Buying a New Baby Play Mat - What to Look For to Find the Best

A playmat can be considered essential gear as it combines important features of educational and developmental toys with the protection from injuries for your baby. There is of course a plethora of different products from many manufacturers and if you have been searching the net, you know that playmats come in many shapes and designs. Some have arches you can use to attach toys to, others have puzzle pieces incorporated and some playmats are actually interactive activity centers that play sounds and shine lights.

But there are some characteristics that are more important when it comes to providing safety to your baby. First of all, the play mat should be big enough to easily accommodate your kid and cover the whole area where your baby is likely to play. A size that will work, would be twice the baby's body size - about 40" x 40". That way the likeliness of injuries is greatly reduced as your baby falls while he/she plays, tries to stand up or walk. Some foam mats can be expanded by buying a second set. This will save you money as you will be able to reuse you first play mat instead of buying a bigger one. A sign for expandability is the presence of separate edging pieces.

The material of the mat should be at least half an inch thick to provide good padding and it should consist of rubber or foam rather than wool or fabric as they will grip better to the floor, give better traction and be more durable. In order to protect your child from germs and dirt the surface of the playmat should be washable and easy to wipe clean. It is also important that it is easy to assemble and provide a travel bag to easily store it or take with you when needed.

The quality and variety of educational features are the essential characteristics that define a good baby playmat. Most products have vivid colors that will enhance your baby's experience and train color recognition skills. Some come with arches to attach various toys on that your baby will have fun playing with or batting them around while developing fine motor skills. There are also playmats that feature interactive parts that will play music or light some leds when your kid presses the right button, stimulating his senses in a fun and entertaining way.