Best Non-Toxic Baby Crawling Mats

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Baby crawling mats provide a safe and designated space for your baby to hang out on. Whether it be tummy time, or just a place for her to play independently (so your arms can get some rest), playmats are essential in a baby’s development.

As increasing concerns about toxic chemicals in play mats, choosing the safe and non-toxic ones is important since your baby will spend a big chunk of her waking hours on the play mat.

Here is a helpful guide to the different types of non-toxic playmats to help you make the best choice for your little one!

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Today’s best non-toxic baby floor mats 

Do babies need crawling mats?

Babies don’t have to be “in” something to be entertained. Often, the best and most productive playtime comes when your little one has the freedom of movement – even before she is able to move around much.

Most importantly, your baby needs lots of tummy time practice and that’s something she can’t get from being in a swing or snuggled up in your arms.

A space for baby to play and develop

A crawling mat (or play mat or floor mat) provides the playground for babies to explore and develop. In fact, AAP recommends tummy time play with your baby two to three times a day for about 3~5 minutes.

Here’s how easy it is to do tummy time on the crawling mat…

Place baby on her tummy, prop your baby with a rolled-up towel (or your nursing pillow, or a tummy time pillow), and entertain your baby with fun toys and books.

As your baby develops from pretty much being immobile to rolling, sitting, crawling, and eventually walking, there will be plenty of bumps and falls in order to reach those precious milestones. A good crawling mat provides a safe space to protect your baby from those victorious tumbles.

What’s more?

Crawling mats are designed with the baby in mind. Most come in brightly colored patterns, an added bonus for stimulating your baby’s visuals.

Wondering how to play with your infant? Get more ideas on some fun and easy developmental activities you can do with your 0-3 months old baby. 

A clean surface for the baby

Babies can hang out on the floor mat for most of their waking hours, or whenever it’s playtime. So, having a designated spot for fun times will separate babies from playing on the couch, on your bed, on the dining room floor, etc., that may not be the cleanest places in your house.

Most baby floor mats are very easy to clean so you can be sure that your precious little one is crawling on clean surfaces.

If you have carpet, more reason to have a play mat.

Dust and molds easily get trapped in carpet fibers so protect your baby’s health by having a floor mat for her to play on is a must.

Protect your floor or carpet from stains

Spit-ups and pee leaks?

These can be wiped clean with ease on the baby floor mat. Since all-foam floor mats are waterproof, clean up is a breeze. On the contrary, fabric play rugs are not waterproof so consider getting one that is machine washable.

If you have wood floors, dropping toys on the floors can create dings. The cushion in most crawling mats will protect your floors from cosmetic accidents with toys.

Why choose non-toxic baby crawling mats?

There have been increasing concerns about the safety of crawling mats, especially those foam mats made from EVA foams. These types of play mats contain formamide, the chemical that gives the foam mats their soft, squishy texture. However, formamide causes cancer in rat studies and is better to be avoided for your developing baby.

In fact, European countries like Belgium and France recommend minimizing the exposure of young children (under three years old) to the formamide contained in these toxic baby crawling mats.

Besides avoiding formamide, take into account to avoid these harmful chemicals when choosing a baby crawling mat:

• Phthalate
• BPA
• Lead
• Latex
• Formaldehyde

Different types of baby floor mats

Play mats come in various styles and designs. In general, they can be categorized by function (foldable, one-piece, and tiles) or by material (foam, rubber, cotton, polyester, and so on).

Foldable baby floor mats

Foldable floor mats are waterproof and made from foam type of materials. Lots of parents like foldable play mats because they fold up easily and usually compactly. Perfect for traveling or if you want to create a temporary space for the baby to hang out on.

It is also a top choice to be kept at the in-law’s house when the baby goes visit.

Compare only the 5 best non-toxic baby floor mats on Amazon.

Best one-piece floor mats

One-piece, or rolling, floor mats are basically like your supersized yoga mat. Since they are one-piece, they can be rolled up for easy storage. An advantage of these types of crawling mat is easy to clean as they are waterproof.

There are no hard to clean folds, like those in folding mats. However, rolling baby mats aren’t meant to be moved around often. They are usually heavier than folding or tile floor mats. Most parents leave the one-piece mat in a designated play area in the house.

