally and loved them but it seriously came into it's own since I had my own daughter. The mobile too is amazing, it is the single most popular item she has. i read on the web site how good it was but until we had it I didn't realise how fab it was. We never have tears at nappy changing now! 

Reviewed by Louise Jackson, Nursery World

My daughter bought this for her twins. They were absolutely fascinated by it, almost from birth! She hung it above the cots, on which she placed the changing mat, and they would look at it contentedly while they were being changed. I think it gave them a feeling of familiarity as they came to recognise it. I have given 1 as a gift & got the same report from that mum. I'm buying 2 more now. The little B/W books are great too. Susan McEwan, Edinburgh

We placed the mobile over our 5 weeks old's changing unit and he is absorbed by it - no more tears at nappy time!!  Mum, Yorkshire

The mobile keeps Jasper captivated for ages & the circular patterns in the books are his favourites, An all round success.  Charlotte Lovie, Surrey

Baby's first book… A great way to interact with your baby. I've spent 5 mins a day flicking through the pages getting my little girl to recognise her 'reading time' and her eyes are really following the images and focusing. The mobile is simple but a really great idea and fun to make. For me it helped establish her first bedroom or area of our bedroom at least. Within a couple of weeks she's following the mobile with her eyes and I'm sure it helps relax her when she's not in either my or partners arms. Anything that helps her sleep in her basket is a 5* item! Great. Sirpentland

I bought this as a present for my friend. I've bought many of the social baby books from their website and through Amazon, the "social baby" book is a must for any parents or people working with babies. This pack is a great gift for any new mum. Black and white books have been shown to be attractive to babies and encourage neurological development. Great for babies brains and great fun for mums and dads! Laura, Co. Durham

Excellent My 5 week old son has just spent the last half hour staring at the mobile - I've never been able to settle him for this long before. He is fascinated! Really easy to assemble, the books are great quality and a great price. Recomended. Zodgukie

Still gets huge smiles months later... We got this for our baby when she was just a couple of weeks old. It didn't take long for her to respond to book 1 and the mobile was a lifesaver at changing time. 5 months on and she still absolutely loves them all. The mobile still gets huge smiles and now she's just discovering that she can make it move herself by hitting out at it. And the books are still a favourite. Have since bought this for friends with new babies as think it's wonderful. L&L

This is simple to use and beautifully made. My granddaughter (6 weeks old) is captivated by the books and the mobile. I had not realised before that babies like black and white and have been delighted at how pleased my granddaughter is with this set. Mum, England

Brilliant. My baby loved it from 3 weeks old The mobile and books are brilliant. My baby was very interested in them from about 3 weeks old and now he's 6 weeks he loves the books too. They are great for keeping him happy while i am changing his nappy - i prop them up either side of his changing mat and he looks at them quietly. Before he would cry! Amy, UK

Books and Mobile Set - a MUST buy I had to write a quick review for this item as it has truly been one of our best buys for our baby so far and one of our cheapest!. The books (I have paperbacks) are a good size and of good quality each containing bold images and patterns (examples of which are shown on the pack cover). Easy to assemble, the mobile came into its own when our son was approximately 5 weeks old and at 13 weeks he still seems to be endlessly fascinated by it which has made changing time easy and enjoyable -albeit a touch longer! Worth ever penny honestly. Brqo

Good purchase I purchased this product for my four month old baby. I wasn't sure whether to buy this as I understood that newborns were responsive to black and white but wasn't sure whether a four month baby would be. I found that my baby was not so responsive to books 1 & 2 but very responsive to books 3 & 4. My baby responds to the pictures for some period of time. The mobile that is provided is very good but you have to figure out a hanging mechanism for the mobile to be used ie you are given the string and the moible objects but you have to decide how to hang it for your baby. All in all I think the four books and the mobile are very good value for money. I was motivated to buy this as I understand that black and white is a good stimulus for babies. I would recommend this product. Burlington

Great mobile for above moses basket I found this pack whilst searching for a mobile that was suitable for using with a moses basket (most are too heavy or won't attach). This pack ended my long and fruitless search. The mobile is attached to the ceiling (ours is attached to the ceiling by the string provided via a drawing pin) so no worries about attaching it to the basket and my son absolutely loves it. It was a big hit from the first viewing! The four books in the pack are also very good. It appears to me that the intention is that you progress from book 1 to 4 as your babies eyesight develops but I think they are all good for entertaining a bored baby whatever their age! Mrs T

