Play Mat Shopping: The Ultimate Checklist | Part One
Things to keep in mind before making a purchase:
Safety: Will this play mat protect my child?
Toddlekind is known for its stylish play mats, but when designing its products, Toddlekind Founder, Samantha Bruckner made safety her number one priority. Safety covers two key criteria which share equal importance.
Children’s playmats should be non-toxic and protect your child from hurting themself.
Children's products can put infants and young children at risk of injury or worse if they’re not manufactured with the utmost concern for safety. To address safety issues and potential product recalls, rigorous safety and testing requirements are set by government regulations.
Like any children’s product, play mats have these standards in place but the standards will vary based on country. Toddlekind conforms to the French standard in the EU, and US standard for the United States.
Non-Toxic: What is this play mat made from? Does it have toxins?
Everyone wants to keep their family safe from exposure to harmful chemicals. However, there is a difference between a company telling you their product is not toxic, and it being genuinely non-toxic.
To find out if a play mat is non-toxic, find out what it is made from. Materials can contain different chemicals, and depending on where they are manufactured, and the testing completed, the levels of those chemicals will vary.
Have you ever noticed toys - including play mats - have an age on their packaging? For example, 3+ years. This symbol tells you the suitability of the product age-wise, but also gives you an idea of the level of testing completed.
With interlocking play mats, a lot of companies will test their product for age 3+ years because the regulations are less strict.
Toddlekind tests almost all of its play mats for age 0+ months because the regulations for this category are the strictest. This is why Toddlekind is proud to share that their play mats exceed safety regulations.
The United States, and countries across Europe, require proof that a product meets all applicable safety rules. Certification is a legally binding document with severe penalties for non-compliance. Regulations are put in place to ensure that products produced outside of your region meet safety and industry standards.
For children’s products, third-party testing is mandatory, and there is a range of other requirements that aim to protect consumers from the risk of harm.
Evidence of compliance for meeting government regulations can only be issued by a third party. All good companies will happily provide you with details of the testing and compliance either on their website, or if you contact them directly.
The second key element of play mat safety is protection.
Protection: Will this play mat protect my child? How much cushioning does it offer? Will it slip and slide on the floor? Does it provide insulation from cold, echoes and noise?
When shopping for a play mat to protect your child from bumps and tumbles look for something soft, thick, and shock-absorbent. Ask yourself what sort of material you want your child’s play mat made from, and go from there.
When considering whether a play mat will offer enough protection, make sure you think about the size of the play mat.
When it comes to play mats, size matters.
In a previous blog, we discussed “what is a play mat?”, and established it is a floor covering that protects your child … and in turn your floor.
You want to make sure your little one can lay (or play) safely and comfortably on the play mat without rolling or crawling off. Though both are inevitable, the larger the play mat the more protection between your baby and the floor.
Buy a play mat that your child can grow into, not grow out of.
Toddlekind’s customers often purchase a Prettier Puzzle Playmat (or play rug) and then layer it with one of the organic cotton play mats. The fabric play mats offer somewhere soft for your baby to lay during a nap or tummy time. As they grow, they can enjoy playing on the puzzle play mat with their toys. Crawling, rolling, and tumbling to their hearts’ content, and your peace of mind.
You can layer play mats based on the age of your child.
| Look for: easy to clean, waterproof/water-resistant, stain resistant, and easy to pack away.
