Haifa Varju

Below the surface - Testing and Compliance for Children's play mats

Below the surface - Testing and Compliance for Children's play mats

We've said this before, but children's play mats are like icebergs. 

The smallest part of an iceberg bobs above the water, but when you dive below the surface the size of the iceberg is mind-blowing; such is the case when it comes to safety and toxins for play mats.

 

During the day, infants and toddlers spend a huge amount of time on their play mat, so it is understandable parents have concerns and questions about how a play mat is made, and if it is safe from toxins.  

 

When we become parents, things we haven’t previously thought about suddenly catch our attention. 

The best thing we can do is be informed, and make educated decisions from this information - It's okay to ask questions.  

This blog is the last in our series, and today we answer two important questions for our customers.

 

How does Toddlekind know that these beautiful puzzle playmats are free from nasties?

How can I trust this claim? 

 

Let’s start with the second question first.   

How can I trust when a company claims its products are free from nasties? 

Legally, a company is only required to conduct testing once every three years but Toddlekind tests annually to ensure manufacturing quality remains high.

Toddlekind uses a third-party service provider called SGS to perform lab testing on all of their play mats. SGS navigate the complex European Union (EU) and US chemical content regulations such as REACH, ASTEM, EN71, CA PROP 65 and CPSIA. 

 

The Prettier Puzzle play mats are made of premium quality EVA foam. They are non-toxic and rigorously tested to the EU Toy Directive to ensure they meet and exceed requirements. Our products are EN71/CE certified and REACH certified by an independent laboratory. 

If you would like to know more, Toddlekind is happy to share its laboratory reports. Please send your query to hello@toddlekind.com 

 

How does Toddlekind know that these beautiful puzzle play mats are free from these nasties? 

Toddlekind's founder is the best person to answer this question, because she created these play mats with her children in mind. Here is what Samantha Bruckner had to say:

"In short, we know our play mats are safe and free from nasties like formamide because we take full responsibility for our play mats, Samantha Bruckner said. 

Samantha Bruckner (above) created these play mats with her children in mind

 

“We do not simply trust our factories to ensure our play mats are safe for our valued customers to use. Toddlekind takes full responsibility by ensuring we meet domestic and international regulations by testing our products multiple times throughout the year.  
“Our play mats are all safety tested by a world leading CPSC approved (Consumer Product Safety Commission), independently accredited testing laboratory. The laboratory test all our play mats for the age range 0+ months, and we request testing to the strictest worldwide standards which are set by France,” she said. 

 

Age labelling guides parents and other consumers when selecting products for their children. Toddlekind chooses to age label our play mats from 0+ months because parents are using play mats from birth. But also, this age group requires the most stringent testing.

 

Samantha continued, "Legally, we are only required to conduct testing once every three years but we test annually. As a mother, I value the importance of safety and we regularly test their products to ensure manufacturing quality remains high

 

Where a company sources and manufactures its products is key.  

 

Something I am proud of is that Toddlekind’s Prettier Puzzle playmats are made from EVA and exceed requirements  limiting heavy metals, lead, formamide and phthalates,” she said.  

 

 

Formamide has a permissible limit (safety standard) of 200 mg/kg for the EU and 1,000 mg/kg for the USA. Toddlekind’s products are always tested under the safety standard limit, and often formamide is not detected at all. 

 

Toddlekind's play mats 

Our Prettier Puzzle playmats are made of premium quality EVA foam with a printed film. They exceed safety requirements limiting heavy metals, lead, formamide and phthalates in children's products. 

 

 

 

Our Splat mats are made of the highest-quality, non-toxic PVC with water-based UV ink. They are free from BPA, phthalate, and formamide. 

 

 

All our organic cotton mats are made from 100% organic cotton, with a 100% recycled polyester centre except our Waterproof play mat which has a polypropylene coating. Our fabric play mat range is tested to the highest standards by a CPSC-approved third-party laboratory. 

 

 

 

Our changing mats are made of CE and REACH-certified PU foam (polyurethane) with a polyester, phthalate-free PVC coating. They are free from formaldehyde, phthalates and BPAs. 

 

If you'd like to read more about some of the different materials discussed above, check out our blog - Play mats: How are their materials made?

Or to catch up on some of our other posts from this series ...  

What is a play mat?

The two most common play mat styles

Different play mat styles 

Play mat material choices: Pros and cons

How are play mat materials made?

Play mat shopping: The Ultimate Checklist

Complementing your decor play mats 

 

 

Images (order of appearance):

Cover image by Mikhail Nilov via Pexel 

Organic cotton mats including Luxe (Seashell)Luxe and Leaf mat (Tan) and Leaf mat (Seashell)

Nordic Prettier Puzzle playmat (Nordic clay)

Nordic Prettier Puzzle playmat (Vintage nude)

Nordic Prettier Puzzle playmat (Pebble)

Other images are of the different play mat ranges Toddlekind offers.

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