Does baby need an activity mat? (cp)

katiem1025 · June 2012

Does baby need an activity mat? I have nannied for four babies over the last three years (three of them at the same time) and only used one for two of the babes, and only used it for a few months. I am torn. Do you think they are a must?[Poll]

jk101510 · June 2012

I don't think they are a "must" but I think they're entertaining for baby and plan on getting one.

Mrs_Bennett · June 2012

We originally did not have one for DS because I thought they were a little bit silly (isn't actually interacting with the baby better for him/her?). But, someone gave him one for Christmas (he was 4 months old), and he LOVED it! He couldn't hold onto his toys very well yet, so it was nice that the activity mat kept them hanging above him. He never really paid a whole lot of attention to the actual "activities" on the mat, but the hanging toys were his very favorite thing to play with for a few months (until he learned to sit up).

Mrs. Rohde · June 2012

I said yes. It's not a "must" but it's definitely nice. I suppose as long as you have a good blanket and some toys for baby it'll be pretty similar.

DD liked hers and we'll be using it for DS. It was nice to know that she could lay there and kind of entertain herself for a while so I can get other things done.

mindymaske · June 2012

I voted no, but I will probably be buying one since they aren't very expensive and stimulate the baby

Andreabks · June 2012

MIL bought us one, but for tummy time i'm just as happy to use a blanket.

austenfan919 · June 2012

I would say they aren't a must, but they are nice. We got one for DD when she was a couple of months old. She never really cared about the activities on the mat (but she also hated all tummy time, so she didn't spend much time looking at them), but she loved swatting at the toys hanging from the bars above her. I captured the first photo of her smile while she was playing on it.

sarahbear · June 2012

If you can borrow one or get a used one then do it. They are nice to have, but not a must.

latnprincess · June 2012

I had a couple. I liked them and so did DS. They outgrow them pretty quickly though. Around the time they start rolling over and crawling. Good for tummy time though!

irer · June 2012

I don't think so. A blanket on the floor with some interesting things to look at (books propped up, toys, etc) would do the trick just as well, I think. We threw out the one we had for our son and still debating whether to get a new one or not.

ToxityRue · June 2012

They're cute to have I guess, but we barely used the one we had for DD. She just never seemed super interested in it. What worked better for us was to lay down a fluffy blanket and spread out a bunch of toys that way we could change up what was available to her.

Grins04 · June 2012

Need? No. But my son really liked his.

And laying on a blanket with nothing to look up isn't very stimulating.

I mean if you want to sit there all the time and hold up things that's fine, but sometimes you want to give yourself a break and they're great. You don't have to spend a lot and you can find them for almost nothing used.

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Does baby need an activity mat? (cp)

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