When decorating your new baby's nursery, you lay out your baby's sleep aids, and then our favourite final touch is the cutest cot mobiles. More than just a statement piece in the room, it can practically help your little one as they make the best baby sleep aids. As parents, we know how difficult bedtime can be. Babies need the perfect sleeping conditions to drift off. Everything from room temperature to air conditions will affect how well your little one goes off to sleep. But with all the best intentions, a baby humidifier, three books and a song, sometimes it is best to just leave your little one to get themselves to sleep in their cot. The best cot mobiles at a glance: According to Dr. Harvey Karp, paediatrician and child development expert, "cot mobiles are a wonderful addition to any baby's nursery, as long as they are used correctly": Just like sleep toys, there's a wide range of cot mobiles available, from all-singing, all-dancing versions with built-in white noise machines, music and lights to simple, felt characters. Like most baby sleep aids, these mobiles have been specially designed to encourage your little one to drift off to sleep.

Cot mobiles can be very comforting to little ones when they wake up or whilst they are trying to fall asleep. Whilst a mobile isn't a magic wand, it can help little ones whilst they learn to self-soothe and well, we are big fans of anything which helps us get a little more shut-eye.You might want a mobile that's just for decoration, rather than music and lights. So we've chosen a few cot mobiles that are simply designed without any fancy technology. The benefit of these, as well as looking beautiful, is that there's nothing mechanical to go wrong and no batteries to buy. Are cot mobiles a good idea? Make sure the strings on the mobile are 220mm long or less, any longer is considered an entanglement risk A cot mobile with an integrated night light can be a great way to soothe your little one. Light projectors can strengthen your little one's eye muscles and eye coordination skills. When testing these cot mobiles we considered a number of factors including effectiveness, design and aesthetic appeal, safety, value for money and added featured such as music and light projection.

If you choose a musical cot mobile, listen to the lullaby first. Remember that you'll be listening to these lullabies for several months. Some mobiles have the option of white noise, too, which can be extremely soothing for babies. However, some also feature playful tunes, which can be great for playtime. Be warned, choose the wrong song at bedtime, and you could get your baby excited rather than sleepy.