The 8 Very Best Play Mats for Babies, Tested by PureWow Parents

Featuring more than 17 development activities, babies love playing on this soft mat and parents love that it’s not a total eyesore. Accessories include tactile ribbons, soft lovies, and teether toys, plus a tummy time pillow and a mirror. And while the pillow won't necessarily make your infant excited about tummy time, in my experience it does make the experience more tolerable. Many of the detachable toys make fun sounds like chimes and crinkling to engage baby’s senses and keep him entertained long enough for mom to shower (maybe). “It’s super soft and has lots of cool guys that make various enticing crinkling/jingling sounds to play with. And although it's not wipeable, it's machine washable,” says senior food editor and mom-of-one Katherine Gillen. Extra bonus: This one folds up easily and can be stored away when you need more floor space.

Fast Facts:

• Material: polyester, PU foam, fiberglass, PP, ABS
• Size: 38 x 38 x 38 inches

This colorful play mat features a repositionable toy bar with five activity toys, plus take-along maracas and a removable light-up piano. What parents really like about this one though is how it offers plenty of entertainment for baby throughout the entire first year. Infants can use the mat for tummy time, making sure to give those legs some exercise by kicking against the piano. Then as baby grows, she can interact with all the elements in a seated position. Finally, the toys are detachable so you can play as you go. And for the removable piano, there are multiple options for songs, sounds and phrases, depending on which stage your child is at.

“This has been such a hit in our house,” says PureWow’s former director of branded content and mom-of-two Cristina Polchinski. “It's perfect for entertaining baby through stages, but the mat is small so it's not great as they grow. But when they outgrow that part, they still love jamming on the piano and listening to the songs (that are now stuck in my head for eternity, but it's fine because I like the songs—they’re cute!).”

Fast Facts:

• Material: plastic
• Size: 36 x 18 x  27.01 inches

This soft and cuddly mat weighs just two ounces and folds up easily, making it a great on-the-go option, whether you’re going away for a vacation or just heading to grandma’s house around the corner. It may not feature as many bells and whistles as some of the other options on our list, but its ultra-soft padding and 18 Taggies to tug and pull make it plenty fun for tummy time. Another bonus? It’s machine washable (because, drool).

“My aunt sent us a Taggies baby mat for our second baby, and it has quickly become one of my favorite underrated baby products! At first glance, it’s super cute and soft, but I didn’t think it would become a staple of these hectic early days. Now, since it’s lightweight, I basically bring it along with me around the house, plopping it into any room I’m in with the baby so he can comfortably and safely lay while I shower, work, etc. I also love that you can throw it in the wash (hi, blowouts) and it comes out looking and feeling—not an exaggeration—exactly the same.

Fast Facts:

• Material: silicone
• Size: 31 x 23 inches

We’re big fans of Lovevery’s play kits, so it comes as no surprise that the brand delivers a stellar play mat for babies. The mat is padded and comes with a removable overheard gym with dangling toys (like an organic cotton Montessori ball and wooden batting ring), learning cards and a play guide written by child development specialists, all of which are designed to promote cognitive, visual and motor development.

“I'm a huge fan of the Lovevery play gym—and honestly everything about that company,” says PureWow’s senior director of special projects and mom-of-one Rachel Bowie. “There are so many different ways to play with it, from black and white flashcards that slot into one of the sides to crinkly sections, mirrors, even colors to attract and engage your baby as they start to slowly experience their new world.” And that’s not all—this mat is unique in its ability to grow with your child: “I even continued to use it with my toddler because it comes with a covering to convert it into a fort. It was a little pricey at the time, but we’ve gotten so much use out of it that I think it’s a really great investment!” adds Bowie.

Bonus? All fabric parts are machine washable, and you can easily wipe down the wooden and plastic parts.

Fast Facts:

• Material: FSC-certified wood, polyester, silicone and organic cotton
• Size: 23.9 x 50 x 47 inches

Toys and accessories are nice, but you know that joke about kids preferring the box to the plaything that came in it? Sometimes, simple is best. And this padded play mat is exactly that—no frills, just a cushioned surface for your babe to lay, sit, play and relax. It features a removable faux-leather cover over a two-piece natural-latex insert and can be folded up for easy transportation.

