The Benefits Of A Baby Play Mat

Babies connect with the world around them through their senses. During the first months of their lives, exploring is purely sensory. Hearing, touching and seeing are their main ways of discovering their environment. A play mat is an excellent tool to help develop these senses in babies.

Thanks to a play mat, babies have the opportunity to learn new textures, sounds and colors at the same time.

Some play mats are made for cribs, but rugs that lie on the floor are more beneficial for the child’s development. These rugs have a wide variety of colorful and flexible accessories that promote learning and play.

In general, these rugs have different elements that hang from a rod. They encourage newborns to exercise and explore their environment.

Play mats for your baby bring defined shapes within your baby’s reach. While playing face down, babies gradually learn to lift their heads and gain more mobility in their hands.

The benefits of a baby play mat

Babies need to be able to move freely to get to know the potential of their bodies. You should place your baby face down on a play mat from a very early age. This will promote muscle and back strength, both of which are important when learning to sit up straight.

By being close to different colorful objects, shapes and diverse textures, it motivates children to learn and explore. Teethers, mirrors and rattles are all useful items that will help keep your little one entertained and stimulated.

‘Baby gyms’ are great for contributing to arm and height strength. They have a gentle bow that hangs above them, encouraging children to stretch their limbs. This promotes coordination and also allows them to train all the muscles in the body.

While using a play mat, children learn about cause and effect. Their sensory development goes hand in hand with their cognitive development. Learning in this way contributes to children’s growing sense of autonomy.

Finally, it is important to point out that laying them face down prevents plagiocephaly or a flat back of the head.

When children spend most of their time lying face up, this can cause the back of their head to flatten. This is completely preventable with the help of ‘tummy time’, the time spent face down.

Variations in baby play mats by age

When it comes to choosing a play mat, there are a number of options on the market.

Play mats for babies aged 3 months and up

During this stage, babies begin to feel the need to explore the world around them. While they still can’t distinguish between colors, they can distinguish between different contrasts.

Play mat up to 6 months old

It’s amazing to see how well babies process the relationship between their own movements and their environment. As they stretch out their hands to find an object, they experience all kinds of sensations: auditory, tactile and visual.

If an object really grabs a baby’s attention, he or she will repeat the game several times. Gradually, children can recognize their own toys and even choose some favorites.

Play mats for 7 or 8 months and older

At the moment it is ideal for babies to have play mats with different textures: smooth, fluffy, wrinkly, soft, etc. They now have conscious control over their fingers and can distinguish between any surface.

Between the 7th and 8th month of life, the gray matter in children’s brains develops enormously. They then begin a phase of deep reflection that leads them to create their first mental categories and structures.

They are perfectly capable of distinguishing which sounds, colors or textures are more or less pleasant. Play mats for babies are great because they stimulate several senses at the same time.

A play mat for babies up to 2 years old

Although children have a natural tendency to play on the floor, don’t underestimate the importance of play mats. These aids are helpful even if children already know how to walk.

Unlike many other baby objects, these don’t take up much space. Plus, it’s comforting for little ones to know they have their own space.

Finally , play mats for babies offer countless benefits for the little ones. From 3 months to 2 years old and beyond, their collection of colours, textures and shapes guides every step of your child’s development.