Developmental Benefits of Using A Baby Play Mat

Playmats for babies or a baby play gym offers various benefits that help in the toddler's development. A playmat includes many different materials, toys, and activities designed to entertain your child from a parent's perspective. As you would already know, babies can get bored very easily, and you cannot fulfill the entertainer's role at all times. Hence, your toddler can play with these activity mats, either on their own or with a parent. Is a playmat necessary for a baby? Not necessarily, but it’s extremely helpful.

What Are The Benefits Of Using A Baby Play Mats?

Some of the many development benefits of using a baby play mat include:

1.   Cognitive Benefits

Baby play mats will allow your child to understand the basics of cause and effect. When a child is between 6-weeks and 4-months old, they engage in primary circular reactions. This means that they learn to repeat an action that they did 'accidentally.' Soon, the child repeats them because they find them fun. Some examples include kicking a toy, pulling on something, etc. This is the first step towards logic. You can stimulate the development of cognitive functions by hanging toys that respond, encouraging the child to interact and play with them repeatedly. A baby plays mat for a girl, for instance, will definitely expand the cognitive function in infancy.

2.   Helps In Visual Perception

Infants are very near-sighted at birth, which means objects placed away appear blurry. With the help of baby play mats, you can help develop the newborn's visual perceptual skills. At best, toddlers can see faces of other people and objects with highly-contrasting color combinations. Most baby playmats are fitted with toys that have brightly-contrasting colors. This way, your child could start developing depth perception within a few months. The keyword “baby play mat early learning center” should help you find more information.

3.   Helps Developing Reaching and Grasping Skills

When babies are born, their reaching and grasping skills are mostly dominated by reflexes. It means that their reaction is automatic, and they do not have any control over the action. For instance, you may notice that the child will grasp anything that is placed into their palms. With the help of baby play mats, your toddler will be able to grasp on rings and rattles hanging as they learn how to hold objects. Additionally, they will also develop a visual understanding of the things that they are holding when using a baby play mat for boys or girls.

4.   Benefits For Motor Functions

What age can a baby play on a playmat? A one-year-old can easily do this. One of the most important benefits of a play mat is to provide gross motor development. These mats encourage the baby to use and develop the muscles in their neck, back, tummy, legs, and arms. The mats are large enough for the infant to space out and play on their front, right, left, and back sides. Playmats encourage 'tummy time' – a time when the child spends most of their waking hours on their tummies. This strengthens the arms, back, neck and supports the development of higher gross motor skills like walking, crawling, etc.

5.   Development Of Self-Awareness

How long can a baby play on a playmat? As much as they like, until they get tired. Most baby playmats are equipped with a small mirror to spend time looking at themselves. The mirror is unbreakable and will not shatter easily. When the infant starts noticing themselves, they will begin by smiling at the reflection. Soon, they will start laughing, making faces, or patting at the mirror. All these developments will help build self-awareness in the child.

6.   Developing Sensory Stimulation and Awareness

One of the most well-known means of playing and interacting with infants during their first year is sensory stimulation. Baby play mats are available in various colors, sounds, and textures to stimulate the child's senses while playing with them. Once the toddler starts mouthing objects, you can hang some teething toys so that the kid can reach for them and play with them for oral stimulation. Besides sensory stimulation, baby play mats will also facilitate the toddler's awareness of sensory stimuli like auditory and visual.

Final Thoughts

Baby play mats are some of the best baby toys and accessories that you can own. They provide a safe and soft play area for toddlers and babies to explore the world around them and grow. Some parents even use these mats as portable entertainment and carry them around everywhere they go. These mats are quite versatile, like Famokids Play Mat and can be used in almost any environment. Baby can use it for tummy time, crawling, dining and crafting area mat, while parents can use it as exercise mat or meditate. Additionally, they are safe, easy to clean and maintain.

What do you think of a baby play mat? Leave a comment below!

Author’s Bio: Rachel is the mother of two beautiful girls. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in psychology. Rachel is currently working to improve her parenting abilities and will launch an online course on this topic soon.