Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Review: Bubba Mat by Soft Mats


When we opened the Breastfeeding Centre in 2008, we were kindly donated two of these wonderful mats for our visiting babies and children to play on. All these years later, they are still going strong!





An old one was passed down for Charlie to use at home and I plan to get one for her to use at my house, as she increasingly spends time on the floor.

Compared to other playmats, these are brilliant! The padding is great for babies learning how to use their bodies, as falls while sitting, crawling, standing or walking are cushioned. There is much less risk of falling over them due to the heavy mat not moving and the edge not posing a trip hazard - indeed, in the years I have been around them, even my clumsy-self has not tripped!

The surface is really easy to clean, either with a baby-wipe for spills, a cloth and spray cleaner for a quick clean or a good going-over with a mop. With two sides decorated with different designs, you can easily flip them over for a change and they fold easily into a portable bag to take outside or on picnics etc.

At our ABA group meetings, we find the babies all fit comfortably on the play mat and mums don't stress about spills on the carpet and those practising baby-led solids can just feed them where they sit and wipe up any mess! That will be great when Charlie also starts solids in a couple of months!

My tired, sore body also appreciates the padded surface when I kneel down to play or chat with babies and it would also make a lovely surface to stretch or practice yoga on! And as babies grow into toddlers, it will be great for wet or creative play too. But before then, I hope to also use it outside on our deck or hard paving, to make outside play a little softer for Charlie.

 
If you have any questions about the mats, do contact Sunny - she is just like her name and so friendly and helpful. I know there are some cheapies around that look similar, however our experience with these mats has shown the quality will last a long time - five year's constant use and these mats look as good as new! The hardest thing will be choosing which design to get!

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