Brilliant item Fantastic mobile, easy to put together and my baby loved it right away. She was only 3 weeks old but was transfixed! The books that come with the mobile are great too, especially the smiley faces which my baby loves to look at. Kerry Holmes

The items in this pack engaged my little boy from 2 weeks old which I believe has helped with his development. J. Bean

Babies do love black&white!!! I would really recommend this to anyone with a newborn baby. I got this for my little boy and it entertains him no end. He gets really excited lying underneath the mobile, get it spinning and his legs start going. The four books start off really simple and advances through to a bit more complicated in the last one. Nice to have bite size bits to entertain the little one. It comes in a gift pack so it's brilliant to give as a present as well. I'm planning to get it for my friend who is expecting her first later this year, because babies really do love black&white. Magpie mum, West Midlands

Excellent product I ordered this product for my 3 weeks old baby. She loves the mobile. I am sure she will like the books, after she grows up a little. Anon

Excellent! Bought this not expecting much and put the mobile above our little ones changing table. He loved it from when we put it up (around 8weeks)I had to take it down when he could stand up as he pulled on the spiral in the middle and tore it. The books were brilliant and really held his attention more than any of his toys. I really enjoyed sharing the books with him and now he is a bit older (15months) he still loves books. Mrs. P. k. Jones "mum", Olney, UK

Brilliant brilliant brilliant!! Our 7 week old absolutely loves the mobile- it is above the changing table and she just watches it entranced. The books are good too! Excellent product and very good value for money! Highly recommended! Edmund, Glasgow

I bought this as a gift for first time parents who were delighted with it. J. Kelly, London, UK

Excellent Mobile with these books My 11 week old daughter loves these books but I have to rave about the mobile that comes with them even more!!! I hung this over the changing table and she is still mesmerised by it at every change.... I would have paid double or more for this :-) Nichola

Amazing These 4 books and mobile are great value for money. They help very young babies to focus and track by providing a range of different black and white stimulation. Excellent for children with sight difficulties too- pictures are white on black and black on white. Books 1&2 have different patterns, Book 3 is made up of different faces and Book 4 is at a higher level with page covers that make crinkle sounds. My son loves looking at the mobile and the books, his favourite is number 2 book. AD

Best thing for a new baby! Amazing! I was a bit sceptical about this when I bought it but I'm amazed at how my baby responds. My baby is now 6wks old and we've used the mobile and books numbered 1-3 over the past couple of weeks (we haven't progressed onto book 4 yet as these are more complex shapes). I've hung the mobile over the cot using my existing mobile 'frame' and I've found it to be a god send when changing time comes. Baby is mesmerised by the images and most the time keeps her distracted long enough to get through the nappy change. We both love the time we spend together looking at the images. She's already started mimicking the faces, particularly the one bobbing its tongue out! She also seems to prefer the big dots to other shapes. This last week she has been showing more obvious signs of getting excited when she sees the mobile, wriggling and gurgling, even smiling this morning when she saw it. To get such reactions from a 5-6wk old baby I think is just amazing. It's clearly stimulating her and it's certainly helping with the bonding as we spend quality time together in between sleeps/feeds. I wouldn't be without this set now. I highly recommend this for any new baby. Update - baby is now nearly 6 months and she still loves the mobile! She still loves the books too even though we've progressed onto more colourful touchy feely ones as well. Johanne Parsons, Dudley, West Midlands, Uk

Fantastic product, especially the mobile which I have suspended above my changing table - my baby loves staring at it, especially if I blow on it to make it move. P. Dewsnap

I first saw the mobile in the health centre when I was weighing the baby. My little one was captivated by it, and so I got my own. I would say that it's the best toy/entertainment that I've bought for him - his reaction to it is just spooky - it amuses him for hours! The books are great too, and he loves staring at the shapes. I can't recommend the set, particularly the mobile enough. My son is 3 months old. We've had the set since he was about 8 weeks, and he still hasn't got the slightest bit bored of it. It would be brilliant gift for a new mum - I wish I'd known about it earlier. K. Bishop, London, UK

