Christmas is around the corner, and you have a play mat on your wishlist for your home, or a gift for someone else's home.
Great choice! Children's play mats are a fantastic gift idea because it is something that will be used, and enjoyed for years to come.
Shopping for someone else and unsure of what to buy? With so many choices to make about play mat type, style and colour you'd be forgiven if you elect to purchase a gift card so someone else can make the final decision.
If you do go down that road, it's a great gift. But before you do, Iet's talk you through the options.
After baby, a play mat is a perfect addition to your home because you (and your child) will spend a lot of time on the floor. With a multitude of firsts to look forward to, here is a guide to help you buy your first play mat.
Different children’s play mat styles
What comes to mind when you read the words play mat?
Interlocking foam tiles?
Fabric?
Bright gaudy colours?
Cartoon animals?
The most common materials used in play mats are foam, cork, fabric, silicone, PU and PVC.
Deciding on the best and safest option is a big task, so how did Toddlekind decide on the best materials for each of its play mats?
Toddlekind’s founder - and mother of two - selected to work with EVA foam, organic cotton, PU and Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) when designing Toddlekind’s range of six different play mat styles.
Toddlekind tests to both US and EU safety standards to ensure all play mats exceed safety requirements. Testing is conducted following the strictest guidelines.
"I was searching for the best option for my girls to protect them from daily tumbles. It was during my search that I realised there was nothing on the market that met my requirements. I wanted something safe for my baby, well-made and aesthetically pleasing for our newly built home", Samantha said.
She added, “Toddlekind’s motto is: Made for children but designed for you.
"All styles offer beautiful designs to suit your home decor, premium quality and versatility for you to be able to use the play mat elsewhere in your home once your child has outgrown the need for it”.
The Prettier Puzzle Playmat - interlocking foam tiles - is the perfect addition to your home because it looks like a rug, but wipes clean like a wood floor or tile.
It has the functionality of traditional puzzle tiles, but with beautiful designs and ascetically pleasing colour palettes. The tiles are made with premium, non-toxic extra-thick EVA foam making it soft underfoot, and giving you peace of mind knowing your child will be protected from knocks and tumbles while on the floor.
The effortless style adds to your decor, and the patterns on the tiles allow you to change them around to create different looks.
Not only do the puzzle play mats protect your floors, and your child with a soft, wipe-clean surface. But they are also a perfect insulator for a space that may need warmth, and noise management from echoes or toys being dropped on your hard floors.
You can expand your space by purchasing multiple sets to add more tiles, and the edging stripes finish off the look.
This play mat will last you from birth to toddlerhood and beyond.
When your child has outgrown the need for a play mat, you can repurpose it as a hallway runner, or a mat elsewhere in the home.
The EVA foam has a printed film over the top. Toddlekind has an in-depth process in place to limit any potential nasties, including regular testing using the strictest standards by a CPSC-approved third-party laboratory.
Samantha adds, “while most companies will test from 3 years (where the standards are more relaxed), Toddlekind always tests from 0+ months because the requirements are strict, and I always want to offer the best to our customers.”
The new kid on the block in Toddlekind’s Play range - the Prettier Play rug - is the perfect one-piece play mat because it is suitable for all ages and uses. It is a one-piece foam play mat.
Use it inside for baby’s tummy time, or roll it out for Mummy’s yoga stretches. When you’re finished, roll it up and take it outside with you to soak up some serotonin - check out our Sleep blog for more on the importance of that.
The play rug is made from non-toxic PU (Polyurethane) and is free of BPA, formaldehyde, phthalates, heavy metals, latex and PVC.
Also known as a weaning mat, a splat mat sits under your child’s high chair to protect your wooden floors, tiles or thin rug.
When Toddlekind’s founder was designing this mat, Samantha opted for the highest quality non-toxic PVC, and free from formaldehyde, phthalates and BPAs. Like all of Toddlekind’s play mats, it is regularly tested to the highest standards by a CPSC-approved third-party laboratory.
These mats are multifunctional, and like our other play mats, customers use them elsewhere in their homes, and offices including under their office desk, for art and craft, or even for a picnic outside.
Organic Cotton Play Mats
Toddlekind offers three different fabric play mats, all made from organic cotton and padded with quilt-like stitching.
All styles - waterproof, luxe and leaf - are made from 100% organic cotton (outer layer) and soft on your baby’s skin. The padded inner layer is 100% recycled polyester.
Customers love to layer the cotton mats with the foam play mats because they add a design element, and offer extra cushioning on the floor.
These mats are part of the TK Baby range, and they are ideal from birth until the “rough and tumble” starts when the mats will get ruffled up, moved about and most likely dragged elsewhere by your crawling infant, or walking toddler.
Parents also like to use their cotton play mats in other spaces in the house including a reading nook, or inside their child's teepee play tent.
The Waterproof Play Mat is an ideal travel play mat. It is a must-have for the beach, park or playdate. Simply pop it in its handy carry bag, and away you go.
The design has a waterproof centre (polyurethane coated) for your baby to enjoy nappy-free time. You can even pop it on your couch when toilet training for added peace of mind.
Toddlekind’s Luxe Play Mat double quilted core makes it super plush and absorbent.
The Leaf Mat is a beautiful, hand-sewn mat which was designed as a plat mat topper. Customers layer it on their puzzle play mats. But customers also like to use it to accessorise other rooms in their homes.
We have customers who have bought it to use in their bathroom, and for their dog to lay on the couch.
So there you have it, now all you have to do is select a colour. Our colour palette is intentionally designed to complement your home with classic, timeless colours that offer warm or cool undertones to your space.
Happy Christmas shopping!
Images (order of appearance):
@thefeltcove featuring TK Persian Prettier Puzzle play mat (Sand)
@a_winterroth featuring TK Earth Prettier Puzzle play mat (Marine)
@hollysinterior featuring TK Berber Prettier Puzzle play mat (Camel), with the Organic leaf mat (Sandcastle)
All other images were provided by Toddlekind.
