9 Best Baby Play Mats and Activity Gyms, Tested by a 3-Month-Old

From even just a few feet away, Totter + Tumble’s play mats are almost indistinguishable from an area rug. Part of that is due to their size—the “standard” measures roughly 7' x 4.5', which makes for a generous designated play space—but it’s also the lightly textured matte finish and, of course, the range of beautiful patterns to choose from. The company’s website currently boasts bold graphics like The Scout and The Keeper alongside more subtle finishes like The Tali and The Mariner, along with limited edition designs made in partnership with Morris & Co (The Strawberry Thief is a personal favorite). Suffice it to say, there’s a pattern to match most home decor styles. And if you find it loses its appeal after a few years, worry not—each mat can be flipped over, with a totally different design to enjoy on the reverse.

These mats aren’t just a delight to look at, though, the buoyant half-inch-thick mat is a dream to walk and lounge on. The non-toxic PVC memory foam feels high-density and substantial underfoot while offering enough give to cushion falls—and alleviate my joint pain from a years-old ACL surgery. In fact, I’ve gone from being unable to kneel on the floor with my daughter to crawling around on all fours since welcoming this mat into my home. While my 3-month-old daughter can’t exactly tell me that she thinks the mat is nice and cozy, she has flopped around on it and even had an accidental head bonk or two without any tears. Now that she’s starting to roll, I like to put this mat under our play gym to extend her play area and pad any unexpected movements.

One welcome feature of this mat has been its textured surface finish, which offers enough traction to prevent slipping and sliding but isn’t so deeply grooved that it’s prone to collecting dirt and grime; coupled with its gently sloping lip, this means the mat is exceptionally easy to sweep or wipe clean. All told, I’d say Totter + Tumble’s mats are ideal for common spaces in your home, where you might want the look and warmth of a rug with the padding and easy cleaning that only a mat can offer.

Age rating: N/A | Material: PVC memory foam | Dimensions: 83" (L) x 55" (H) | Care instructions: Wipe with soap and water

Gone are the days when constructing a play mat out of foam tiles meant covering hardwood floors with a checkerboard of primary colors. House of Noa’s Little Nomad line comes in an array of patterns that look more like they belong in a West Elm catalog than in a playroom. In addition to the mid-century aesthetic, the main selling point is the fact that it can be configured to fit a range of spaces and dimensions. The 2' x 2' tiles work well and can be repurposed for a different-sized space in the future as needed. idreamofginny, a member of The Bump community forums, agrees: “I love House of Noa. We have their playmat that looks very convincingly like a rug and, in my opinion, what sets it apart from other alternatives is the fact that you can make it whatever size you want. […] We've used it so much.” Moreover, the surface of the mat is lightly textured, which definitely offers some welcomed traction during playtime.

It takes a bit of planning to put your Little Nomad mat together since some designs have an alternating pattern and the border needs to be placed separately. That being said, it’s well worth the effort. Once assembled, it’s quite firm but cushioned enough to prevent any serious injuries from falling. It also really does look like a beautiful and contemporary rug, and I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the interlocking edges are virtually imperceptible from even a few feet away. I love that these tiles could be used to cover an entire nursery floor or take center stage in your living room without missing a beat.

Age rating: 0+ months | Material: EVA foam | Dimensions: From 4' (L) x 0.5" (W) x 6' (H) to 10' (L) x 0.5" (W) x 12' (H) | Care instructions: Wipe clean with mild dish soap and water

I have a soft spot for Little Bot’s Ofie play mat—probably because it’s just so unbelievably squishy. It’s by far the bounciest foam mat I tested, so much so that I was initially taken aback by how much I sank into it with each step. Now that I’m used to it, though, I relish every opportunity I have to walk, lie and crawl on it with my daughter. In fact, my 3-month-old seems most comfortable on this mat out of all the foam mats I tested. Plus, it's the only one I don't feel the need to top with a blanket or padded item, which makes it ideal for tummy time.

Due to its extreme squishiness and its slightly shiny, gridded surface, the Ofie mat doesn’t quite pass for an area rug the way other foam mats in this review do. It can also squeak a bit underfoot, especially if you’re barefoot, and benefits from a rug pad if you want it to stay in place. Nevertheless, it’s far from an eyesore and the tradeoff is a degree of cushioning that feels newborn-friendly and tummy time-ready. If that’s not all, it’s the only mat I tested that’s advertised as pet- and vacuum-friendly—which is a big bonus because I don't have to worry about my dog walking or shedding on it.

I tested this mat during the summer, but it’s worth noting that if you order an Ofie mat during colder seasons, the TPU foam can arrive stiff. In this case, it may require a few days to release any creases or lie totally flat. Once it’s warmed up, though, it’s a lightweight, pliable material that’s straightforward to roll up for storage. Down the line when tummy time is a thing of the past and my daughter has outgrown it, I could also see it working as a kitchen mat.