We bought this for a friend who's due her baby soon after having received one ourselves for our eldest child. Both our children have loved looking at the black and white shapes in the books and the mobile captivated our eldest one :) Definitely worth getting, even for the youngest baby. N.Topham, Hampshire, England

AMAZING!!! I bought this not fully convinced that babies could be attracted to something like this... but I was sincerely surprised! Form the moment I showed one of the images of the book to my 3 week old son... he focused all is attention to it and looked for it for a really long time! But what was really amazing is that he chose what he looked at, having some favourite images and some that he didn't care at all to look at! And the mobile... he hated to be changed and as soon as we put the mobile on top of the changing table he didn't complain any more. When he started growing he wanted to touch it, and smiled and laughed with it. We had to take it down one month ago because he destroyed it, but it was really worth all the fun it provided! It's a great idea for a gift, this is what I will start giving my friends when they have babies in the future! MKM

Showed these books to my little grandaughter at 3 weeks and she followed the shapes if only for a few seconds. Looking forward to spending more time going over them as she grows. Pamela G. Flett, Melbourne, AUSTRALIA

Fabulous! My little one has spent many hours talking to the mobile in this set - he absolutely loves it! Haven't started showing him the books yet but am sure he will be just as enthralled! P. Khagram

These books are fantastic. My 12 week old son loves them and it is great to see the reaction on his face when we reach his favourite page. I would recommend these books to anyone with a baby. C. Allen, Auckland, New Zealand

This is just fantastic- the mobile has been over my daughters changing mat since she was a week old (now 9 weeks) and shes loves it! It certainly clams her during the changing process. currently she seems to be far more visually orientated than other babies her age we know, (but this might be just her and nothing to do with the product, or just that i spend so much more time with her). The books are great to look at for either long or short periods- fantastic! Blakie, Bucks

Very young babies have limited resolution vision, can see only a short distance, find it hard to focus and can not perceive colours. The bold, simple black and white shapes in book one catch even a very young babies attention and are a brilliant way to interact with a new baby once the initial excitement of having them home has worn off and they have passed the initial 3-4 day sleeping period but do not yet "do much". You won't regret this purchase for that period and it will become your baby's first favourite book and be the source of some of your first interactions and development points (e.g. head tracking an image). Books 2-4 start to introduce more involved images, pair of images with their photographic negatives, faces and simple renderings of real world objects such as beach balls but to be honest we've not used these as much preferring to get our son to interact with us and the real world, mobiles etc...worth the asking price just for the first book though and some of our friends have found the other books more useful. Peter A. J. Bennett

This is a nice product to start getting interactive with your child. My son loves the books and can stare at his mobile for hours if given the chance. Sarah B

We bought this book set to take on holiday. We were absolutely amazed by Hannah's response to the books. Hannah was 16 weeks when the books arrived; she would try to grab the images and would coo at the faces. Hannah has favourite images and will stare at those images for well over ten minutes. If she is crying she can be comforted by looking at her favourite image; my friend describes them as 'magic books'. The cot mobile is as equally effective as the books, Hannah is content to stay in her cot and look at the images. The only disappointing aspect is that the books are so well used that we may have to purchase another set. This would certainly be my choice for a baby gift. A. Douglous-Brusby

Very good buy This is one of the best things I have bought for my baby. Excellent value for money as get 4 progressive books plus a mobile (though have yet to assemble this- already have an Infant Stim mobile given as a present). Our little one is already smiling at the faces in book 3, and he is only 9 weeks old. He doesn't quite like book 2, but still enjoys book 1. Going to start on book 4 soon. Well worth the buy. Jacqueline Yap

Excellent, my son absolutely loves looking at these books his favourite book is book 3 with the faces. But he especially loves the mobile and he always has a massive smile everytime he sees it. S.Tyler

Great buy for a newborn I bought this for both my babies, and have given it to quite a few friends' babies too. Without fail, everyone has said how much their newborn enjoyed the gift, particularly the mobile. It's one of the few gifts that the newborn really engages with. Best thing is to put the mobile above the changing mat so they have something to look at while they're having their nappy changed - which is a LOT! V. Fantl

Excellent Like another reviewer I bought this for the books but the Mobile was by far the best. I tied it above the pram and my son loves looking at it - it also keeps him from getting bored (and crying!) if we are out and about. Great first books for your baby. They really do study them and have a favourite image. Each four books progress with age. A must for your baby! C.Salmon

