15 Best Baby Gym Mats
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A baby play mat in the nursery, or whatever room your child is spending time in is going to make playtime so much more enjoyable for your little one. Fantastic designs and bright, gorgeous colors have enriched the market in the last few years, and we are delighted to highlight some of the best baby play gyms in this buying guide.
We’ve selected the most reviewed and top-rated products, the majority of which are going to be a perfect fit for your little one. They can discover and explore colorful images and learn about objects, numbers, animals, or letters displayed on these beautiful baby gym mats. Each one is going to provide a safe and clean place for the baby to play on.
Without further ado, here’s the list of our top fifteen best baby gym mats on the market right now.
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Researched Sources
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Reviews Considered
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Hours Researching
25
Products evaluated
Fisher-Price Deluxe Kick 'n Play Piano Gym
We begin this list with the Deluxe Kick ‘n Play Piano Gym from Fisher-Price. If you like to let your kids listen to music to improve their mood and expand their minds, this baby play mat is perfect since it will allow them to develop that love of music on their own.
The best thing about this baby gym mat is the musical piano, which will make a noise every time your kid kicks or pats it, and because the keyboard itself is detachable, you can take it with you wherever you go.
When it comes to the mat, if you want them to stay on it, you will have to keep an eye on them, since there is no railing of other types of protection from them simply wandering off, and you may not be as fond of the non-stop musical loop as they are.
Benefits:
- Detachable piano
- Volume control
Tiny Love Meadow Days
The next item on our list is really neat because it is an extra-large play-mat, measuring at 59 by 39 inches with over ten things for your baby to play with and work on their senses and motor skills.
It can also be machine-washed, and it is available in three beautiful colors.
Aside from being fun and colorful, it is very comfortable since it is made of plush padding, and it can be used both inside and outside if you need to.
There are fun and engaging textures all around to promote tactile and motor development. There’s a padded mirror as well, which boosts facial recognition, and to soothe teething babies, there’s a teether in the shape of a carrot.
Benefits:
- Super-sized
- Includes a variety of textures
- Three color schemes available
Skip Hop Treetop Friends
One of the highest-rated baby gym mats on the market, the Treetop Friends Activity Gym from Skip Hop, provides a comfortable and safe environment for your baby to learn, play, or simply hang out in.
It folds easily to be stored or transported, and it is easy to take care of.
Your little one’s senses will be stimulated as they develop and grow with the interactive features this mat provides, including many textures, as well as a variety of fun toys for 1 year old boys and girls.
To make sure your baby has the support they need, there’s a Tummy Time pillow included as well. This baby play mat surpasses any safety standards set by the US government, and it does not contain any toxic materials or chemicals.
Benefits:
- Safe
- 17 activities
- Easy to clean
Lovevery
With one of the highest price points of baby play gyms out there, the Lovevery set our expectations high from the start.
And we’re happy to say that this mat isn’t like any other, mainly because it grows with your baby for longer than most other mats on the market.
While many play gyms can keep your baby interested for a few months, the Lovevery promises to grow with them for an entire year.
It’s thoughtfully crafted of eco-friendly and baby-safe materials, and it also includes a bunch of baby accessories and activities to help you play with your little one.
Child development experts created this top-notch baby activity gym, so things like overstimulation and hitting targets of learning were taken into consideration during the design process.
Benefits:
- Five development zones
- Play tent
- Activity guide
Skip Hop Alphabet Zoo
Another great product from Skip Hop, the Alphabet Zoo, provides a quilted and soft spot for your little one to play with plushies dangling overhead.
There’s a bolster pillow included as well when the baby’s chest needs to be supported during tummy time.
The arches that usually hold the hanging plushy toys can be removed quickly to turn the quilt into a diaper-changing pad or as a soft place for your child to sit on and play with their toys on the floor as they get a bit older.
Parents love this baby play gym for its colors and the sweet and subtle design, even though it could be said that it is a bit pricey compared to similar products in this category.
Benefits:
- Teaches about textures
- Premium look and feel
Tiny Love Animals
This super-interactive, colorful, and durable play gym comes with removable arches and a battery-operated music toy to keep your baby entertained in their first six months.
Whether it’s tummy time, back time, or even sitting up if your baby is old enough, the Tiny Love Gymini Deluxe has every single angle covered for those first few months of development and play.
Our favorite thing about this gym is the dangling toys. There’s a wide variety of them, and their height can be adjusted along the arches as your baby grows, and their ability to reach for things develops.