Age rating: 0+ months | Material: TPU foam | Dimensions: 4.5' (L) x 0.6" (W) x 6.5' (H) | Care instructions: Wipe clean and/or vacuum

Traveling with a baby should be an Olympic sport. After packing up and hauling around a crib, stroller, diapers, bottles and other necessities, toting along a whole play setup can be a daunting, if not unrealistic, endeavor. That’s where this activity mat from Tiny Love will come in handy. A great solution for families on the go, it folds up and fastens into a neat package with a convenient carrying handle. And even though the design is compact, it’s complete with several interactive components to keep your infant entertained once you’ve reached your destination. There are different textures and flaps built into the mat’s surface, along with a tethered teether and toy ring that you can add your own toys to. However, my absolute favorite feature is the detachable mirror, which has an adjustable strap that allows it to stand up for tummy time.

With ample cushioning and generous dimensions, it’s ideal for babies doing lots of tummy time, sitting and rolling. The surface is soft but easy to wipe from minor spit-ups and stains, and the underside is made of a textured fabric that prevents it from sliding around. Because this baby play mat is machine-washable, it’s a great solution for park hangouts, too. Given that most play gyms are hard to transport because of bulky toy arches, I'd say this is an excellent substitute; I plan to keep it in the trunk of my car for outings and travel.

Age rating: 0 to 12 months | Material: Plastic/polyester | Dimensions: 39" (L) x 59" (H) | Care instructions: Machine wash, air dry

Often, all you really need in a play mat is a soft, clean, padded surface to put your baby on, which is exactly what this minimalist design from Pehr offers. This cozy, charming circular mat is a perfect landing pad for a whole range of everyday activities. It’s where I set up our nightly post-bath “baby spa,” where I lay my daughter when I need to grab something from another room and where I get her dressed in the morning. It’s durable and comfy, and the 100 percent cotton exterior holds up well to machine washing and drying, which is great for a surface that's bound to see a lot of drool and spit up. It seems like the kind of item that will hold up well over time.

Though it’s small enough to fold up and tuck away, this is the kind of mat you won’t want to hide out of sight. Pehr sells a range of different reversible designs, each filled with character and a little cheek. I have the Life Aquatic mat, which is quilted in undulating lines to evoke waves, but the Rocketman pattern is stitched with stars and a rocket ship, and so forth. There’s a print for every nursery theme, and the final effect is something that feels special, high-quality and quite giftable. All in all, I'd say this minimalist mat is best for small, immobile babies to use as a soft surface for diaper changes, tummy time or play.

Age rating: 0+ months | Material: 100% cotton (exterior); 100% polyester (fill) | Dimensions: 40" (diameter) | Care instructions: Machine wash cold, tumble dry low

If you’re going to invest in an infant play gym and devote a few square feet of your home to the set-up, I’m of the opinion that it should earn its keep, and Lovevery’s The Play Gym does so in spades. With three wooden arches and a tastefully designed mat, it's a good-looking gym that uses plenty of color and contrast to cater to babies while still appealing to adult sensibilities. It’s also packed to the gills with special features. In addition to several toys that can be hung from the gym’s Velcro straps, flaps around the mat’s perimeter can be flipped back to reveal different developmental zones. Each has been thoughtfully designed to engage different senses and milestones (such as texture, sound, color and so forth), including a built-in gallery for high-contrast cards or a mirror.

As with their play kits, Lovevery’s gym includes a booklet outlining developmentally appropriate activities to do with their products, organized by age. Some features seem like they'll be more interesting to my daughter when she's a bit older, which is great (most play gyms are starting to bore her a little already) while others are capturing her attention right now. At the moment, she likes exploring the textured fabrics and ribbons while in tummy time and kicking the “sound squares” when she's on her back. We also take the various hanging toys down for her to play with at times, and she's been going to town on the rubber teething ring wrapped in rainbow-flecked crinkly fabric.

With so much versatility, this is the rare baby activity gym that seems likely to keep an infant engaged and entertained from birth throughout their first year of life. It even comes with a fabric black-and-white speckled tent that can be hooked around the arches to create a partially enclosed fort for older babies to play in, so you can get the most bang for your buck. msjaay, a member of The Bump forums, agrees that it’s worth its price. “I know it’s pricey, but it was hands-down one of our most used items in the first year. [My daughter] even played with it for a while as a tent after she was mobile,” she says. I was already a fan of the Lovevery play kits, and now I can affirm that I'm just as enamored with their play gym. It has so many features, the toys are high-quality and the construction is solid. The bottom line: This is the play gym I'll be keeping set up 24/7 in my daughter's nursery now that I'm done testing the competitors.

