Activity Gym & Mats

Tummy Time!

Advantages: different, bright colours, helps strengthen muscles
Disadvantages: bulky

Tummy time for babies is really important for their muscle development. When I went along to my children's centre they stressed the importance of giving my baby some time on her tummy every day. This is to help them build their little muscles up in their necks, arms and shoulders which helps them learn to crawl. It also helps them with their eye movements too as they are in a different position to usual. Whenever I put my daughter on the floor on ...
...she wasn't on her back and she'd start crying. I tried propping a cushion under neath her chest to help raise her a little bit but she somehow would manage to burrow her head into it and then get even more frustrated and distressed. I bought this picnic play mat as I saw it online and thought it sounded like a good idea seeing as I needed a blanket or a play mat of some form for her now that she is interacting with toys and liked the fact it encouraged ...

lorriellah 23.07.2009 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Infantino Picnic Play Tummy Time Play Mat

stick with tradition

Advantages: brightly coloured and entertaining
Disadvantages: a bit of a pain to put together and not useful for very long

...above him. I saw the Galt Playnest and immediately fell in love. It was that something different I'd been looking for. The Playnest has a brightly coloured farm scene along it. There are little flaps on it for baby to play and make noises with. It comes with two poles that you place across each other into the loopholes. There are 5 different toys to hang from the poles. Each one has different materials, noisy bits and colours. I got mine at John ...
...shell out is ridiculous! Galt says you can use the Playnest from birth. I guess some people may do that but whenever I placed my son in it he was at an odd angle. Obviously as a newborn he couldn't sit up so I decided to wait for a while before sitting him in it again. By about 4 months old he looked much more comfortable and the blown up ring inside the mat helped him to stay up. Whenever he'd start to fall to the side the ring would catch him, ...

znh3ra54 12.06.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Galt Playnest & Gym

Great, if baby can reach!

Advantages: Keeps child occupied and safe
Disadvantages: Small baby cannot reach toys

I first bought this product at Christmas time when my baby was 3 months old. I bought it for £40 from Argos. It took a while to put it together and I must admit I needed a spare pair of hands because it did get quite fiddly. This play gym is brightly coloured as you would expect and I have put it in the wash a few times (I am not sure if this is actually recommended by the manufacturer). At first I was slightly disappointed because when my daughter ...
...any of the toys which hung above her. Even though the height of the toys were adjustable, they still hung too high for her to grab. Since she was 5 months old, I have been using the blow-up ring. I have found this invaluable as I know she is safe and cannot get out. (Tip - to blow the ring up - use a footpump!!!). Even though she can sit unsupported she does tend to fidget and end up with her legs in the air! There aren't a great deal of 'bits' ...

valleygirl82 09.06.2007 · Read full review
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Review of Winnie the Pooh 100 Acre Wood Play Gym

Bouncing babies!

Advantages: Quality materials, fun activities, bright colours
Disadvantages: Expensive, short life?

...had both decided upon the Fisher Price Rainorest Jumperoo, we loved the bright colours, swivel seat and the fact that it bounced! The price was the least attractive thing, but compared to similar products, it looked very solid and sturdy with quality materials, definitley worth paying extra for. What is it exactly? The main part is an activity centre, with a seat in the middle. The seat is a plastic ring which holds the bright red and orange seat ...
...legs to go through, so underneath it looks a little like a nappy. The pad also has a padded back rest with two two eyes printed on, so the seat looks like a frog. The activity ring is held by three upright 'struts' with thick green straps which are stretchy at the top. These hold the ring so it is suspended from the floor allowing baby to bounce their feet off the floor. The rods are supported by a large tubular ring which sits on the floor and large ...

watkins11 07.11.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Fisher Price Rainforest Jumperoo

your baby's own rainforest...!

Advantages: see review
Disadvantages: see review

When I bought this jumperoo I was pretty desperate for something to entertain my 5 month old baby. She liked to be upright and playing not lying flat all the time and I didn't really have the space for a baby walker for her to be running around in so this looked like a good idea. This is a bouncer with a difference! Instead of hanging it from the door like you would the indoor bouncers, it is supported on it's own frame which is designed to look ...
...animals hanging down. The seat turns all the way round and there is an activity table all the way around it. There is a pop up tiger, a spinning sun, a spinning lizard rattle, animals which swing, lights that flash, soft animals hanging down and a bendy bug to be played with. The music on this jumperoo can either be animal noises or animal noises with music and there are two volume settings. It doesn't matter whether you have it as 'quiet' or 'loud' ...

thenorth10 02.11.2009 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Fisher Price Rainforest Jumperoo