Infant gyms, floor gyms, activity gyms, play gyms, playmats... Are these just different ways of describing exactly the same factor?

Nicely, the first 4 are all pretty much interchangeable. A single manufacturer could favor a single phrase more than an additional, but there is nothing at all to actually set a floor gym apart from an activity fitness center. Play mats, nevertheless, are some thing else. It's generally relatively simple to tell a play mat from a play fitness center. That mentioned, you'll find even some manufacturers who, maybe deliberately, muddy the waters and use play health club to describe what's primarily a play mat. And vice versa. So what precisely may be the distinction?

A protected location for child to play

Let's commence by recognizing that playmats and play gyms both meet the identical basic need. They supply a clean, secure, soft surface for the baby to lie on or play on.

Playmats comes in two main forms. The padded fabric selection and also the interlocking foam tiles kind. Many are variations on a theme, but some actually stand out as special. 1 of these is the K's Kids Huge & Large Cushions and Playmat, which is a padded fabric mat with detachable sausage-shaped cushions that create a protective barrier around the edge of the mat. But overall, the key choice is between a fabric mat and a tiled play area.

Padded fabric mats

The padded playmat comes in a surprising range of designs. Rectangular, circular, square, oval... even elephant- and giraffe-shaped. Some are small enough to fold up and put in a bag. Others are as huge as baby's bed covers. Some play mats are nothing at all more than a patterned piece of cushioned fabric for baby to lie on. Others have strategically placed pads for support or add-ons for recreation, exploration and learning.

On the whole, fabric mats are most suited to young babies. But some are designed to adapt as infant grows. The K's Children Big & Large Cushions and Playmat does specifically that: the mat neatly converts into a mini sofa or obstacle course.

Interlocking foam tiles

foam floor mats tile play mats typically come in packs. You can buy as few as nine or you can cover an entire floor. You can move them from room to room or leave them in spot indefinitely. And you can add to your collection as baby gets more mobile.

Foam tiles are all fairly similar in form but they come with all kinds of designs - numbers and letters are among the most popular. Some of the more sophisticated tiled mats have developmental toys and activities built in. Lights, textures, sounds, plenty of things to keep tiny hands and minds engaged.

So what's a play gym? The primary difference between a baby gym and a playmat is that the health club has dangling toys. That's an oversimplication, but when you look at a mat next to a floor fitness center, you can see that a mat is flat but a fitness center has crossover arches with a number of hanging toys.

Manufacturers like to think that their gyms stimulate baby's senses and encourage development. They could be right. But this kind of workout is probably not really a whole lot distinct from any other opportunity baby has to watch, listen and touch. That mentioned, they are pretty cool and when my sister offered to buy a single for me and our child boy, I wasn't going to say no.