Benefits Of Activity Mats For Babies
Babies relate to the world through their senses. In the first few months, exploration is purely sensory. Hearing, touching and seeing are the gateway to discovering all that surrounds them. In this way, activity mats become an excellent tool.
Thanks to activity mats, babies are able to fully incorporate both textures and sounds and colors. Knowing some of its advantages and particularities will help parents to equip themselves with everything their child needs.
Although there are accessories to put in the crib, the floor mats are the ones that the baby enjoys the most in their development. These mats have a wide range of colorful and flexible accessories that encourage children’s play and learning.
Usually, this type of “baby gym” has exercise bars, from which hang different elements that the newborn can explore at will.
Baby activity mats should have definite shapes within reach. On their stomachs, each day, the little ones will be able to raise their heads a little more and, thus, will have more mobility in their hands.
Benefits of Activity Mats for Babies
Free movement is essential for babies to get to know their body’s possibilities. From an early age, leaving them face down on the mat helps strengthen their neck and back muscles, a necessary step to be able to sit up.
The proximity of different colored objects and different shapes and textures will give the child the enthusiasm to learn and keep making discoveries. Teethers, mirrors and objects with rattles and different sounds are some very useful elements that will contribute to your baby’s entertainment.
The so-called “baby gym” with smooth arches across its surface allow you to find different stimuli by extending your arms and legs. This promotes coordination and allows all the muscles in the body to be exercised.
Thus, sensory development is accompanied by cognitive development, with toys that provide cause-and-effect relationships. With all this, the baby will, little by little, gain autonomy.
Finally, it is worth noting that, by lying face down, positional plagiocephaly in the baby is prevented. A condition that occurs when little ones spend most of the day lying on their stomachs. So, consequently, the back of the head can be flattened. This can be perfectly avoided with the mat on the floor.
Variety of activity mats for babies according to age
When choosing an activity mat, we will find many different options on the market:
Play mat from the 3rd month onwards
At this stage, the baby begins to feel the need to explore the world for the first time, after two months curled up and sleeping. Although he can’t differentiate between colors, he can already distinguish the contrast between one and the other.
Carpets with toys for up to 6 months
The way in which the relationship between the movement itself and the world is assimilated by babies is admirable. When reaching out and finding an object, they will experience all kinds of sensations: auditory, tactile, visual.
If the object attracts a lot of attention, they will repeat the game over and over again. Little by little, they will come to recognize their own toys and choose their favorites among them.
Play mat from 7 and 8 months
At this stage, activity mats for babies that offer different textures are ideal: soft, smooth, noisy, soft. Your fingers are already consciously moving, and they will be able to differentiate each surface.
Between the 7th and the 8th month, the child’s gray matter evolves surprisingly. She begins a phase of deep reflections about the world that lead her to create her first mental categories and orders.
At this stage, the child will be able to perfectly dissociate which sounds, colors and textures are more or less pleasant. Baby activity mats have the peculiarity of stimulating several senses at once.
up to 24 months
In addition to the fact that the floor is one of the children’s favorite places to play, we shouldn’t underestimate the activity mat even if the baby already knows how to walk. These rugs don’t take up much space and your child will find it comforting to have their own space.
In short, activity mats for babies provide untold benefits for children. From the age of three months to at least two years old, this conglomeration of colors, textures and shapes will accompany you step by step in a healthy development.
