Luckily, our cotton muslin baby playmats are safe to wash in the washing machine with a mild (safe for babies) detergent. Just remove all the toys, use cold water and wash on a gentle cycle. After you have washed your tummy time mat, just hang it to dry.

A baby play mat can be used from day one or as soon as your little one is comfortable with lying on their back without being in your arms. Our soft baby play mat will be enjoyed the most by babies between three to six months when they are actively starting to roll over and enjoy playing on their tummy.

Tummy time playtime can begin at 3 months of age; however, it should be limited to short sessions just a couple of times a day. Once your baby has learned to roll over, cotton play mat toys and sensory elements will encourage them to move on their own and start exploring the world around them. Your baby play mat will also be a great help once your baby starts practicing standing on all fours and rocking back and forth. Usually, when your baby starts to crawl, they will quite literally move to other toys and you will know that it is time to put the playmat away.

There's not really a “one-size-fits-all” timeline for when to start spending time on your tummy time play mat; however, if your baby was born at full term with no health issues, the American Academy of Pediatrics states that you can start tummy time as soon as you return home from the hospital. Start practicing tummy time 2-3 times a day for short periods of time and always make sure that you and your baby are awake and there's always someone supervising your baby's tummy time playtime. Once your baby gets stronger, you can slowly increase the time you are spending on the baby playmat.

Although the tummy time play mat is primarily used to provide a safe environment for your baby's playtime, there are other development-related benefits that are equally important. A baby floor play mat can be a big part of your infant's cognitive development as they learn the basics of cause and effect by engaging with new stimuli and seeing what happens. Different colors your baby will see crawling around the tummy time mat will improve their visual development, but time spent on the tummy, rolling over, or lifting their heads up will also help them to develop their core muscle groups, which will eventually lead them to sitting, crawling, and walking.