For Christmas we got those interlocking letter mat pieces for lo's play area. While looking for cleaning tips I found sites about how some of these mats have formamide which has been banned in Europe. It's apparently dangerous for kids. I can't find anything more recent than 2011 though. Does anyone know about this??
Eta i have the imaginarium mats from BRU.
Our little hippo was as impatient as mom!
Hoping for a full 40 weeks!!
Re: Floor mats and formamide
Based on my fairly limited research on this, the formaldehyde is the strongest when the mats are first made, meaning that most of the off-gassing occurs in the early days after you unwrap it. Some mats have more than others depending on their materials.
That said, I just purchased our playroom tiles from SoftTiles. They have had their mats tested and received the lowest possible score (close to zero). We also left the box in the garage for a few days after it arrived to let it off-gas a bit.
I'm in the EU, we can't get the mats in my country because of the issue. I did my research and bought one from the UK which doesn't contain the chemical.
If the mat has a very strong odor then there is a strong posibility that it's a bad brand, ours doesn't smell at all.
I don't think the issue is formaldehyde. It's a different chemical formamide.
I didn't notice a smell. But can it be there anyway?