Best Play Mats in the UK

Review & Comparison, Last Update February 1, 2024
From the moment of birth, baby works hard to control muscles and explore the world around. A baby gym is an ingenious tool that will ...Read more
PROS

With the help of the removable book, children can develop communication skills while playing together. The musical toy develops hearing and creates a positive atmosphere. It is convenient to play with the baby when he is on his tummy using the open arches mode.

CONS

Difficult to pack into a box for storage.

OUR VERDICT

A mat for very young children with adjustable arches and a large number of developmental elements, which helps young ones explore the world around them, develop creativity and emotional intelligence.

detailed parameters
AGE (WEIGHT)

0-6 months

DEVELOPMENT

18 developmental elements

FUNCTIONS AND USABILITY

Adjustable detachable bars, washable mat, safety mirror, take-along book, detachable toys

POWER SOURCE

‎3 x RL batteries

DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT

45 x 88 x 78 cm

WARRANTY

Amazon's 30-day return policy

PROS

Children will enjoy meeting with the characters of their favorite cartoons. Fish Nemo, Dory, Squirt and Pearl are available. Includes a comfortable pillow in the form of a shell to support the child.

CONS

The arch is pretty flimsy.

OUR VERDICT

Both parents and children will be able to plunge into the world of Disney characters. The backlight will make the movements of the toys look real. The mat is very easy to assemble, disassemble and clean.

detailed parameters
AGE (WEIGHT)

0-36 months

DEVELOPMENT

Light and music show, familiar cartoon fish

FUNCTIONS AND USABILITY

Machine washable mat, prop pillow, removable toys

POWER SOURCE

‎3 х AA batteries

DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT

45.7 x 91.4 x 81.3 cm

WARRANTY

Amazon's 30-day return policy

PROS

Thanks to the Magic Touch technology, a child can play the piano with a single touch of a finger or a kick of a foot. The songs are available in 4 languages (English, Spanish, French and German).

CONS

The base mat is thin, so it might not work best on a hard floor.

OUR VERDICT

With 70 sounds and 7 toys to explore in multi-sensory play, this rug will spark your child's curiosity from day one. And the included pillow with support helps to make the time spent with the game as comfortable as possible.

detailed parameters
AGE (WEIGHT)

0-36 months

DEVELOPMENT

Learning languages and the basics of music

FUNCTIONS AND USABILITY

Machine washable mat, 1 prop pillow and piano included, removable toys

POWER SOURCE

‎3 х AA batteries

DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT

45.72 х 86.36 x 68.58 cm

WARRANTY

Amazon's 30-day return policy

PROS

Pleasant to the touch material, children develop through tactile elements and fun songs. After the child grows up, the blanket can be used in everyday life, such as for picnics or naps.

CONS

Wrinkles easily.

OUR VERDICT

A large, bright and very comfortable baby rug that introduces the child to animals and the sounds they make. Lots of different simple elements to interact with.

detailed parameters
AGE (WEIGHT)

0-12 months

DEVELOPMENT

The study of the characteristics of animals, sound accompaniment

FUNCTIONS AND USABILITY

The mat is machine washable and folds easily into a bag with handles

POWER SOURCE

Not required

DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT

1 x 100 x 100 cm

WARRANTY

14 working days

PROS

Play tiles are safe and non-toxic (free of lead, BPA and other chemicals), which is very important when toddlers explore them with their fingers and mouth. The design is very attractive, the play area can be laid out with tiles, a house can be built, etc.

CONS

Can be easily scratched by pets with claws.

OUR VERDICT

This set of 27 tiles is suitable for decorating a child's entire room. They are painted in six vibrant colours and fit together like a giant jigsaw puzzle to promote fine motor skills and colour perception.

detailed parameters
AGE (WEIGHT)

24-48 months

DEVELOPMENT

Beautiful and bright decoration of the nursery, the study of colours

FUNCTIONS AND USABILITY

Easy to clean with damp cloth & mild soap

POWER SOURCE

Not required

DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT

1 x 30 x 30 cm (each tile)

WARRANTY

Amazon's 30-day return policy

Creative Stimulation

Young toddlers love anything that provides external sources of stimulation for their learning and creativity. With the Tiny Love Black and White Gymini Baby Play Mat, you can rest assured that your baby will have plenty of stimulation to keep them occupied during their play time. This play mat features two intersecting arches that have an adjustable design to let you set it in the best position to allow your baby full access to the toys that hang from it. Among these is a hedgehog that plays music when the toy is played with, which is sure to capture your baby's attention and hold it. Also featured is a take-along book that contains various shapes and images that will help foster your child's creativity while also helping to develop their communication skills when they show you or a friend their favourite images.