There’s also a teether that you can detach and take with you on the go, as well as a mirror to keep your baby entertained for a long time.
Benefits:
- Plays music in three different modes
- High durability
- Machine-washable
Carter's Sweet Surprise
This cute little play gym has a soft and cuddly mat in the shape of a doughnut, and for your baby’s extra comfort, there’s a plush center.
There are five hanging toys in the form of other sweet treats, including a mirror shaped like a lollipop and a cute cupcake. There are sounds, textures, and more for your little one to explore and discover. For tummy time play, there’s a gorgeous popsicle-shaped pillow.
In our opinion, this baby activity gym provides a lot of value for its price, both in terms of entertainment and in terms of durability and longevity.
Many parents say that they have reused this mat with multiple children, and even though other toys for their 1-year-old girls and boys sometimes need replacing, this mat does the trick as a hand-me-down.
Benefits:
- Interactive
- Soft
- Cute design
Baby Einstein 4-in-1 Kickin' Tunes
Create the perfect playtime experience for your little one with the Baby Einstein 4-in-1 Kickin’ Tunes Language and Music Discovery Gym.
If you let your kid play with this cute gym, you will see their musical genius stretch and grow by the minute.
All it takes is a kick of a foot or a press of a finger to play all kinds of music, thanks to what the people at Baby Einstein call Magic Touch technology.
The prop pillow that is included helps your little one have a more enjoyable and comfortable experience during tummy time so that they can take on the world of music without discomfort.
There are over seventy phrases, sounds, and melodies in three languages for your little one to explore, and when it comes to toys, the potential for exploration is nearly endless.
Benefits:
- Multi-sensory gym
- Inspires musical curiosity
Bright Starts Zippy Zoo
Here’s another activity gym that will encourage your child to develop their cognitive and motor skills while staying safe and entertained.
This product has a soft plushy design that has a detachable plush toy in the shape of a giraffe that can play four fun melodies.
If you want your baby to have some jungle fun, the Zippy Zoo from Bright Starts is an imaginative playmat filled to the brim with fun activities for your little one as they develop.
It can grow with your child and transform into a sitting spot as they grow older. Don’t be afraid to get involved and release your inner child as you play together with your baby using the hanging toys included – five of them in total.
Benefits:
- Machine-washable mat
- Easy to pack and carry
Skip Hop Silver Lining Cloud
This baby activity mat features five dangling toys that all light up, rattle around, crinkle, or play music, and the mat itself provides a safe and comfy place for them to relax and maybe use the hanging teether to get a bit of pain relief.
The mat has a celestial theme with stars all over to let them enjoy their environment as they play.
It is going to be easy for your baby to get lost in hours upon hours of fun. The puffy gym is made of plush fabric and provides a bunch of space with an oval design that some parents have even called oversized, so consider that if you don’t have much room to work with.
Some parents even reported their kids falling asleep on it often. So, you can easily tuck them for a quick nap with their favorite blanket.
Benefits:
- Sensory development
- Stimulating toys
- Dreamy design
Baby Einstein 5-in-1 Journey of Discovery
As much as you may love holding your baby, you can’t do it all the time, so she will need a place to be when she’s not sleeping.
This gym is the perfect place for that due to its versatility and comfort. First of all, the mat itself is pretty significant, much larger than some other products in this category.
If you want a product that is going to allow your baby to grow a little without needing to replace it every couple of months, this is it.
The gym is decorated with colorful characters and a world map that said characters are traversing in all kinds of vehicles. When your kid gets older, you can use the mat to teach them about continents and countries.
Benefits:
- Washable materials
- Converts into a ball pit
Infantino Twist and Fold
f you want something homier, that looks more like grandma made it in all the best ways, look no further than the Twist and Fold Activity Gym from Infantino.
Even though the mat is comprised of some trippy color combinations, it all fits together surprisingly well, and perhaps most importantly, it is very gender-neutral so that it would work as a hand-me-down in all situations.
There are a sturdy bar base and a pillow, so safety is no concern, and we’re sure your baby will be pleased to spend lots of time in this gym.
The material is easy to clean and very durable. You can machine-wash it on a low spin cycle and hang it out to dry.
Benefits:
- Machine-washable
- Retro appearance
- Good value
Baby Einstein Caterpillar & Friends
Maybe the most budget-friendly option on the list is the colorful and versatile Baby Einstein Caterpillar & Friends.
This gym is another musical one, and it plays up to eight classic tunes to keep your little one entertained for long periods.
