Want to see a pregnant woman in a crib? There she is.
I made a mobile for our little boy. It’s a mix of rustic and modern — built from a manzanita branch with colorful circular disks suspended at varying lengths — and it genuinely makes me smile. Hanging it gave me a strange sense of readiness: “The mobile’s up — now the baby party can start.”
It’s similar to the mobile I made for Clara’s room, which used small wire-and-floral orbs, but this one was even simpler to assemble. Clara helped with parts of the project, which made it extra special.
I pulled a decorative manzanita branch out of storage — a pre-treated piece that had been bleached and cleaned — and decided to keep its natural finish. The branch provides a sturdy, organic anchor for the hanging elements and won’t shed bark over the crib. For the dangling disks I used two paper garlands I’d picked up on clearance. Their patterns didn’t match the nursery, so I painted them in coordinating colors.
We laid the paper pieces over cardboard and painted two coats to fully cover the original designs. Painting was a cooperative project — with a wiggly three-year-old interspersing stickers and enthusiasm — but it turned into a proud moment for Clara. She loves that she helped make something for “her baby.”
While the painted disks dried, I realized I needed more pieces to fill the branch evenly. I used white embroidery floss and craft paper to cut additional circles in three sizes. I traced household items (the paint bottle bases and a small cup) to keep the sizes consistent, cut paired circles so they could sandwich the string, and glued them together with Aleen’s Tacky Glue, encapsulating the embroidery floss between the two cardstock circles.
I kept the spacing similar to the original garlands — about two inches between disks — and made each strand roughly 25 inches long. Once everything was dry I tied the strands to the branch at different points to create a varied, dangling look. I suspended the branch over two chairs while I worked so the strands could hang freely as I attached them.
Clara eventually moved on to sticker duty on the window, and the cat came over to inspect the new decoration.
Because the mobile hangs over a crib, safety was a priority. Even though the finished piece is lightweight, we used three heavy-duty brass-plated plant hooks with long screws — two of them hit ceiling joists — and secured the branch with strong, nearly invisible fishing line. We tied the fishing line in three places (both ends and the central triangular section) and attached them to the ceiling hooks, which keeps the mobile high and stable. That’s how this pregnant lady ended up chilling in a crib.
This hanging method keeps the mobile well out of the baby’s reach and makes it easy to raise if needed. When the baby becomes more mobile we’ll lower the mattress, putting even more distance between little hands and the mobile.
The crib area feels sweeter now, like it’s ready to welcome a baby.
At first I wondered if the mobile should be larger to better fill the wall, but it’s almost three feet wide, about 16 inches deep, and 25 inches long. Any bigger and it might become intrusive when leaning into the crib, so this size is a practical balance of scale and function.
John ordered a couple of wallpaper samples to see if adding a backdrop behind the mobile would work visually — it’s an idea we’re both excited to try. We’ve also discussed painting an accent color between the built-ins, so the wall might evolve as the nursery comes together.
The room has come a long way from where it started…
…to what it looks like now.
Remaining tasks for the nursery include:
- considering wallpaper or an accent color for the wall behind the crib
- installing an overhead light on a dimmer (there’s currently no ceiling fixture)
- reconfiguring the closet for baby clothes (paint, add a second hanging bar or cubbies)
- adding final decorative touches and small accessories
- and, of course, bringing the baby home
We’re in the home stretch — both for the room and the pregnancy. At 33 weeks I’m still dealing with morning sickness, but mostly I’m excited to meet the little guy doing the macarena in my belly. I think he’s a very enthusiastic dancer.
Several readers recommended checking how the mobile looks from below, so here’s the view the baby will have: spinning slices of color against a branchy background. His eyes probably won’t focus on that for a while, but it’s nice to create an interesting overhead point of view.
I thought about adding small shapes at the bottom of each strand so they’d read flat from the baby’s perspective, but since the bedding already features marching elephants, I opted for simple, calming disks. The mobile can evolve as he grows — if he develops a fascination with animals or creatures we can add playful elements later, while keeping sleep time calm and soothing.
And because a grown man in a crib is sometimes funnier than a pregnant woman, here’s one last shot:
Are you making a mobile or finishing the last touches on a room of your own? Have you hung something playful in an unexpected place? I’m telling you — testing things out in a crib is oddly satisfying.
Psst- Want to know where we got something in our house or what paint color we used? Click the shop banner below to see the items referenced.
