While playmats are an excellent and cost effective way for your child to play safely, they have more uses than simply a comfortable place to spread out toys, here are just a few ways I have been using a playmat in my own home with a three year old and a nine month old.
Rachel Kramer / Alamy Stock Photo
Carpet cover: My nine month old is at the weaning stage, meaning I was cleaning the carpet after every meal and strawberries and Weetabix are particularly stubborn when hitting carpet fibres! Now I just pop the playmat under the high chair at dinner time and anything that she drops on the floor can be quickly and easily wiped off thanks to the plastic covering on the playmat. It saves me a daily job and she can be as messy as she likes with her meals.
Changing mat: If your baby is happily playing on the mat and you notice that they need changing, if you have your nappy and wipes to hand, you don't have to seek out a separate changing mat, you can simply change them on the playmat. Again, as it can be wiped down with an antibacterial wipe, any germs that may have come into contact with the mat can be quickly eliminated without damaging the coating.
Picnic blanket: If you are lucky enough to have a garden, a playmat doubles up perfectly as a picnic blanket too. If there is any residual dew on the grass, it won't soak through and can be dried off after use, plus if your small children get mud, food, drink or spit up on it, you don't have to wait for it to come out of the washing machine before its next use, you can just wipe it clean and use it the next day if the weather is in your favour.
Padding: A playmat, once folded up, can provide excellent padding against hard surfaces. For example, I have a fireplace in my living room and worry that when my children are playing, they might fall against the brick, so all I do is fold the playmat up and lie it in front of the hearth so that if they do fall, they won’t hurt themselves.
Tummy time: Playmats are a safe way to help your baby practice tummy time. Laminate flooring and tiles are too hard, carpets and rugs might not always be as sanitary as you’d like and beds are often too soft so a playmat is a happy medium. It’s soft enough that if their neck gets tired and they do drop their head forward, they won’t hurt themselves and is stable enough to allow your little one to roll over should they wish. Plus you can sanitise it after every use so you know it will be squeaky clean.
Imaginative play: Folded up, a playmat can function as part of imaginative play so once your children have done playing ON it, let them play WITH it because it enables them to be creative. In one day our playmat was a door with a £50 entry fee (!), a boat to escape crocodiles, a wind breaker at the ‘seaside’ and a bed for a dolly, so it doubles up as a toy in itself.
Peek a boo: Babies love a game of peek a boo because they think when you are hiding that you have genuinely gone so lay your baby down on one side of the mat and lift the other to hide yourself and your mat can function as a game too!
So there you have it- a playmat is a sound investment because it has more than just one use- it’s well worth the money for all of the things you can do with this one versatile product!
ALDI Foldable Playmat
Made of XPE foam this playmat is also water-resistant and has got a safe anti-slip texture on both sides. It is ideal to cushion falls when babies start crawling and walking and easy to clean too. Simply wipe clean with a gentle cleaning solution.
This playmat is easy to carry and store. The foldable design makes it easy to carry and store away when not in use, it can be stored in a cabinet, under the bed / cot or under the sofa to make the room look tidy and to save space.
Suitable for indoor and outdoor use, it is ideal to use in the garden. Its large size: of 78 x 59 x 0.4 inch/ 200 x 150 x 1 cm(L x W x D) means the whole family can play together
Tagged in Parenting