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The Best Tummy Time Mats to Encourage Healthy Development

My Family Life Reviews Team
Written By My Family Life Reviews Team
Last updated: May 25, 2025, 10:21 AM
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Tummy time mats are specially designed to be highly engaging for your baby. The attractive features and designs ultimately double the amount of tummy time they enjoy without causing overstimulation, providing adequate time for babies to develop muscle strength and improve their cognitive abilities. To help ensure your little one’s tummy time is a success, we’ve reviewed some of the best tummy time mats on the market. The Splashin’Kids inflatable mat is our top pick, boasting an attractive design with a durable and comfortable material. Explore our buyer’s guide and reviews to find the right fit for your baby’s tummy time adventures.

View all Contents
  • Tummy Time Mats: A Buyer’s Guide
    • Tummy Time Mats vs. Water Mats: What’s the Difference?
    • Benefits of Tummy Time Mats
    • Important Factors To Consider
  • People Also Asked
  • Why Trust Us?
  • Contributors
  • Related Reads

Our Top Picks of Tummy Time Mats

  • Splashin'kids Tummy Time Mat: Best Overall (Shop Now) →
    Read more about this tummy time mats ↓
  • Fisher-Price Tummy Time Mat: Best For Newborns (Shop Now) →
    Read more about this tummy time mats ↓
  • Baby Einstein Tummy Time Mat: Most Versatile (Shop Now) →
    Read more about this tummy time mats ↓
  • Bright Starts Tummy Time Mat: Budget-Friendly (Shop Now) →
    Read more about this tummy time mats ↓

Detailing the Best Tummy Time Mats of 2025

Splashin’kids Tummy Time Mat

Best Overall
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The Splashin’kids tummy time mat provides your kiddo with quality playtime and takes tummy time to a new level of fun. The mat is filled with water and has brightly colored sea creatures floating in it that help keep the baby engaged and entertained for hours. Eye-catching graphics and a unique watery feel provide a mesmerizing experience for your baby. 

The mat is crafted with heavy-duty PVC materials to prevent leakage, resist scratches, and grant longevity. The plastic is 100% safe and BPA-free to ensure that your kid is not exposed to toxins. This tummy time mat has everything your baby needs to spend tummy time joyfully and is the best overall on our list.

Product Pros
  • Attractive design that keeps babies occupied
  • Highly durable, tear-resistant material
  • Designed to keep young babies comfortable
  • Strengthens neck and shoulder muscles
Product Cons
  • Mat gives off a strong plastic smell

Fisher-Price Tummy Time Mat

Best For Newborns
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Tummy time will never be more fun than with Fisher-Price Deluxe Kick’ n Play Piano Gym tummy time mat. This bright, colorful mat features five light-up piano keys, a toy arch, four musical settings, and five repositionable toys to keep your little one entertained for hours. The mat has different levels of fun learning content that can be adjusted according to your baby’s development.

This tummy time mat also contains a bonus piano play mode to play piano notes, with informational songs about colors, shapes, numbers, and animals that become instant favorites. You can also attach toys to the loops hanging around the mat, including various animals, trinkets, and instruments.

Product Pros
  • Machine wash-friendly material
  • Several engaging activities to keep babies occupied
  • Top-notch material quality
Product Cons
  • The mat is a bit thin

Baby Einstein Tummy Time Mat

Most Versatile
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This tummy time mat is a great way to orchestrate a joyful and exciting play session for your kids. Thanks to its magic touch technology, your baby can play the piano with light finger touches. The setup includes a prop pillow that adds to the coziness and makes tummy time more comfortable. 

Your baby can explore over 70 melodies, sounds, and phrases in 4 different languages using all the senses. Four different modes can be switched based on positions, including lying, sitting, and tummy time, and this multi-sensory gym mat grows as your baby grows. From tummy time to sitting and playing, the Baby Einstein tummy time mat will be a great companion for your kid.

Product Pros
  • Easy to clean material
  • Provides premium comfort 
  • Exquisite patterns to entice babies
Product Cons
  • Screws are not secured firmly

Bright Starts Tummy Time Mat

Budget-Friendly
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Bright Starts is a show-stealer here when it comes to budget-friendly tummy time mats. This mat has many exciting accessories to keep your tot entertained, such as a baby-safe mirror, rattle, and a couple of other toys attached to the loops hanging around the mat. A pillow prop also provides extra support during tummy time and makes the space cozier for your little munchkin. 

The mat features an adorable bear and polar bear designs to entice children during tummy time. The mat is compact enough to fit into small spaces while traveling, making it a game changer for parents who often need to travel with their babies.

Product Pros
  • Visually appealing design to attract kids
  • Provides plush comfort 
  • It saves you a lot of money
Product Cons
  • No lights and sound

Tummy Time Mats: A Buyer’s Guide

Tummy time mats are a great way to strengthen a baby’s neck and shoulder muscles and enhance their cognitive skills. There are several types of baby mats, and not every product will suit your baby. But the question remains, how will you figure out the right fit for your kiddo among so many options? Our one-stop guide will divulge the essential factors you should know beforehand.