Tile floor mats

As its name implies, tile floor mats consist of many interlocking “tiles” that can be put together to create a mat. Although assembly is required, tile floor mats are expandable for any sized (or shaped) rooms. Use some of the tiles for smaller spaces or combine sets for larger areas.

Another advantage is that tile play mats are great for traveling or for temporary baby play space. So make sure you get one that comes in a handy carrying bag.

Tile floor mats are waterproof but they aren’t as easy to clean as the rolling play mats. Liquid or crumbs can fall in between the seams, making cleaning slightly difficult than the one-piece or foldable crawling mats.

Baby play rugs

Baby play rugs are your softest, comforter-like play mats. These are made of fabric (cotton, hemp fiber, polyester, etc), and provides the best cushion for newborns.

Play rugs are usually lighter than foam-type crawling mats and can be easily folded when not in use.

Since they are made of fabric, they are prone to stains and clean-ups require washing.

Reviews of the best non-toxic baby play mats

Let’s dig in and look at the best non-toxic baby crawling mats this year and the best-rated features for each play mat.

✅ Best foldable baby floor mats

Bammax Play Mat

Expanded Dimension – 77.5″ x 69.7″ x 0.4″

Folded Dimension – 35″ x 15.7″ x 4.3″

FOLDABLE FOAM PLAY MAT

Expanded Dimension – 71″ x 79″ x 0.6″

OPPSDECOR BABY PLAT MAT

Expanded Dimension – 78.7″ x 70.9″ x 0.4″

Folded Dimension – 35.4″ x 15.7″x 3.9″

✅ Best one-piece baby play mats

BABY CARE BABY PLAY MAT

OFIE SOFT BABY PLAY MAT

PREMIUM STYLISH FOAM FLOOR MAT

✅ Best tile play mats

Yay Mats Stylish Extra Large Baby Play Mat

SOFT FOAM BABY PLAY MAT

ALPHABET PLAY MAT

✅Best non-toxic baby play rugs

ORGANIC COTTON PLAY MAT

CORKIMAT®

How to choose the best non-toxic crawling mat for your baby

Size matters

Size definitely matters when it comes to a crawling mat – you’ll want one that’s big enough to accommodate your little one’s body size (not a problem when your baby is just a newborn, but think ahead and buy one your baby can grow with).

Easy cleanup

Another feature that matters: easy cleanup. You’ll understand why after the fifth spit up and third poop leak. Foam crawling mats are the easiest to clean. Since they are waterproof, wipe or clean with homemade vinegar spray will do the work.

Durable and high-quality

Lastly, you’ll want a play mat that can withstand all the crawling, jumping, and cleaning. Low quality mats can peel and break apart easily. As floor mats aren’t cheap, you’ll want to invest in a high quality one that can last for years, or babies. Crawling mats that have manufacturer warranty will be a huge plus!

How do you clean baby crawling mats?

Foam type crawling mats (such as those made from non-toxic XPE and EVA material) can be vacuumed or wiped clean.

For our playmat at home, we let our robotic vacuum clean the mat once a week. Also about once a week, I use a baby-safe all-purpose cleaning wipe to clean the entire floor mat. When accidents happen, such as pee leaks or spilled milk, disinfecting wipes are the best for some serious deep cleaning.

If you opt for a fabric baby crawling mat, follow the manufacturers instruction on cleaning. But usually these types of mats can be spot cleaned and machine washed.

Conclusion on baby crawling mats

Baby crawling mats provide a safe and designated play space for your child. There are many different types of mats that can accommodate you and your child’s needs.

I hope today’s article helped you choose the best non-toxic baby crawling mat.

Which types of play mat will you choose?

Do you prefer the rolling play mat? Or will you opt for the fabric play rug?

Tell me by leaving a reply in the comment below!

Baby crawling mats related articles

Best Infant Toys (0~3 Months)

Developmental Activities For A Smarter Baby (0~3 Months)

Developmental Activities For A Smarter Baby (3~6 Months)

11 non-toxic baby floor mats for crawling – The definitive guide to the most popular play mats

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