You can start placing your baby on the play mat from the first month of life in a supine position, sitting next to him and showing him black and white pictures, a mirror or rattles to play with.

Obviously, in the first 2 months of life , the baby has limited periods of wakefulness and the time spent on the playmat will be 5-15 minutes at a time .

You can start placing your baby on the play mat from the first month of life, both in the supine and prone position.

To start putting your baby on the play mat for tummy time in the first two months of life, some precautions are needed .

You can start placing your baby on the play mat in the prone position after just a few weeks of life.

Watch the video above where I explain how to do it, or read below:

• fold the rug and place it on the kitchen table;
• place the newborn prone;
• get down to your baby's height;
• place it at the edge of the carpet so that it can see you;
• place the baby's elbows under his torso, so that he can support himself enough;
• always hold your baby's shoulders so that you can do tummy time in complete safety;
• alternate the prone position with the supine one and vice versa.

In the first 4-8 weeks of life, your baby will lift his head a few centimeters but, day by day, he will improve so much that he will be able to put the rug on the floor.

When your baby lifts his head and can look forward, it's time to place the play mat on the floor and continue the motor development process there.

For more advice on when and how to introduce tummy time to your baby, you can read my dedicated article.

We have seen the benefits and when to place the child on the mat; therefore, now let's see the essential characteristics that the best play mat for children must have and how to choose it.

The newborn will play all day on the play mat, it is essential to ensure that it is safe and compliant with CE regulations.

It is important to make sure that the play mat is also non-toxic (without BPA, lead or phthalates) and hypoallergenic .

I recommend you choose a rubber play mat for children to cushion the impacts but be careful.

The term rubber play mat is very generic, to be more precise I recommend a 5-layer expanded polyethylene play mat.

The rubber play mat made of expanded polyethylene is safe and non-toxic .

Its density is perfectly designed to be soft to cushion impacts , but at the same time sufficiently rigid to allow the little one to have the correct support .

The child needs a large space to start and continue his development in the best possible way.

You need space to play , roll over safely, spin around, crawl and then take your first steps clinging to the sofa.

This is why I recommend a large 200x150 cm play mat for children .

The best play mat for kids should be easily washable and waterproof .

The newborn and the child often salivate and dirty it; it is essential to be able to wash and sanitize it easily with soap and water or with disinfectant.

Expanded polyethylene is a crazy material.

It allows you to make the play mat for children extremely light and to print it in such a way that you can open and close it whenever you want.

That's why I recommend a foldable and collapsible play mat for children .

Furthermore, the DrSilva bag allows you to always carry it with you.

The play mat for children should have delicate reliefs which allow your child an exceptional grip .

This feature is important both to help baby position his arms correctly during his first tummy time activities, and to learn to roll over , crawl , crawl and take his first steps .

Stability and proprioception make the difference for the child's safety and movements.

The designs on the child's play mat are also important .

Most children's play mats have brightly colored graphics and chaotic designs .

A carpet that is too rich in colours will make it harder for the child to find his toys, resulting in a chaotic and confusing situation .

For this reason it is important to prefer simple graphics and soft colors in perfect Montessori style.

Below you will find the graphics designed specifically for the Dr-Silva Montessori-style play mat .

There are definitely 3 types of play mats for children to avoid :

• Puzzle;
• Carpet;
• in Fabric.
  
  

Puzzle play mats for babies are usually made of EVA, a much harder material than XPE and therefore less accepted by newborns in the first few months.

Furthermore, puzzle play mats, having detachable pieces , will be easily removed by the little one who puts them in his mouth or breaks the mat.

I do not recommend play mats made of fabric or carpet because they are difficult to wash and are usually not very thick and have little grip .

A proper play mat can greatly help your baby crawl .

Choosing a play mat with adequate grip, non-slip and the right density allows the baby to be supported adequately during tummy time to prepare for crawling and crawling .

Therefore, to choose the best play mat for children's crawling , it is necessary to take into account these fundamental characteristics:

• the play mat must be large to allow the child to move freely;
• the play mat must be non-slip;
• the play mat must have the right density to cushion falls but not cause the child to sink;
• the mat must have micro reliefs to promote the child's grip and motor skills.

In summary, the best crawling play mat requires the same features we have seen so far.

The reason is simple: when a baby play mat is made well, its features are perfect for every stage of development, from tummy time to rolling over, from crawling to first steps, and for all the first years of the child's life.

The Dr-Silva children's play mat is a perfect mix of science and design .

The main goal is to provide a tool that brings the best benefits to the little one.

To design it, its safety was considered first. The mat is made of XPE material and with a complex 5-layer structure to be soft enough without making the little one sink. Furthermore, it is BPA-free and eco-friendly.

The carpet in this material is super light and resistant to be transported anywhere by placing it in its bag.

Next, we thought about its size . We chose the 200x150 size to give the child as much space as possible. By making it foldable, it will be possible to slide it under the sofa to reduce its size or fold a part of it.

Finally, having to respond to all the developmental needs of the little one, the mat has the correct grip being non-slip and has reliefs that facilitate crawling and slithering.

The graphics take into account the baby's reduced vision from the first weeks so as not to confuse him and allow him to identify the toys well.

The aim of the Dr-Silva play mat is to promote the best visual and psychomotor development , but at the same time be designed to fit into the living rooms of the house.

As we have seen, the carpet is essential, but it is also necessary to know how to stimulate the little one with the right activities from the first weeks of life .