Which Playmat is best

Playmats Reviewed
If you’re a normal first-time parent, you may very well cry the first time you meander into a baby supply superstore. You’ll be handed one of those gift registry guns and set loose into unknown territory with no one to guide you. You’ll spend hours wandering aisles of safety gear, unheard of numbers of bottle and pacifier types, and toys that all seem very similar to unfamiliar eyes. As discussed elsewhere on this site, two such toys are the floor gym and the play mat. Chances are, if you’re reading this, you’ve already settled on purchasing a playmat instead of the gym. If so, here’s our guide to three of the top playmats on the market.

Tiny Love Super Mat
This gem of a mat is a full 59 x 59 inches, one of the largest sized playmats available and certain to provide your child plenty of space to play – even after they start to crawl. The quilted fabric is not only soft but beautiful with vivid pictures to keep your child occupied. Best of all, the mat folds nicely into an easy to manage shape for transport and comes equipped with carrying handles. Because it’s made of durable material and has this handy transport feature, the Tiny Love mat is ideal for indoor and outdoor use and will make a welcome accessory for any picnic. One fairly major drawback may be the mat’s washability. Such a large play mat may prove a challenge for smaller sized washing machines and trips to the laundromat may be necessary.

Edushape Play and Sound Mat
The Edushape combines the easy clean-up of foam mats with the entertainment value of fabric ones. While most foam mats come without any toy accessories, the Edushape mat includes one mirrored tile as well as musical foam flowers. Babies will love gazing at their reflection and playing with the interactive music while parents will love spray cleaning any messes that may occur. Additionally, at almost an inch thick, this mat will provide plenty of soft cushion should baby take a tumble. However, as with any foam tiled mat, this one will prove difficult to transport.

IQ Baby Busy Bee Playmat
This fabric playmat is beautifully patterned on both sides and babies will love seeing the images change as the mat is moved. The fun textured fabric sewn along the edges will provide lots of tactile play as small babies slowly explore the world around them. This mat folds into a fun “play triangle” and is great to keep children occupied on road trips or in their cribs. However, if you’re looking for a large mat to serve as play area for your child, the IQ Baby Busy Bee, at only 14 x 14 inches is not going to be the best pick.

Baby Playmats

Baby playmats (or play mats) haven't been around that long. I sure never had one when I was a kid and I doubt you did. I gotta say, I didn't know too much about baby playmats until I became a mom. And it only happened because mu sister said she wanted to my one for my little guy. It was then that my education into the world of playmats for babies began.

What exactly is a playmat?
At its simplest, a playmat is somewhere baby can play or lie. What's wrong with a floor, you may ask? Or a blanket or quilt? Well, a playmat does have a few advantages. For starters, your baby is less likely to come to any harm on a play mat. He or she will also find plenty to stimulate the senses and promote early development. Playmats are nearly always brightly colored and have fun designs. And they usually come with an array of toys. These range from rattles and texture swatches to teethers and music-makers. There are two types: fabric playmats and foam-tiled playmats

Fabric playmats
Fabric playmats are like souped-up quilts. Made of soft padded fabric, they vary quite a bit in size. The IQ Baby Busy Bee Playmat is only 14 inches square, whereas the Tiny Love Supermat measures 59 x 59 inches. Designs range from garish to prissy, from 'designer' to adorable. Which one appeals will depend on your tastes. They're easy to move from place to place and are best for really young babies.

Foam-tiled playmats
With interlocking foam tiles, you create a safe, cushioned play area. It's easy enough to dismantle a tiled mat and move it to another room or pack it away, but it's not as instantly portable as a fabric playmat. Tiles come in bright colors and often have pictures or letters that help your baby's learning. Tiled mats are better for growing babies as they allow space for crawling. And, as baby gets more mobile, you can add more tiles – and even cover an entire floor.

More on Baby Play Mats
Choosing a play mat should be fun. But like most things these days, with so many to choose from, it can be overwhelming. It also takes a while to spot the differences and work out what matters to you and what's not important. For a shortcut, you might want to visit www.babyplaymatsandgyms where you'll find a guide to the best playmats for babies and more tips on choosing a playmat.