When to Start Using the Baby Activity Mat?

Baby play mats are a great tool for your infant's development. They serve as a safe surface for your child to explore and develop their motor skills, and they're useful within days of birth.

Your baby can start using an activity gym even if they're only a few days old. However, the recommended amount of time they spend on the mat and the activities they engage in can vary depending on their age.

If you're a new parent who's unsure about when your baby can start using a play mat, we're here to help. Read on to learn everything you need to know about play mats and how your baby can use them through their different stages of growth.

Table Of Contents

1. Benefits of Using Baby Play Mats
2. Appropriate Age for Baby Gyms and Play Mats
3. When to Stop Using a Baby Mat?
4. How to Choose the Right Baby Playmat?
5. Choose the Best Mat From the Very Start

Benefits of Using Baby Play Mats

Tummy time and play are crucial for your newborn's development. Finding a safe place for both can be tricky, especially when you're not at home. Using a baby play mat provides your baby with a soft, cushioned surface to start exploring safely. Letting your baby use a playmat offers the following benefits:

• Muscle development
  Tummy time on an activity mat promotes your child's neck, shoulder, and arm muscle growth. This helps them learn how to support their own head, sit up, and eventually crawl.
• Mental stimulation
  Play time also offers babies mental stimulation. In the earlier months, simple colors and patterns are engaging enough, and you can add more interactive activities as they get older. This will boost their perception, interaction, and motor skills through different developmental stages.
• Sensory development
  Playing with your baby on an activity mat can help them reach sensory milestones related to touch and vision, including increased awareness of their own body.
• Encourages connection
  To make sure your child gains the maximum benefits from the activity mat, make sure to engage and connect with them during playtime. It'll help improve your bond with the baby.

You can start letting your newborn use a playmat even when they're only a few days old. Even during those early days, daily play time helps your child develop their strength, motor skills, and awareness.

The duration of your baby's tummy time sessions will increase as they get older. It's important that you supervise your child during tummy time. Each tummy time session is also an opportunity for you to bond with your child.

Here's a quick table detailing the daily recommended time spent for each stage of your baby's growth:

0-1 months

Since the sensation of being on their stomach will be new to them, your baby may feel a little uncomfortable with tummy time. That's why experts recommend that initial tummy time sessions be kept short. It's okay if you let your child spend just a minute or two on the mat at a time, and even less if they fuss. Aim to let your baby have tummy time or play time on the mat at least two to three times a day.

Make sure to engage with your baby during tummy time by getting down on their level, smiling, and talking or singing to them.

2 months

At this poinst, your baby's play sessions on the activity mat will probably take up to 5 minutes, several times a day. Try to schedule tummy time so it happens regularly after baths or feedings, so your baby learns to expect it.

3 months

By 3 months, your baby should be much more comfortable during tummy time, willing to spend 15-30 minutes on the playmat at a time, up to 4 times a day or at least 1 hour in total. Your baby will have also developed quite a bit of muscle, and should be able to raise their head or use their arms to help support their upper body.

This is a great age to introduce baby toys and other objects, to help your baby engage during playtime. Move toys and objects around in front of your baby. This will encourage your baby to turn their head and help them with vision tracking.

4-6 months

At this point, your child's development will seem rapid, and you may not feel the need to place any limits on tummy time and play time. Your baby will soon learn to move their head more from side to side, support more of their body, and even turn from their back to front and vice versa. This is the age when you may want to let them start using baby activity mats with more advanced toys.

6-9 months

At this point, tummy time becomes less strict of a definition, as more of your child's day includes play. During this time, the play mat can serve as a safe surface for your baby to learn to sit up and learn to crawl.

While your baby is on the mat, let them play with activity gyms that feature hanging toys, which they'll begin to reach for as they get stronger and more cognizant.

9 to 12 months

Your baby's play time at this stage will become a lot more exciting as they learn to crawl with ease and spend less time sleeping throughout the day. You may want to graduate your baby from a soft, fabric play mat to a larger play mat. This will accommodate their growth and give them ample surface to crawl around.

As your baby grows and develops, they'll begin to explore their environment by crawling, so you might have a hard time keeping them on the activity mat during playtime! That said, most parents only phase out the play mat when their baby starts walking. This milestone typically occurs at around 12-14 months.

That doesn't mean an activity mat won't be useful anymore. It can still serve as a cushioned, designated play area for your toddler, as a mat for outdoor activities, or as a diaper-changing surface.

Choosing the right baby play mat for your infant can be tough. The following are a few considerations to keep in mind when picking the best mat for your baby:

Fabric vs. Foam Play Mats

For newborns, choose fabric play mats, while foam mats may offer benefits as babies become more mobile. Slightly cushioned mats like the WildBird Baby Play Mats are ideal at the start as they give infants the right level of protection from hard floors without compromising surface stability. As your child grows and starts to stand up or walk, you can switch to a thicker foam mat with a firm, slip-proof surface.

Non-Toxic and Durable Materials

One non-negotiable aspect of shopping for a baby mat is the safety of the materials. Safety-rated and ideally natural materials are less likely to harbor harmful chemicals that could put your baby's health at risk. If you're shopping for fabric mats, look for natural materials like cotton and linen, while foam mats should be made of EVA foam. We took this a step further with the WildBird Playmats. Our mats are made with OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 Certified organic cotton and linen, and are gurnatneed free from over 1000 harmful substances.

Built-In Toys vs. Simple Activity Mats

Picking a mat with built-in toys may not be the best choice in the long term. Your baby may get tired of the toys on the mat, which is why it's better to buy a simple activity mat without toys. Our WildBird Playmat doesn't have built-in toys, making it also easy to clean.

Comfort and safety

Choosing a mat that's padded and provides your baby with an adequate cushioned surface is important. Since the WildBird Playmat has the optimal amount of padding, it gives your baby a comfortable and cushioned surface to explore.

If you're looking for a playmat that your baby can start using soon after birth, the WildBird Playmat is an easy choice. The WildBird Playmat is adequately cushioned for your baby's comfort and safety but not overly cushioned as to impact their stability. It's also lightweight, so you can bring it to different places and let your newborn experience different environments. Plus, our play mat is easy-to-clean with the help of a washing machine.

The simple design will engage your newborn and help them through developmental milestones, making for a mat you'll be happy to let them use from birth well into the last stages of babyhood.