A tummy time must-have, stimulate your baby’s imagination and their muscles in one-go with a baby play mat. It’s a newborn essential you don’t really know you need straight off the bat and one that we tell all our pregnant friends to put on their shopping lists. Baby play mats can help to develop gross motor skills, and can also provide a safe place for your baby to play while you attend to other tasks. Keep reading to find out why you need one, what to look for and our top picks to help you choose the best baby play mat out there.
What is a baby playmat?
A playmat is a piece of padded material that provides a safe space for a newborn baby or small child to play. They are generally made from rubber or foam, or other soft fabrics. These mats are often designed with bright colours, interesting patterns, or various textures to stimulate small children.
Why you need a baby floor mat?
Wondering why you need one still? A baby play mat is a padded mat designed for infants and toddlers to play on. This safe padded space is where your bubba is going to get their very first workouts in as they strengthen their necks and shoulder muscles and learn to roll over. Bonus reason- it’s also seriously essential for giving you some much needed hands-free time to get s**** done (like brushing your hair in peace!).
Some other important reasons include:
- Hand-eye coordination: Set up a play gym on top of your mat to get in some hand-eye coordination skills. Your little one will have fun learning to reach for toys resting above them.
- Motor skill development: Again use a play gym on top of your mat to get in some motor skill practice as they try to grasp onto their toys.
- Cognitive skills: A colourful mat will stimulate their vision and imagination. Plus, if you’re using the play gym you can also stimulate their sense of touch.
What age to use a play mat?
One of the best things about them is that play mats are safe to use from newborns onwards! At the newborn age, a play mat is best used as a safe place to keep your little one when you want to have some hands-free time. Whilst a newborn baby won’t be rolling around yet, if you set your mat up with an activity gym, the dangling toys will serve to capture their attention and keep them settled. Where these mats really become valuable though is from around the three month old age. At this point it’s safe to start tummy time, although you should aim to keep it short and sweet (like 5 minutes, three times daily). From four months of age, tummy time can go up to an hour and your little one might even start learning to roll over. At the six month old mark, the activity gym will serve useful for helping your child develop their hand-eye coordination as they sit up and try to reach for their toys.
How to choose your baby playmat Australia?
So what exactly should you look for in a baby mat now you know you need one? When choosing a baby play mat, consider the size, thickness, and material. There’s a few basics to consider including:
- Padded play mat: A foam play mat is ideal here. You want something comfy and squishy to cushion your little one as they roll around and protect them from any falls during tummy time. Most baby play mats are made from soft, durable materials such as foam or fabric.
- Waterproof playmat: We don’t mean to be Debbie downers, but babies and mess sort of go together like a bottle of bubbles and oysters. Read - choose waterproof, always! It’ll make life easier and save you time cleaning up any accidents which are bound to happen from time to time.
- Bright and bold colours: We say opt for exciting colours that will stimulate your little one’s imagination and interest. However, if you’re wanting to get longevity out of your mat, choose something that will suit their nursery room or play area even when they’re no longer practicing tummy time.
- Portable: The average size of a baby play mat is around 4 feet by 6 feet. Get a kids play mat that’s easy to move around the house from their nursery to the living room so you can stimulate your little one as you work around them.
- Safety: We know we don’t need to tell you this but obviously you want to always buy a non toxic playmat given your baby will be lying on it and face planting from time to time. Choose a mat made from PVC and BPA-free materials to keep play time safe.
4 Best Baby Play Mats in 2022
At the memo, we know you don’t have time to read through crazy long lists of the top 20 baby play mats in Australia (seriously who does?!) And frankly, we can’t think of anything more overwhelming (or unhelpful) of scrolling through endless options at a time when everything is new. We’re here to cut through the crap and give it to you straight. Just the four best baby activity mats to choose from depending on your personal tastes, space available and individual needs. Without further ado, we give you our no-nonsense round-up of children’s play mats to add to your nursery.
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