The 10 Best Baby Play Mats

Parents who want one gym that keeps paying off tend to land on the Fisher-Price Glow and Grow piano gym. A newborn lies back and kicks the keys, which light up and play songs. Later the piano unhooks and turns into a sit-and-play toy for a toddler. Ten hanging toys clip on wherever you like, and the mat goes in the washing machine. The sounds can get loud in a small room, and the piano runs on batteries.

The Lovevery Play Gym trades lights and music for a wooden frame, an organic cotton teether and sets of black-and-white and color picture cards you swap in as the baby's eyesight sharpens. A printed guide explains what each zone of the mat is for. Drape the cover over the frame and it becomes a small fort for a toddler. It's a big outlay for something used mostly in the first year, and it makes no sounds at all.

Once a baby starts rolling and crawling, a thick padded square like the Blissful Diary Baby Play Mat softens the tumbles that a thin gym pad won't. It's cut to drop inside a square playpen, with a quilted fabric top over foam and a grippy back that keeps it from sliding. The cover can go in the washer, though the maker suggests washing it by hand so it lasts. Spilled milk soaks into the fabric rather than wiping off.

Babies who light up at a tune get plenty from the Baby Einstein Kickin' Tunes gym, whose kick piano plays melodies and phrases in four languages. It sets up for lying on the back, sitting, or tummy time with the included pillow, and the piano comes off as a take-along toy. A crinkle book, a rattle and a set of flash cards hang from the arches. The bright, busy pattern won't suit a calm nursery, and the piano needs batteries.

Families worried about what goes into foam often pick the Little Bot Ofie. Little Bot says it contains no PVC, no EVA, no formaldehyde, no phthalates and no flame retardants, and that it's checked in U.S. labs. It's one big reversible piece, so there are no seams to trap crumbs, and spills wipe right off. Those material claims come from the maker rather than an outside report, and it's a pricey way to cover a floor.

For a calmer setup, the Blissful Diary Play Gym pairs a round quilted mat with soft hanging toys and no electronics at all. The arches snap together without tools, the toys come off, and the mat goes in the washer. After the newborn months, the arches lift away and the mat stays on as a padded spot for sitting play. It's on the small side, so a baby who has learned to roll will soon roll right off the edge.

Tummy time goes better for some babies with a little lift, the idea behind the Bright Starts Prop & Play. A soft wedge pillow props the chest up on a small padded mat, with a few dangling toys at eye level to hold attention. The whole thing folds up for a visit to the grandparents and goes in the washer. It's short-term gear, since most babies stop needing the pillow once they push up on their own.

Big rooms and messy eaters suit the Baby Care Foldable Play Mat, a cushioned mat with a wipe-clean surface that folds into panels to stand behind a couch. Baby Care says it's tested to U.S. and European toy safety rules and free of phthalates, BPA, lead and formaldehyde. Each side carries a different pattern, so you can flip it when one gets dull. The surface is a PVC-based material, which some parents would rather avoid.

Interlocking squares like the MioTetto Foam Tiles let you cover an odd corner or grow a play area a few pieces at a time. The set comes with edge strips for a neat border, and the textured surface wipes clean. MioTetto backs the tiles against defects for life. The light foam is thin, though, and the seams between squares collect crumbs, while a curious toddler can pry them apart.

The Hakuna Matte CloudSoft looks more like a plush area rug than baby gear, with a velvety top over memory foam and a grip layer underneath. It's big enough to cover much of a living room floor, and the foam muffles footsteps for neighbors below. The fabric carries an OEKO-TEX label for harmful substances. Velvet soaks up spills instead of wiping clean, so plan on spot cleaning.