Tummy Time Mats vs. Water Mats: What’s the Difference?

Tummy time mats are safe and fun tools to stimulate babies’ growth while lying on their bellies. They come in several sizes and shapes with spectacular features to keep your kid engaged while also serving as a supportive structure for your baby’s needs while playing.

Water mats are another form of playmats filled with water. They are loved for their exquisite, eye-catching visuals and toys floating inside the mat to draw the baby’s attention. Toddlers keep struggling to catch the floating creatures while stretching out their muscles. Such elements ultimately double up the tummy time, enhance cognitive functioning, improve muscle growth and keep the kids entertained for hours without irritation. Water mats are available in various shapes and sizes in many bright colors.

Benefits of Tummy Time Mats

Tummy time mats provide many benefits to your baby’s well-being. Some of them are:

Encourage cognitive functioning

Tummy time mats tend to promote cognitive functions by boosting neuron connections. They assist in enhancing visual sensory growth by making babies chase sharp-colored creatures floating in the water.

Strengthen muscles

They provide neck and shoulder strength as kids turn their heads and bodies to look around for the moving toys, so tummy time mats are perfect for keeping your toddler active.

Prevents flat head

Tummy time mats help prevent the backs of babies’ heads from becoming flat due to lying on their backs all day. Tummy time helps strengthen the extensor muscles in the back of the neck and allows babies to hold their heads up.

Provides physiological strength

Tummy time mats help babies gain strength for rolling over, sitting up, crawling, and eventually walking and running.

Endless learning

Children learn a lot from music play mats, such as rhymes, colors, shapes, and even numbers, at a very young age. These mats also help kids improve listening and speaking abilities and allow them to develop social skills at a very young age.

Important Factors To Consider

Tummy time mats come in many styles and shapes that can be confusing to sift through. Based on the requirements and safety of your kids, we have listed the crucial factors you need to know before buying a tummy time mat.

Design

When hunting for the right tummy mat for your baby, look for appealing, colorful designs to entice the kids. If the design is not attractive, it will fail to attract your kid’s attention, and your entire investment will go to waste.

Most water mats with a marine theme and floating creatures have proved to be quite popular with young kids and leave the kids deeply engaged, trying to catch the floating animals. Things like this will improve their motor and cognitive response and develop social skills.

Size

Your baby’s size determines the size of the tummy time mat you need to buy, and you should always consider your baby’s continuing growth.

Check out the dimensions of the mat to ensure a desirable fit. It’s good to buy a large-sized baby mat to accommodate your child’s growth. If you have two or more kids at home, look for an extra-large size for them to play together.

Durability

Durability is a key concern for parents when buying a tummy time mat for their kids. Remember that the mat will be used regularly and will endure a lot of stretches, kicks, and general wear and tear. Look for a durable mat that’ll withstand daily use for a long time.

PVC water mats are great for regular use as they are very durable.

Safety

A tummy time mat should ensure your kid’s safety because they will spend a lot of time on it. Ensure that the mat materials are BPA-free, don’t contain any additional pollutants, and are soft and easy to clean. Go for mats that are child-friendly and guarantee the safety of your child.

Comfort

Comfort is another crucial factor that can’t be overlooked. Your baby needs to be comfortable on the mat you chose for them, or else they will feel irritated the whole time, and your purchase will be a complete waste.

Portability

Ensure that the tummy time mat is lightweight and folds into a compact size so it can easily be carried around.

People Also Asked

What is the ideal surface for tummy time other than mats?

Placing your baby on blankets or any flat surface such as the floor can benefit the baby's health. You can also lay your baby's tummy down across your lap, on your chest, or your stomach. Make sure to keep the baby engaged to vitalize their muscles. All this being said, tummy time mats are the ideal option to keep the baby safely on the floor.

Does my baby need a tummy time playmat?

As your baby ages, they will start taking a keen interest in activities such as playing with toys, chasing moving objects, and staring at vibrant colors. Tummy time mats allow babies to engage in activities such as rolling, kicking, and chasing that improve their motor abilities. Some mats also offer informational music and colored lights that serve as a booster to enhance their sensory skills.

What happens if a baby doesn't get enough tummy time?

Tummy time helps babies gain core strength and develop motor skills. Without tummy time, your baby might take longer to build their muscles and cognitive abilities.

Why Trust Us?

You can trust My Family Life to provide practical tips and product recommendations that genuinely prioritize your family's best interests. As parents ourselves, our mission is to create a supportive community where you feel empowered and informed, knowing that we genuinely care about making your parenting experience as smooth and joyful as possible.

Contributors

My Family Life Reviews Team
My Family Life Reviews Team
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