Gets 'em smiling! I haven't introduced the books to my 11 week old twins yet but have been using the mobile over their changing table for about 4 weeks now. They are so animated by it and it guarantees lots of smiles from both babies. The mobile is a little fiddly and delicate to assemble but has stood up to lots of tugging and spinning by my husband and myself so far. I'll try the books this week but the effect of the mobile alone was worth the money. Sally

Colour is Dead, Long live Black n White!! This is a great little set, the mobile seems cheap and tacky especially if you've forked out loads on the nice coulourful ones but that doesn't seem to bother baby, she loves it. Don't get me wrong she doesn't laugh and smile at it but we've placed it over the changing table and sometimes she will not settle when changing but now as soon as she's under it she's transfixed. it's lovely just to watch her entranced with it! The books are great as well, 4 of them and each one becomes a little more detailed. Again she will stop all wriggling and whining when faced with the pages of this book, I look forward to when she can actually vocalise and show her reactions that way. Do not be put off by the fact it's all black and white, it may seem poor to us but to baby it's a wonder! D. Yarnell

I bought this for the books but the Mobile was by far the best! It looks a bit flimsy but I set it up *Tied it to a coat hanger* and used it all around the house (Hanging it on lightshades), especially when the baby had colicy moments, I'd spend the witching hours of the evening spinning it and baby just stared at it - worked till he was 6 months old! I have bought one for every new mum I know and they have all said it is the daddy! I'm just about to buy one now for my cousin! Mrs. Ha Buckley

I recently purchased this set and I am extremely happy with it. My baby is only 6 weeks old but he responds really well to the pictures in the books and to the mobile. The 4 books contain simple shapes and faces that are either white on black or black on white and the mobile is very easy to put together - I have actually hung the mobile parts off the arches on the baby gym so that he can look at them whilst he plays. The books could also be used as flash cards when he gets older with the name of the shape or object written underneath. This item was a really good price too. Clare, Berkshire

We bought this for our son when he was born. He loved it and we loved watching him loving it! We have bought it for all the new babies we know. They also love it and their parents love watching them loving it too! Have got it out in preparation for our next little one and can't wait to see their reaction. A definite must for all babes and parents.... Mr. W. M Habgood

I bought this along with Faces (Baby's very first book) after reading reviews on amazon, because I wanted to find something that would interest my very young baby. Well these books are great. Baby absolutely loved them, especially book 3 with all the faces. So simple, but he absolutely loved it and it was so funny to watch all his little expressions and cooing noises as he stared at the pictures. This is a must for young babies and I have recommended it to all my friends! C. Hamill

Our baby boy is now 3 months and has enjoyed these since birth. I am buying them for my friends having babies. Sarah Stafford

I buy this for all my friends with new babies, it's so much fun seeing how much tiny babies are taking in and learning even in the first few weeks and months. I thoroughly recommend this. Liz Edgington

I bought this for my nephew - unfortunately it was put away in a box and forgotten about! A year later, my week old baby loves it!! She is now almost 7 weeks old and we can now tell what shapes she likes and dislikes! It's great to provoke and recognise a reaction in such a young baby - it has strenghtened the bond as we can play and read together. Well worthwhile! A Shields

 I love the books and the mobile –this will be the fourth set I have bought for myself and friends – more to the point my daughter loves them and we sit quietly every night after her tea looking at them ( she is 4 months). It is amazing how she really focuses on them and did from a few weeks old. I found your site by looking for black and white babies books. Zoe Dennis

Just to say that a friend recommended the shapes books and mobile and I think they are fantastic or rather Toby my 7 week baby does!! They really keep him entertained and on a visit to Queen Charlottes maternity hospital the consultants were fascinated by the books so I gave them the website - keep up the good work! Anna Moore

Thank you for sending the Baby Shapes set so promptly. I was very impressed when they arrived on my doorstep the next day! My 10 week old daughter loves the mobile. She will happily lie in her cot and look at it for ages. It often keeps her amused first thing in the morning when she wakes up and gives mummy a little bit more sleep! She likes the books too. She has just started sticking her tongue out at me when I stick mine out at her. I wonder if she will do this with the faces in the book? I will try and see. Keep up the good work.
Emma Sedgwick and Amelia aged 10 weeks.