“Was I scammed into spending this much on a playmat?” asks Gillen. “Probably, but when I compared it to others, I liked that it was definitely made of a nontoxic material (latex),” she adds. She also loves that it’s super cushioned for her daughter “so that she can roll around and bonk her head as much as she wants without injury.” Another major selling point? How easy this one is to clean (drool, spit-up, poop… play mats have seen it all). Simply use a wet wipe or paper towel to wipe up any mess and you’re done. Conveniently, it’s also available in three sizes so you can pick an option that best suits your living space.

Fast Facts:

• Material: polyurethane, natural rubber latex
• Size: 40 inches (Small); 55 inches (Medium); 60 x 84 inches (Large)

The Pehr mat was a favorite with multiple parents that I spoke with, thanks to its soft material, sweet print options and ease of use. It likely won’t keep an almost-toddler entertained, but it’s a great option for babies who aren’t crawling yet. The cotton exterior and polyester fiberfill give it a quilt or blanket-like quality, and the fact that it’s reversible means you’ll get twice the usage out of it. Oh, and did we mention that it’s machine washable?

“I absolutely love this,” Polchinski shares. “The circle is a good size and it's soft and quilted. It’s also easy to stash and wash; I use it on the rug in our living room and toss it in a nearby basket if I want it put away.” Another major selling point is that the mat isn’t an eyesore—quite the opposite in fact. The mat pictured above is in the Rocketman design (adorable, right?), and there are nine other dreamy designs to choose from (I’m personally swooning over the Life Aquatic design).

Fast Facts:

• Material: cotton, polyester fiberfill
• Size: 40 inches

No screen time, no food pouches and no hideous baby items on display in the home… these were just a few of the things you swore you’d never do with your child before, you know, you actually had one. And that’s OK! Parenthood changes and challenges you in wonderful ways. But thanks to this clever brand, you don’t have to give up all semblance of home style just because you have a baby. House of Noa makes chic play mats that—and I swear that this is true—don’t actually look like play mats. I had one in my living room for years that many guests assumed was a regular (and rather stylish) rug.

It’s very basic in terms of functionality in that it’s just a padded surface, there are no accessories or toys included, but you can’t beat this mat when it comes to style and convenience, thanks to the multiple tile designs that look like rugs and come in a variety of sizes. It was great for baby to practice those motor skills and even better for my knees when I bent down to play too. We also ended up keeping a changing pad nearby so we could do quick diaper changes on the mat—trust this seasoned parent when I say you’re going to want a diaper station on every floor in your home for those first few months! Polchinski is also a fan: “I love this one for cushioning a hard surface, but I’m actually using it for an easily wipeable play surface on carpet right now. I wish I had bought a bigger one to begin with (I have the 4- x 6-feet) because I want more floor coverage, but it's expensive.”

I will say that the price isn’t the only drawback—after over two years of use, the printed top film layer of my mat started to peel off the surface. Fortunately, House of Noa customer service was fantastic and sent me some replacement tiles. But when it happened again a while later, I decided it was time to let the mat go.

Fast Facts:

• Material: EVA foam and printed top film layer
• Size: multiple sixes, ranging from 4 x 6 to 10 x 12 feet

It’s so exciting when your baby masters a new milestone… until you realize that you now have to pad the walls/cover the outlets/baby proof the house. Rolling over is one of those milestones. Finally, your kid isn’t turtling on the floor anymore but oops, now they can just keep going and going and going! This newly launched mini mat may help ease some of mom’s fears thanks to the slightly raised edges designed so baby can safely practice reaching, rolling and head lifting. It also features a detachable toy arch with dangling toys plus tactile tabs around the mat.

Commerce editor and new mom Olivia Dubyak tested the mat out with her infant and raves: “I love the cushion of this play mat because my floors are all hardwood, so when I want to put it in the living room or the laundry room while I'm folding clothes, I don't need to add an extra layer of cushion underneath it. My little man is four-and-a-half months old and is absolutely enamored with the little hanging animals (especially the zebra), but now he's able to pull them off so we spend a lot of time without the arch and the animals just on the base for him to grab during tummy time,” she says. “He's a pretty tall baby and he's pretty close to the edges of it so it's not super spacious for him at this point for rolling practice. He's also got bad reflux so it's always covered in spit up stains so I love that I can throw it in the wash (which is like once a week at this point).” That said, she did note that she feels “it's a little too expensive for its design,” but still recommends it for its overall comfort and cushioning.

Fast Facts:

• Material: cotton, satin
• Size: 30 x 26 x 2.5