Diana
UPDATE:
We've had this mat for 9 years now and even though the kids are 7 and 9 years old now and way beyond the need of a mat like this, the mat is still here! It makes a nice play area that's not cold on your butt when you sit down the way the hardwood floor is, and it's easier to clean than a rug, so it's still here. It's in the kids' play area and has held up amazingly well over these 9 years of all sorts of play - from walkers and baby toys to legos, puzzles, board games and everything else! We have rugs in other rooms and this mat is more comfortable than a rug to lie on, because of the memory foam, which has not gotten permanently compressed the way a lot of memory foam items do eventually. This mat is still good as new! It's our place to play board games or other things that are better played sprawled out on the floor. This mat is timeless!
The only thing I don't understand is how the price has more than DOUBLED in 9 years! I bought it for $94, going for $200 now - ouch!
ORIGINAL REVIEW:
We've had this mat for about a year now, and love it! It's big, and very well padded. It's very thick. It has good memory foam cushioning. A lot of people are saying that it doesn't feel soft or doesn't spring back right away after you depress it, but none of that matters if the mat does its job, which it does, impressively well! The memory foam that takes a while to depress and spring back absorbs shock much better than something that feels soft and fluffy. Fluffy things depress more easily, which means they offer less cushioning protection. My daughter learned to sit, stand and walk on this mat and fell many, many times - from a sitting position, from a standing position, while walking, etc. Including she fell on her head many times, and never ever cried after falling. You could almost see her head boing back after hitting the mat, it was that cushiony! We kept her on the mat only, or on a rug, while she was still learning to walk, so when we finally let her out onto the hardwood floor, it was a stark difference which she did not appreciate at all... I think that was the first time she learned that falling can hurt! I haven't tried other similar mats, so I can't say how this one compares, but it has done its job wonderfully and I have been very impressed with its performance!
The mat is also very easy to clean. Just wipe it with a damp cloth or a wet wipe and it's done. I also vacuum it to get the cat hair and dust off, then wipe with a damp cloth. I like this better than the jigsaw piece mats, because it has no texture or crevices for grime to get caught in.
The mat has endured a year's worth of play and all kinds of toys on it (including walkers and riding toys) and has held up great. The only signs of damage are a few tiny holes in it, exposing the memory foam underneath, but I suspect the cat may have had something to do with that. Otherwise, no signs of wear at all.
The only thing that sketches me out slightly about the mat is the uncertainty of what chemicals went in it... It didn't have a noticeable smell when I opened it, and it isn't going in the baby's mouth, so I've been trying not to freak out about it... It's also very hard, not to say impossible, to find non-toxic versions of certain baby items, like this type of foam play mats. I'm very careful with all things baby, but there are certain battles I just can't win... So I have accepted that this mat is what it is, and saved my vigilantism for things that actually go into my baby's mouth or directly on her body.
| Product Dimensions | 82.7 x 55.1 x 0.39 inches |
|---|---|
| Item model number | PA-0014 |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Target gender | Unisex |
| Material Type | Eco-friendly PVC |
| Material free | EVA Free, BPA Free, Phthalate Free, Latex Free, Lead Free |
| Number Of Items | 1 |
| Batteries required | No |
| Specification met | (unset) |
| Item Weight | 18.36 pounds |
| Country/Region of origin | Korea, Republic of |
Josh&Maysee
Angela C