When To Start Using Baby Activity Mat

After the baby is born, you always want to ensure that they get the best baby products and items. Items that will help them develop well and keep them entertained. A baby activity mat is one of these items that should never miss on your list. For parents, this mat will allow you to take a breather to do other things by keeping your little one entertained and fully occupied. Nonetheless, do you know the best time to start using a baby activity mat?

Generally, the baby activity mats can be used when the baby is born through their sitting and crawling stages. The perfect time, however, will be from about 90 days. This is the period when your baby will have developed a bit and can identify patterns and colours on the mat and have fun with them.

Apart from protecting your baby from the hard ground, activity mats also aid them in developing motor and cognitive skills. Therefore, it is essential to understand what a baby activity mat is, what we can use it for, and its merit and demerits to your child.

What Is A Baby Activity Mat?

A baby activity mat is a mat designed to help infants develop their motor, sensory and cognitive abilities. It also keeps them happy in their early stages of life. The contrasting colours on the mat, together with the toys and pattern, help keep your child entertained since she will be reaching out to play with them.

This aids in the development of her cognitive skills. They include identification skills, recognition skills, motor skills as well as auditory skills.

Activity mats are also made of soft material to shield your child from the hard floor. It is padded with a fine cotton cloth that provides comfort to the infant when playing on the floor. Small children have soft skin that easily breaks. The activity mat helps prevent your child from playing on the hard floor that would have otherwise hurt them.

What Age Is Recommended For Baby Activity Mats?

Baby mats can be used as soon as the baby is born. However, the mat may not be as beneficial to newborns since they’re still small and cannot comprehend anything in their environment at that moment. This mat will only help provide a comfortable soft ground for them to sleep on at that age.

Experts recommend that you start using a baby activity mat at around three months. During this time, the child is developing and has a more advanced ability to identify patterns, sounds, and colours. Activity mats contain different colours, toys, and designs to help keep your child entertained while aiding in their development. Three months is an ideal age.

At three months, the babies can crawl, kick and sit on their own. All these skills are essential in fully utilizing the activity mat. In addition to this, your little one doesn’t spend most of her time sleeping. Therefore, the activity mat comes in handy to keep them occupied while you do other chores in the house.

When Can You Use Activity Mats?

When your baby is still in the early stages of development, you spend a lot of time holding them in your arms. One sure thing, however, is that they soon outgrow your loving arms. Their growth and development happen very fast for babies, and in no time, they will require other fun activities other than just swaddling and rocking.

The specific time to start using the activity mat depends on how fast your child is developing, both physically and cognitively. When the babies begin to sit on their own or crawl by themselves, you can start using the activity mat.

If you have a fast-growing baby, then you may have to start using the activity mat earlier. The specific time to start using the activity mat largely depends on your baby’s development and intelligence.

Some babies may begin to recognize colours and patterns early than others and will thus require the activity mat sooner. Different babies will also be able to identify different sounds sooner than others and need the activity mat earlier.

Is It Dangerous To Use Baby Activity Mats Too Early?

Activity mats can never be dangerous for your baby. They are made of soft cotton material that will provide your baby with the utmost comfort. If you start using the mat too soon when the baby isn’t ready yet, you will just be providing a soft, comfortable place for your baby to sleep on.

However, you should ensure that the toys on the mat don’t contain strings. This should be a precaution to help you prevent cases of strangulation to your little one. When buying activity mats, you should also check to ensure they are made from child-friendly material that will not harm your baby or affect their delicate skin.

Also, make sure they are made from non-toxic Eco foam that is hand washable. In addition to that, you should make sure that the activity mat is well insulated to prevent the floor cold from sneaking up to your baby.

What Are The Advantages Of Using A Baby Activity Mat?

Here are the various benefits of a baby activity mat:

It helps to improve the hand-eye coordination and motor skills of your baby.

During the early stages of your baby’s development, he is likely to pick up a range of new skills. By offering a baby activity mat, you may assist nurture and even further develop those new abilities.

The activity mat functions by encouraging your baby to reach for the various artwork placed on them. The baby activity mat has included patterns and other elements that can tempt your infant to reach out and grab them.

Activity mats often contain artwork and designs. This will make your baby stare at them in trying to understand them. In the process, they will develop strong eye coordination. The child’s motor and hand-eye coordination abilities will develop and improve when she stares at the artwork and tries to understand it.

Provides an interesting interruption from their daily routine.

When a baby is tiny, being carried or swaddled is usually sufficient to keep her occupied. However, as newborns grow, they will need more than a swaddle to keep them amused.

A baby mat will be a fantastic and exciting diversion to meet their ever-increasing demands. A playmat helps to foster relationships between parents and their children. Parents spend a lot of time during playtime engaging with their children and even attempting to communicate with them.

This chance improves communication and language skills between the child and parent, resulting in developing a strong bond between them.

Stimulates the senses of the newborn.

Contrasting colors are used on most infant activity mats to catch the kid’s attention and interest. Black and white are the most common color patterns. They provide contrasting colors and patterns that a newborn would quickly notice on the play mat.

Some playmats are brightly colored and attractive to your infant. These appealing designs might aid in your child’s visual development.

The activity mat’s soft fabrics and attachments are made with various textures that feel particularly special and interesting in your child’s hands. This improves your child’s sensory abilities and assists in their development.

Enhancing the cognitive development of the kid

Activity mat assists in the intellectual development of babies. Children learn about cause and effect via playmats, enhancing their knowledge of shapes, colors, imaginations, and patterns. These talents will be beneficial to your baby as they grow into adults.

When we use activity mats to spark communication and language between the kid and us, it enhances the child’s brainpower. Activity mats encourage a child’s natural inborn curiosity, which is necessary for critical thinking and problem solving throughout their lives.

Promotes freedom and movement

It won’t be long until your baby starts moving around more. You will notice that they are sleeping less and spending more time playing about the house at this time. Activity mats will allow them to explore their newly discovered energy during this period.

You must give them freedom for them to build their independence. Activity mats provide a safe environment for children to kick and roll around. Additionally, this space stimulates activity, which is akin to baby exercise.

What Are The Drawbacks Of Using A Baby Activity Mat?

The baby activity mats are expensive and may be available to only a few people who can afford them. With similar cost-effective equipment, the value of owning a baby activity mat is significantly reduced.

The time for the use of a baby activity mat is significantly limited. You can only use this equipment between the ages of 3 months to less than two years. This reduces the value of the activity mat beyond the age of two years.

By concentrating on the child’s play area, the activity mat will increase the germs concentration on it and will thus increase the chances of your child getting sick. This is especially the case if you are using a small activity mat.

Finally, children who are not social may find this an escape route to avoid playing with other children. This will reduce their social development since a mat will keep them occupied on their own.

When To Start Using Baby Activity Mat

After the baby is born, you always want to ensure that they get the best baby products and items. Items that will help them develop well and keep them entertained. A baby activity mat is one of these items that should never miss on your list. For parents or caregivers, this mat will allow you to take a breather to do other things by keeping your little one entertained and fully occupied. Nonetheless, do you know the best time to start using a baby activity mat?