The mat itself is surprisingly comfortable and should provide a safe and comfortable play space for any child that is 6 months old or younger. The adjustable arches are also removable and can be put in place or removed whenever necessary. The various included toys that hang from the arches are also durable enough to withstand strong play from your child, so you shouldn't need to worry about them breaking easily. If there is anything to complain about here, it would be that the various components don't really fit together well in order to store inside a box when not in use, although this is a minor complaint. Overall, we are certain that any baby should find their time on this play mat to be a fun and stimulating experience.

Additional Info

User Manual     Manufacturer

Last updated price £62.49
Stock In stock
ASIN B07J5NPX12

Fun and Creative

Children love to identify with familiar characters, especially those from their favourite films. The creators of the Bright Starts Finding Nemo Ocean Baby Activity Gym and Play Mat were well aware of this when they created their play mat to feature characters from the Disney film Finding Nemo. The cute fish characters adorn this play mat and will be sure to garner instant recognition and delight from your young child.

Of course, this play mat doesn't rely solely on having recognizable characters in order to provide a fun and exciting space for your infant. Featuring a canopy design with arches that hold various toys in the shape of Finding Nemo characters, your child will find this play mat to be one of their favourite places to spend time, keeping them captivated with plenty of audio and visual stimulation.

The toys contain more than 20 minutes of musical melodies that will play when the toys are interacted with, providing a fun audio experience for your infant. On top of that, the provided canopy not only helps give a fully entertaining and visually stimulating view whether your child is on their back or belly, but also even includes magical lights that will be sure to delight any child.

Assembling and disassembling the mat are both quite easy, and should take no more than a minute. The mat is also very easy to clean, so your child can enjoy a freshly clean space to play. Overall, there simply aren't many drawbacks to this play mat, making this a great purchase for any infant up to 3 years of age.

Additional Info

User Manual

Last updated price £55.99
Stock In stock
ASIN B0036RKGHQ

Multisensory Fun

When it comes to toys and other items meant for a baby's amusement, the more that it has that can help stimulate your young one's mind, the better. Thankfully, this is exactly what you get with the Baby Einstein 4-in-1 Kickin' Tunes Music Play Mat. With 70 sounds and 7 toys to explore in multi-sensory play, this playmat will spark your child's curiosity and help stimulate their creativity from day one. The mat features the typical crossbars that you tend to find on other similar playmats, from which most of the included toys hang. Rather than just being standard plastic crossbars, though, these are padded to help make them more pleasant to the touch as well as to provide a safer place for your child to play. The included pillow with support also helps to make the time spent playing on the mat as comfortable as possible.

Of course, this playmat includes more than just toys and bright colours for visual stimulation. You also get some pretty relaxing and fun tunes with a total playtime of 25 minutes included that will play while your baby spends time on the mat. What's more, the included songs feature phrases in four different languages: English, Spanish, French, and German. This can help give your young one exposure to foreign languages, which can be extremely helpful for them to grow up becoming a polyglot. If you're looking for a playmat for your child of 3 years or younger, then there is plenty to love about this particular model.

Last updated price £49.99
Stock In stock
ASIN B07MPCCDM7

Extra Large Playmat

One of the downsides to many of the playmats featured on this list is that their small dimensions mean that your child will inevitably outgrow it, probably sooner rather than later. On top of that, once the child is old enough to start moving around on their own, such small playmats will most often not hold the child in place for very long. If you're looking for a good solution to this problem, then the Galt Toys, Inc. Wool Large Playmat should be right up your alley. Featuring a large size of 100 cm x 100 cm, your young one will have plenty of space to play, roll over, and crawl around, all while being given the same type of visual stimulation that such a young child needs.

Just having a large footprint is far from all that this playmat has going for it. The mat itself is very nicely decorated with bright, colourful images that will help stimulate your child's visual senses. Along with these images, you also get different textures as well as a few attached toys that provide both touch and audio stimulation, helping to ensure that your child won't grow bored as there is plenty to do while on the mat.

What's really nice about this large mat, though, is that you won't have to worry about your child quickly outgrowing it. Even once they are old enough to start crawling, this playmat can still provide a nice, comfortable play area. About the only downside we can find here is that the mat does tend to wrinkle quite easily, but keeping it folded up nicely while not in use should help prevent the wrinkles from getting too bad. All in all, this large playmat is a great option for those who want something bigger than what the other playmats provide.