The toys are also large and bulky, just enough for your baby to be able to get a comfortable grip on them. It is highly portable, light, and compact, so it should be no problem for you to pack and carry wherever you need to go.
The mirror included is baby-safe and quite large, and the eight included toys have different sounds and textures to develop your little one’s senses.
Benefits:
- Machine washable
- Light and portable
Fisher-Price Rainforest Music & Lights
Fisher-Price is one of the most well-known brands out there, and most parents are aware of the capabilities of this toy manufacturer.
This, of course, also means that the expectations are quite high when we see the Fisher-Price name on any toy or child product, and the situation was no different when we first got our hands on the Rainforest Music & Lights Gym.
Thankfully, we are happy to report that this all-around entertaining baby activity gym has not disappointed, with its selection of colorful and bright animals and a sturdy and comfortable mat.
The folks at Fisher-Price went all out with this one, and it has a total of ten different features, and if there’s such a thing as too much content when it comes to a gym mat, this could be it.
Benefits:
- Cute jungle animals
- Easy to clean
- Packed with features
Disney Baby Mr. Ray Ocean Lights
If you’re a fan of Disney animated movies and want to get your kid interested in the world of Disney from a young age, get them this gym.
It includes six detachable toys, puppets, music, and lights. The mat is machine-washable, so it’s very convenient, but on top of that, it is a lot of fun.
There are over twenty minutes of ocean-related music, a clamshell mirror, and a Dory finger puppet, to name a few things.
Newborns can use it all the way up to three-year-old kids. If you want to stimulate your baby and let him play at a very early time in his life when he can’t do much, this is the right pick for you.
Benefits:
- Twenty minutes of music
- Dory puppet
How to Choose a Play Mat?
A baby gym mat is probably one of the best things you can spend your money on as a young parent, some of the other ones including baby sleep aids, a soothing night light projector, and teething toys. Nobody is questioning how much you love your kid, but like everybody, you need a break, too, even for a few minutes. If your child is going to stay engaged with exciting and developmentally sound activities during that time, those breaks can be beneficial for both of you, and you may even be inclined to take more breaks during the day to see your child playing in their gym.
Parents who have bought a baby gym mat generally regard it as one of their favorite items, often one that they use the most, multiple times a day for at least the first few months in a baby’s life. However, the options are vast, and the market saturated, which can be a bit frustrating, no matter what you’re shopping for, and you should think carefully before taking your pick.
There’s no such thing as the best baby gym for everyone. It all depends on your situation and personal preference. The one that’s perfect for you may not be the best one for someone else, and that’s completely fine.
Criteria We Used
Materials & Safety
Infants and toddlers shouldn’t ever touch toxic toys or surfaces that contain harmful substances. This is common sense, and most everybody understands this concept. However, it’s not often clear which products are safe and which ones are not.
That’s why we put a lot of work into our research on each product to make sure that they are safe and made of materials that your child can come in contact with daily.
Practicality
This is a broad category that includes all kinds of factors, and it depends somewhat on individual preferences. For example, somebody who does a lot of traveling may need a mat that is easy to pack up and take with them, or if you’ve got a smaller house, you may want a mat that collapses easily so you can pack it up when you’re not using it.
We’ve looked at all kinds of factors in this category, including things like size, washability, even comfort, and thickness.
FAQ
What are these mats made of?
Most of them are made of some non-toxic foam material, and they are all free from harmful chemicals.
Each one has a slightly different composition, with some of them covered in polyester and others in cotton, but generally, they are made of a cushiony, durable foam substance and covered with a material you can either wash or easily wipe.
Is it okay to leave my child in a gym unattended?
Since these gyms are mostly comprised of mats and interlocking arches and do not have any way of preventing your baby from rolling off, it’s not the best idea to leave them unattended on the mat for a period longer than a few seconds.
If you need to leave or do something where you cannot keep your baby within view, put them in a playpen or a crib.
Conclusion
A baby gym mat is one of the best ways to make sure that your little one’s entertainment and development needs are being fully taken care of, while you give your arms some much-needed rest. However, choosing the right one can be a bit overwhelming because of the incredibly vast selection of products out there.
This is precisely why we made this list in the first place. We did the research and answered the tough questions, so you don’t have to. The play gyms on this list are the best of the best, so you can pick one and rest assured that your child will be safe and comfortable.
Catherine is a writer from Canada who simply loves toys, collectibles and superhero figurines. Writing is her passion, but she also loves reading, enjoying her “me time” and finding new ways to improve her work and ways to entertain the readers.
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