When it comes to buying baby gear, a playmat or play gym is a must-have. These baby activity centers help your child reach important developmental milestones while also giving weary parents a bit of a break.
And, ever since the Academy of Pediatrics recommended that babies sleep on their backs for safety reasons, pediatricians say that daily tummy time is vital for every child’s timely growth and development.
Tummy time helps babies get stronger so they can lift their heads, roll over and eventually crawl and sit up. But some babies protest because tummy time is a lot of work! That’s why a good playmat with lots of activities can help make tummy time fun and productive, and get your baby moving in the right direction.
When it comes to choosing a gym there a few basic things to examine:
Padding: Mat must be thick and padded so that the baby is comfortable.
Size: Mat must be large enough to enable your baby to roll over from back to tummy and back.
Motion: The whole idea of the gym is to keep baby entertained and to promote health development. In order to encourage eye tracking skills during the first months the higher-end gyms offer mobiles or some sort of motion.
Activities: The more the merrier! Baby gyms are designed to promote gross motor skills by encouraging baby to reach out. That’s why the gyms offer a variety of toys. It’s important to examine the toys and check out their quality and texture. Cheap gyms use cheap plastic toys while higher-end gyms offer multiple textured plush toys.
Here are some of the best playmats designed with your baby’s development in mind.
Yookidoo Gymotion® Robo Playland
If there’s any baby gym mat that would make a seasoned mother of six believe she needs another child, this is it! Yookidoo’s Gymotion® Robo Playland is the ultimate baby activity center. Parents magazine agrees because they just named it the Toy of the Year for 2015.
The best part about this playmat is the motorized Magic Motion Track™ that drives figures back and forth across the mat, keeping babies attention and promoting eye tracking skills. This is a patented feature and the first of its kind among baby play gyms. It will keep your little one entertained through all three stages of developmental play:
During Lay & Play, the Magic Motion Track™ is above your child between two padded arches. You can attach one of two soft toy robots or a flower face rattle to help develop depth perception and eye movement. There’s also a mirror to entertain your little one.
When your child is ready for Tummy Time, a puppy pillow helps strengthen neck muscles and the Magic Motion Track™ easily connects to the mat so that he or she can reach out for it.
And, during Sit & Play, your child will love taking over and controlling the motorized Magic Motion Track™ by him or her self.
Another big plus is that this baby playmat is super easy to fold up compactly and can be stowed away in your home or even your suitcase so you won’t have to invest in another playmat when you travel or leave the mat out when you’re not using it.
When it comes to cost, the Yookidoo Gymotion® Robo Playland is a great value. At just $70 on Amazon, you’re getting years of play at home and on the go for a great price.
https://yookidoo.com/product/gymotion-robo-playland/
Tiny Love Gymini Super Deluxe
This baby playmat’s main feature is a musical touchpad that entertains your child with Mozart or nursery rhymes. The bright jungle theme surrounds your child in color. During Lay & Play, your baby can reach for dangling toys including a soft giraffe rattle, a colorful bead teether, a toy elephant and a parrot.
There’s also a mirror attached to this playmat and a peek-a-boo activity. This playmat takes you through just two developmental stages of play: Lay & Play and Tummy Time.
As for convenience and portability? The criss-cross arches break down but can be bulky if you’re travelling in a compact car or on a plane.
This playmat is sold in Target for about $48.
https://www.tinylove.com/en/gymini-activity-gyms/gymini-super-deluxe-lights-music
Rainforest™ Melodies & Lights Deluxe Gym™
This baby activity center made by Fisher-Price is listed as a best seller on Amazon. Your little one will learn through an array of sensory experiences including 20 minutes of continuous music, rainforest sounds and lights. Soft toys attach to padded arches overhead so your baby can learn to reach and grasp.
These detachable toys can then be linked to the mat when your baby is ready for tummy time. But it does not extend into the Sit & Play phase of development as it was created for just two modes of play: Lay & Play and Tummy Time.
As for portability, the Rainforest™ Melodies & Lights Deluxe Gym™ is definitely a stay-at-home toy built to last. The criss-cross arch is sturdy and solid so it doesn’t fold down completely like the Yookidoo. But at a price of $50 on Amazon, you could spring for a less expensive travel baby gym mat that’s great for use at home during that precious first year.
Caterpillar Kickin’ Tunes Activity Gym™
Baby Einstein is known for its classical music integrations and this baby play mat does not disappoint. Eight classical melodies play for your baby’s enjoyment for 20 minutes when parents turn it on. Otherwise, your baby controls the music by kicking it on and off, teaching your child cause and effect and encouraging leg strength.
The overhead canopy is a sensory explosion featuring brightly colored animals, bugs and trees. A bright green mirror and a watermelon teether are also included.
This is a great baby activity center for small areas in the home because it doesn’t take up a lot of space. Although on the downside, as your baby gets bigger and ready for Tummy Time, there’s not much room for them to move around.
But at just $40 on Amazon, this is a good starter baby playmat for folks who live in small spaces or aren’t sure if their baby will want or need a playmat.
https://www.kidsii.com/brands/baby-einstein/90682-caterpillar-kickin-tunes-activity-gym
Skip Hop Explore & More Amazing Arch™ Activity Gym
This baby gym mat has the usual features including a teething toy and animals that hang over and around your baby for grasping and eye development. In particular, there’s a dancing fox that is sound activated and a peek-a-boo owl that appears at the pull of a string to teach cause and effect. There are not many toys and some of them are too far above for baby to reach.
The main feature that differentiates this baby playmat from the others is a pocket for your smartphone on the padded arches. Family far away can watch your little one or you can turn on the camera and it becomes a mirror for your baby.
One of the downsides of this baby playmat is that it is difficult to disassemble and store. So forget about packing it for travel.