Additional Info

    Manufacturer

Last updated price £22.73
Stock In stock
ASIN B00BHW5YQU

Multicoloured Play Tiles

To take a departure from the other products that have been reviewed here, this pack of 27 foam play tiles gives you the ability to help create a fun and exciting play environment for your child. Unlike the other mats in this review, these play tiles are made of foam and contain interlocking edges that allow you to create not only a large, comfortable play area for your young one, but also even create some interesting shapes and designs as well.

Each foam pad included in this set measures 29 cm x 29 cm, and also provides enough thickness to help create a comfortable environment in any room, even if they are placed on a hard floor. Each mat is coloured in one of 6 different colours, allowing you to create either matched or mismatched patterns for the play surface. Children who are just learning how to talk will love being able to identify and say each of the colours, while also having their imagination stimulated.

As we mentioned before, these tiles are useful for more than just using as a playmat. Thanks to the design of the interlocking edges, you can also create certain shapes with each tile, including a square box, rectangle, or even a shape that looks similar to a house with a roof. In short, the play tiles can serve as their own toys, helping to spark your child's imagination while giving them a safe and comfortable place to play.

Additional Info

    Manufacturer

Last updated price £20.99
Stock In stock
ASIN B085MW6LKX

What Is a Baby Gym?

The main task (and top priority) of a newborn is to discover the world around, meanwhile developing senses, fortifying muscle system and improving their motor skills. Therefore, parents need to bend every effort in this process to help the baby grow and learn. That's exactly what baby gyms have been designed for. So, what are baby gyms exactly? These are baby play mats with support arches that can be used for hanging a variety of toys and accessories to stimulate your baby's physical and mental development through play. Not only will these toys keep your little one amused and excited but also they will add to the educating process giving plenty of ways for your child to play and learn things. Be sure it won't take long before you find yourself engaged in all these games.

All parents of newborns will certainly appreciate bottle warmers to tackle the issue of uneven baby food warming once and for all and handy baby bath tubs to add comfort to baby bathing and make it a playful and enjoyable procedure.

What Features to Compare

Baby Age and Development

What you need to consider first of all before buying a baby gym is the age of your baby. Commonly, the recommended age is specified by manufacturers and labeled on the box. Yet, you still should be guided by the weight of your baby since many models have got their own maximum weight restrictions to prevent baby gym's deformation. Next, it is essential to check what skills a specific baby gym model will develop. Music options will stimulate hearing, lights work best for sight development while special baby activated effects will encourage baby for some extra activities. Consider the hanging toys too; they attract baby's attention, motivating a little one to reach for them, pull, stretch, squeeze and even taste some of them. The more toys there come in a set, the more exciting your play will be. A mirror is another useful accessory frequently found on baby gyms attached there for self-discovery delighting and enthusing your little adventurer.

Functionality and Usability

A variety of play modes will engage baby in play for a longer time. Some models boast continuous music, nature, and animal sounds playback promoting faster baby's development, improving the kid's memory and associative flow. A volume control will help you choose an optimal volume safe for a child and comfortable for you. Be sure to check thickness and softness of mat to be sure of your baby's comfort. For your convenience, it would be ideal if the mat was also machine washable. Some baby gyms allow adding extra lines for hanging more toys, and so, if that's what you think you need, consider this option too.

Power Source

For flawless full-scale operation, all appliances require a certain power source. In baby gyms, these are regular 2-3 AA or AAA batteries that activate sound and light effects. It would be good to have them included in the set to use a baby gym right out-of-the-box. If they are not, make sure to get some in advance and better more to have some in stock (batteries don't last long, you know that). We'd also recommend you to estimate the overall dimensions of the chosen baby gym to know whether it will look right in a room and won't be too heavy if moved to a different place.

Sources:

1. Heather Johnson Durocher Best Baby Games: Birth to 18 Months, Meredith Corporation.

2. 20 Fun, Silly, Development-Boosting Games to Play With Your Baby, BabyCenter.

3. Heather Corley 6 Things to Consider When Buying a Baby Play Gym, About. July 28, 2016.

4. Baby Development: Your 1-month-old, WebMD.

5. Sandra Gordon The Benefits of Playtime for Babies, Parents.

6. Heather Slee Hitting the Gym: Baby Gyms and Play Mats, EverydayFamily.

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