Age rating: 0+ months | Material: Wood/polyester/silicone/cotton | Dimensions: 47" (L) x 50" (W) x 23.9" (H) | Care instructions: Machine wash cold, air dry (fabric); wipe down with a damp cloth as needed (plastic and wood)

Our community says:

As a lifelong New Yorker, I’m all too familiar with the constraints of apartment living. Not everyone has the space to have an infant play gym set up in their home 24/7, but that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice quality or features with a flimsy foldable version. Meet the Melissa & Doug Ocean Easy-Fold Play Gym, which collapses at the touch of a button with the mat and accessories still attached. Constructed out of three wooden arches, it’s nice and stable when open and includes a reversible padded mat and a complement of fun marine-themed toys. Collapsed, the gym is easy to tuck into a corner or under a crib, bed or coffee table, making it a dream for busy parents in tight living spaces—or even bringing on the go.

We recently took this play gym in the car with us for a week-long getaway and used it on a daily basis at our destination. I was impressed by how much the toys engaged my daughter’s senses and encouraged her motor development. She especially loved pulling on the retractable octopus toy’s tentacles, gazing at her comically warped reflection in the mirrored turtle’s belly and kicking away at the manta ray-shaped rattle. When we got home, the gym was a breeze to clean. The wooden and plastic structure is easy to wipe down with a damp cloth, and while most gyms have mats that can go in the washing machine, this is the only gym I tested that also has machine-washable toys. Both the mat and toys can also be put through the dryer, which is a rare bonus when you have an impatient infant on your hands.

Age rating: 0 to 9 months | Material: Plastic/wood/fabric | Dimensions: N/A | Care instructions: Machine wash, tumble dry low

All too often, children’s products fall into one of two categories. They’re either great for kids but clash horribly with home decor or trendy and aesthetically pleasing but totally fail to capture my daughter’s interest. In this landscape, items that are beautifully designed for adults but no less captivating for children really stand out. The LALO play gym is a great example of this hard-to-nail niche. Scandi minimalism at its best, it’s a simple but polished-looking beechwood bar coupled with a set of black-and-white toys and a soft and cozy neutral-tone quilted play mat. The wooden gym is lightweight and easy to move around, and because it’s not tethered to the play mat, you can use it over other surfaces if desired (think: foam tiles or that beautiful blanket grandma knit).

Considering how few bells and whistles you’ll find on this baby activity gym, it actually offers a lot of play and entertainment value, especially for younger infants. In my daughter’s early weeks, she was content to lie and stare at the black-and-white ball swaying back and forth for minutes at a time, and as she's gotten older and more curious, we've used the teething links as hooks for dangling other toys, too. But the real winner here is the gallery. When she was a newborn we used the card slots on a daily basis, and now that she's noticing her reflection, we use the mirrored sides to keep her occupied during tummy time. I love that it also includes a velcro strap so it can be hung over your baby from the toy bar.

Another one of my favorite features, though, is actually sold separately: a conversion kit allows it to transform into a much larger play tent for toddlers. Babies grow so quickly that there's a constant stream of waste, be it diapers, clothing, toys or furniture. Anything that can offset that and extend the lifespan of her belongings is really appealing to me, including repurposing this play gym down the line—especially when it looks so darn good along the way.

Age rating: 0+ months | Material: Beechwood/lyocell/silicone | Dimensions: 26" (L) x 20.5" (W) x 20" (H) (gym); 37" (L) x 37" (H) (mat) | Care instructions: Wipe clean (gym); machine wash cold, tumble dry low (mat)

So far, I haven’t encountered many things cuter than the sight of my three-month-old playing the piano with her feet. While the Baby Einstein Kickin’ Tunes mat is a bit gimmicky in design, it packs a lot of bang for your buck. The budget-friendly activity gym is complete with all the features of a standard model, plus a handy tummy time pillow and the pièce de résistance: An electric keyboard that babies can activate with their kicks. Within just a couple of play sessions, my daughter was kicking up a storm and reacting to the various sounds with smiles and coos.

It’s a great tool for encouraging an infant’s sense of cause and effect and for introducing the concept of a musical instrument at a young age. The piano is also constructed with a light-up arch that doubles as a handle. This way, it can be removed and carried around when your baby ages out of the play gym. Meanwhile, the arch illuminates with each kick, adding another sensory layer to the experience. All in all, this infant activity gym is an affordable option that’s ideal for families who don’t want to break the bank on a plaything their little one will eventually outgrow.

Age rating: 0 to 36 months | Material: 55% plastic/40% fabric/5% metal | Dimensions: 34" (L) x 27" (W) x 18" (H) | Care instructions: Machine wash, air dry (mat); Wipe clean with damp cloth (gym and toys)