Health professionals recommend that babies practise tummy time several times a day but not all are fans of lying on their front. A play mat will cushion the blow, providing a little one with a soft place to lay as they try to push up. If they give up, they have a comfortable space to put down their head while they muster up the energy to try again.
And as you’re going to be their biggest cheerleader as they learn how to coordinate their body, a good play mat should have enough room for you to share the mat with them. You never realise how much time parents spend sitting on a floor until you have a baby, and your bottom deserves to be comfortable too.
Also, the larger the mat, the more it will grow with a baby as they start to crawl, providing a comfortable base for their little knees and palms of their hands. If the mat comes with an activity gym, look at whether the top structure can be removed from the mat to extend its shelf life.
You’ll notice that play mats for babies come in a variety of different prints and colours. Babies are constantly learning new things to make sense of the world and what looks like a simple jungle design to you could be educational in many ways to a baby. First, it will help their little eyes focus on objects, then you can use it to teach them colours and animal names, and thirdly any toys that they need to reach for and grab will teach them hand-eye coordination.
That said, parents have to put up with the mats in their living space once babies are in bed, so it’s important to look at how the play mat folds or rolls up to check how much storage space it will occupy. Alternatively, there are some seriously chic white and neutral-coloured mats that really wouldn’t intrude on anyone’s interior design scheme and are cute enough to leave on display.
How we tested
With the help of a non-mobile three-month-old, an almost-crawling nine-month-old and a two-year-old sibling, we tested these play mats on their size, comfort as well as for what features they had to occupy a little one’s attention. We tested each play mat’s texture to make sure liquid spills could be easily wiped clean and to check that the mat wasn’t slippery underfoot.
The best baby play mats 2023 are:
- Best overall baby play mat – Skip Hop vibrant village reversible playmat: £107.50, Amazon.co.uk
- Best baby play mat for newborns – Mamas & Papas welcome to the world play mat and gym: £89, Mamasandpapas.com
- Best baby play mat for portability – The Little Green Sheep baby play mat: £49.95, Thelittlegreensheep.co.uk
- Best baby play mat with activity gym – Infantino go gaga twist & fold tropical gym: £72.27, Amazon.co.uk
- Best baby play mat for value for money – Ickle Bubba milestone play mat: £12.80, Icklebubba.com