A baby play mat is a must have item for every baby. It can be the perfect place to put a new baby an offers an alternative place to their cot, moses basket or bouncer chair. For the first few months of their life a baby learns an enormous amount from the things they see around them. A baby play mat can offer a stimulating environment for a baby that can introduce colours, sounds and movement. There is a huge array of baby play mats on the market so which is the best choice for you?

Some of the factors that you may like to consider are as follows:

1. Have you got room to keep the mat out at all times or do you want to be able to store it away easily when baby goes to bed? A lot of the baby play mats and activity gyms can be folded easily so that they can be put away at the end of the day leaving you with space to put your feet up.

2. Do you want a mat to put baby on for a stretch or do you want it to have lots of different features for baby to discover e.g. toys, colours, sounds etc.. You can find products that are just large mats for babies to lay on. They are usually bright coloured and are made of different textures for baby to feel. Additionally you can find baby mats combined with an activity gym. These typically have arches with baby toys hanging down for baby to look at whilst laying down. This type of mat can help develop motor skills as baby tries to reach and touch the baby toys.

3. Are you travelling with baby? Would you like a travel play mat that folds up so that it can easily be carried with you? There are some products available that are designed for people travelling with babies. These baby mats are usually smaller than one you would buy for your home, however, they can usually be folded and zipped up into a small carry bag making it very portable and a useful item to take away with you.

4. Do you want your baby to be able to have some 'tummy time' on the mat? A lot of mats feature a special cushion that allows you to prop baby up on their tummy. The tummy time baby mats are usually smaller than standard baby play mats but they are designed to give your baby a fun place to have some 'tummy time'. These mats usually have fun designs for baby to look at and textures for baby to touch whilst on their tummy.

5. Have you got twins/triplets or more than one child that would like to play on the mat at the same time? There are some extra large play mats available that have room for more than one child to play together.

6. Most play mats are washable but this may be something you should check before buying.