Childrens Play Mat: Keep Your Kids Safe and Entertained

As a parent, probably one of the most rewarding things for you is watching your child grow up and learn new skills while playing and discovering the surroundings. When it comes to your baby’s development, floor play time is essential. Babies need time both on their tummies and on their backs so that they can develop their neck and abdominal strength. Being on the ground also give your child a totally different perspective of the world, helping with their visual development and awareness of the environment around them.

To create a safe play area for your baby while providing educational value, a good quality childrens play mat is one solution. Childrens play mat products come with features that help your baby develop essential skills while protecting him/her from injuries. A quick search on the internet will show you that these mats come in a variety of designs and styles, some consist of big puzzle pieces that cover a big area, some play sounds and music and shine lights interactively, and some have plush toys attached. But when it comes to creating a safe environment for your little one, some things are more important.

Size

You should choose a childrens play mat that at least covers an area that is roughly twice as your baby’s body size to give him/her freedom of movement and safety as well. This will reduce the chances of your child getting hurt when he/she is crawling or trying to stand up. The expandability that some puzzle-like foam mats offer, make them a great option to consider as you can buy a second set and combine it with the first one whenever more space is needed. Activity gyms can be a good option for when extra safety is more important than size, for example for very young babies.

Material

The best materials to look for include rubber and foam as they grip better to the floor and offer better traction. Plus, rubber and foam are more durable than wool or fabric mats. Make sure the mat is at least 1.30cm thick to provide proper padding on hard surfaces, as well as washable and easy to clean as to keep your child safe from dirt and germs.

Educational Value

In order to keep your baby interested in a fun and entertaining way, a good mat should have a variety of developmental features such as bright colours to train color recognition skills or different texture on different parts of the mat to develop baby’s tactile senses. Active gyms should have arches where you can hand toys so that your baby will have fun playing with them while developing fine motor skills.

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