Also, Amazon lists this playmat at $90. Add on the extra toys that you buy separately and you’ll be paying well over $100. This mat has some great features if you’re ok with keeping your playmat set up in the living room or nursery.
https://www.skiphop.com/explore-more-amazing-arch-baby-activity-gym
About Kathleen:
Baby Products Expert Kathleen Tomes is the President of Brilliant Kid Products, and the name her company really says it all. She has appeared on more than 50 television shows across the country over the past six years. You can check out a few of our favorites from KNBC Los Angeles, Good Morning Arizona (Phoenix), Good Morning Northwest (Portland) and NBC News San Diego. She is fun, informative and gets rave reviews from both the talent and the viewers. More information about Kathleen and her company is available on the Brilliant Baby Products website:
Win it:
Yookidoo has kindly offered, one lucky Born 2 Impress reader, the chance to win a free Yookidoo Gymotion® Robo Playland!
To enter this giveaway, please use the Giveaway Tools form below:
Please use the Giveaway Tools form for ALL entries. Except for the initial comment. Please leave comments containing 3 – 4 sentences in order to qualify- Comments like I like this or I want to win will not count! Contest open to the US residents with a valid street address. No PO Boxes please. This contest is void where prohibited.
The Crawl N Go Snail looks like fun.
Each of my kids responded differently to tummy time, but I did it with each one.
Thanks for the chance.
I would also love to try out the Lights & Music First Book, especially for the crib! Yes, we do tummy time! Thanks for the chance at this!
I think my son would love the Submarine Spray Station. But with so many nieces and one on the way, there is so much there! It’s hard to decide.
I’d love to get the Stack Flap ‘N’ Tumble for my little one. I love that this toy makes noise, has different textures and helps with hand eye coordination with the stacking. We do lots of tummy time in our house!
All their products look great! It’s a new brand for me- haven’t heard of them til this post. We do lots of tummy time! Work those neck muscles haha
I like the Flow ‘N Spill Spout. It’s colorful and you know how kids love to play with water. They just may get clean while soaking and playing.
My kids are grown, with no kids of their own. I do have lots of young nieces and nephews that I get to spend time with. My favorite from the site is the Crawl ‘N’ Go Snail.
Yes – we LOVE tummy time! Also, I love the Flow ‘N’ Fill Spout! So unique and neat!
I love all of the interactive toys, my niece is expecting her first baby in June and this gives me some great ideas for presents. I love the activity playland’s they would be great to keep at a couple of different houses that the baby will be at. I also love that I can order from Amazon, I have a prime account and it makes it easy to get stuff quickly.
I would love to try the Flow ‘N’ Fill Spout! My son and I do tummy time. He’s starting to like it more and more!
The submarine spray station seems great.yes,because tummy time is important. This would be perfect.
There are a lot of great things on this site. My fav is the princess play set!
Everything is so cute. I would love to try out the Princess Play Set.
I would also love to try the Flow ‘N’ Fill Spout, this way my daughter will be entertained. It will get her to moving. I have not tried tummy time, but will start.
I love the Discovery Playmat! This would be easy to transport to different parts of my house and outside. Plus I could take it to family members’ houses!
demureprincess7(at)gmail(dot)com
We are expecting this summer so I haven’t had the joy of tummy time yet. But after playing with the nephews and nieces, I think it will be great and would love to win a great play mat to help the TT activities 🙂
In particular, I think the Discovery Playmat looks like a real winner. The challenge will be keeping the cats from playing with the baby’s toys!
My son would really enjoy the Discovery Playhouse. I love how interactive these products are. They will keep babes of all ages busy and engaged. Thanks for the chance.
The Discovery Playhouse sounds like days full of fun and entertainment.
Baby is not born yet but definitely planning tummy time, hope he likes it and I heard a lot of babies hate it.
I would love to try the Submarine Spray Station. We try to do tummy time but our little guy is not a big fan of it.
I really love the Crawl and Go Snail! I know my little girl would love it : )! Also, we do to Tummy Time. We try and do it at least 3-4 times a day, in about 15 minute sessions. She is getting so close to rolling over : )!!
I love the Gymotion™ Activity Playland!! So many pretty colors! i love the Magic Motion track, works for older kids too!
I really like the Pull Along Whistling Duck, too. It reminds of similar toys from my own childhood. This would be for a relative whose little one just turned 2 months, & I know she does tummy time with him. This would be big fun for him.
Our little guy is 7 weeks old and we definitely try to do a little bit of tummy time each day. Right now he doesn’t like it but I think that will change soon.. I bet he’d like it a lot more if he had a cool playmat like this one! I checked out their site and also like the Discovery Playmat.
I think that the stack n spary tub fountain would be great to have for bath time. Thank you for the entry.
I like Stack ‘N’ Spray Tub Fountain my nephew would love this.
I like the discovery playhouse. I think my granddaughter would love it. She currently goes to a gym for the little ones where they do all kinds of activities.
I like the Musical Duck Race. I think my niece would really love it once she is big enough. She was just born on Saturday.
We love to have tummy time together. I think she would love the Stack Flap ‘N’ Tumble. I know she will enjoy the sounds it makes. The sounds seem to catch her attention and make her laugh.
They have a lot of nice things for baby. I would like to have their Crawl ‘N’ Go Snail for my niece. It looks like a lot of fun.
Love the playmats! My daughter is 6 but my sister in law is due in May and I would love this for her. I just checked out the site and I fell in love with the Lights & Music First Book. So cool!
The Stack N Spray Tub Fountain would be great for my daughter. She loves bath time.
I like the Discovery Playhouse. It looks like it would be so fun and entertaining! We definitely believe in tummy time, although baby has never been a big fan!