Mamas & Papas Lotty Ladybird Playmat & Gym

...and can be bought from Mamas & Papas. However I also believe it is available from Babies R Us. There are some good offers on ebay for new and used. Shop around to find the cheapest deal but other shops may vary colours to the one I have described.


~~~Can I clean it?~~~

By using a wet cloth it can be cleaned and wiped down. It can easily be dusted down by using a cloth. You can not just put it in the wash but ...
...cleaned to get rid of most things including milk and baby sick. I recommend it being handwashed as this keeps it clean and safe for babies.


~~~Recommended?~~~

Definitely. No doubts at all. This playmat is perfect as a first toy and can be used for more than just a toy. I definitely recommend buying this as it can be used for a while and up to the age of three months this is the only toy you need to buy your baby! ... more

***LOTTY LADYBIRD PLAYMAT***

We had one of these in the nursery for the very young children who could not yet sit up mainly. However those who could sit up also used the mat to play with the toys. All the children used to love the playmat. I completely forgot about this toy until I went to visit my friend who has a ten week old child. At the moment they don't have many toys but this one is the number one favourite with the baby and the parents. And I have to completely agree not only does it interest babies but adults can be amused too!

~~~The Playmat~~~

The playmat is quite big for a baby therefore giving them a lot of room for the baby to roll without getting hurt. The playmat is 60cm high, 70cm wide and 108cm deep. The mat is very colourful and the main mat is mainly red with seven spots on. The spots differ slightly such as some are checked and some are spotted or stripped. They also differ in colour to help your children start seeing different patterns and colours. The little feet coming off it are yellow, blue and orange. The head is yellow with an orange hat and red cheeks. The head has a nice smiley face on making it seem friendly and makes children feel happy. The handle is green with five dangly toys coming off it. Babies often will fall sleep on here if they are feeling tired and it's great comfort because the mat is extremely soft and the material is very comfortable.

~~~What can it do?~~~

*Antenna*
There are a wide range of features on this playmat to keep your child entertained for hours. Firstly the two green antennas have a flower sort of thing coming of them. When you press them they both do something different. The one on the left makes a squeaky sound which attracts the child's attention and will amuse them. The other plays a tune which sounds like London Bridge. My friend had not even realised that it played a tune and had never tried it so it's always best to try everything otherwise you may miss something.

*Feet*
As I have already mentioned there are six feet which are yellow, blue and orange. The yellow one is my favourite as it crinkles when you press it. Sort of like a packet of crisps but slightly different. Maybe lots of foil, I'm not sure it's hard to describe you have to hear it. The blue foot tingles I believe and to be honest I think the orange does the same. But the yellow foot in definitely the best. The same colour foot on the other side does the same thing as its coloured partner.

*Hat on the Head*
If you lift the hat up from the opposite side of the smiley face there is a large mirror in it. Babies always find it fun when there is a reflection of themselves and greatly enjoy exploring this "new baby". However it is quite hard for babies that can not yet move much to see the mirror.

There are toys which hang from the green crossing handle; they are detachable so your child can take them with them in the pushchair.

*Flower*
This flower hangs from the centre and has a mirror in the centre which faces your child. This means the baby can see the mirror without having to do anything. The mirror can also be pulled down as it is on a plastic spring so your baby can play with it. There are three petals on this flower each one crinkles and is made from soft materials. They are blue, red and orange.

*Ladybird*
This ladybird is very much like the ladybird which your child lies on and has a mirror on the underside. The ladybird also jingles when it is shaken.

*Bee*
Once again there is a smile on a yellow face which attracts children. The bees legs are blue and made from velvet. The body of the bee is stripy and the wings crinkle. I enjoyed scrunching the wings up and it made the baby smile. The wings are definitely the best bit!

*Caterpillar*
This was by far my favourite! Yet another smiley face to attract the child and four segments which each as usual have different patterns and colours. The head makes a squeaky noise when it is pressed. The legs on the caterpillar support a ring and hold on to it. The ring is see through and there are coloured balls inside (red, yellow, orange, blue and green). These rattle when shaken around but my favourite game was to try and get a certain colour from the middle to the end. I found it really easy but my sister found it really hard. Anyway I don't think that's a game for the baby!

*And the other one*
I don't know what this one is maybe a bird or a nectar sucking insect. Im not sure. It has a green smiley face (surprise! I thought it was going to be sad!) It was a blue body with green spots with arms and legs of different colours coming off it. It also has two wings and guess what?! They crinkle!

~~~When can my child use it?~~~

Well the baby it was bought for is 10 weeks old and we have to pull down the toys to let her play with them. So I would say they need to be over 3 months to be able to play with the toys on there own without you having to pull down all the toys. I remember all the babies at the nursery could reach it apart from one very premature baby. But we only took babies from 3 months onwards. For children under 3 months it is a great sleeping mat and somewhere to place them when you get tired of holding them. They look at the toys and often try to reach them. They also start to see different very bright colours which may not be seen around the house (unless you have a house painted bright primary colours) and different patterns which can be seen over and over again in different parts of the playmate. So your child can use it from birth. It's up to you when you think your child is getting to old. Certainly you don't want them walking around and grabbing hold of it to keep them steady because the top will just sink in (that's what makes it so easy for children to pull down the toys). All the toys are detachable so can be used as toys on their own or for the pushchair. Also the arch can be taken down so when you child starts crawling and keeps bumping into the arch, it may be useful if you take the arch of and take the toys of. Then your child can have five toys and a playmat.

~~~How can I store it?~~~

Well you don't really need to store it because your child will probably spend time on it every day. But if you do want to store it (perhaps for another child) then the arch comes off by pulling the Velcro apart and the toys can also come off as they are attached by Velcro or you can leave the toys on the arch. The playmat can be folded or rolled up but the head can not. So it can be stored in quite a small place.

~~~How much does it cost and where can I buy it from?~~~

It costs about £50 and can be bought from Mamas & Papas. However I also believe it is available from Babies R Us. There are some good offers on ebay for new and used. Shop around to find the cheapest deal but other shops may vary colours to the one I have described.

~~~Can I clean it?~~~

By using a wet cloth it can be cleaned and wiped down. It can easily be dusted down by using a cloth. You can not just put it in the wash but using a damp cloth it can be wiped down and cleaned to get rid of most things including milk and baby sick. I recommend it being handwashed as this keeps it clean and safe for babies.

~~~Recommended?~~~

Definitely. No doubts at all. This playmat is perfect as a first toy and can be used for more than just a toy. I definitely recommend buying this as it can be used for a while and up to the age of three months this is the only toy you need to buy your baby! It doesn't wear out and can be used for the nest child as well.

Thank you for reading I hope you enjoyed my review. 

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