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Last year we finally finished our home renovations. We took down some walls to give ourselves a big open plan kitchen, dining and living space – meaning I can keep an eye on the kids at all times! We opted to have laminate throughout which looks great and is easy to keep clean, but isn’t always the best for kids to be playing on. It didn’t take long to realise that we were going to need some form of rug or playmat in the living room area to make things a little more comfortable.
Floor play is an extremely important part of child development. Most baby and toddler milestones are hit from the ground up. Rolling, sitting, crawling and walking skills are all best learnt directly from the floor, as well as toddler activities such as role play with toys or racing trains. In short – so much of our kids development begins on the floor and so finding the right playmat to make it a fun and comfortable experience for them is essential.
Skip Hop have a reversible playmat that features both a modern decor and a kid friendly design to suit both adult and children’s needs. We were sent one to try out and see if it would make the kids more comfortable while still sticking to the more minimalist style of our living room, and give you our reversible playmat review.
Skip Hop Playmat Features
Cushioned
The first thing that struck me as soon as I got the mat out was how cushioned it is. It is far superior to most of the other baby foam playmats we have had in the past, and appears to be really comfortable for the kids to play on. I have no issues with lying JJ on it, confident that it is a soft spot for him to look around at his surroundings.
Reversible
As you would expect, the playmat is reversible. The zoo pattern on the kids side is bright and vibrant to catch their attention. The cartoon animals are cute, and the large spots are perfect for an informal game of toddler Twister!
The polka dots side is more chilled out, and that’s what we swap to once the kids have gone to bed. The grey background to it is perfect for our kitchen and living room, which is filled with white, greys and blues.
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Waterproof
My favourite feature is the fact is it a waterproof playmat, which is ideal with toddlers around. There’s no need to worry about drinks getting spilt or food getting dropped on it as it can simply be wiped clean.
We have found a different use for it though, one which I hadn’t expected. The start of warmer weather means more time is being spent outside, and the Skip Hop playmat is perfect for out in the garden. The fact that is is waterproof means that we don’t have to worry about any damp from the grass damaging it. The cushioning also means any rogue stones beneath it can’t be felt.
Size And Storage
At over 2 metres long and 1.3 metres wide there is plenty space for everyone to be on the playmat at the same time without feeling cramped. I can have JJ lying on one side and Piglet on the other, while sitting in the middle myself so I can give them both my attention at the same time.
When the mat isn’t in use it can be rolled up and put away. It comes with 2 velcro straps that wrap around it secure it, keeping it neat and out of the way until next time.
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The Kids Thoughts
Piglet and his cousins have been putting it to good use. It’s made a great base for train tracks, acted as an arena for Pokemon battles and served as a nice spot for an alfresco lunch. There have been no complaints of wet knees, squabbles over space or cries about bumps or bruises thanks to the cushioning. As far as padded playmats go I think it has been a hit!
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Unfortunately, with the kids having commandeered it we haven’t had much of a chance to use the more “grown up” side of the mat. Piglet is too busy pointing out the animals and telling me what they are – no chance of him letting me flip it over! I think it’s great that he’s enjoying using the reversible playmat though, and I foresee a lot of us for it to come.
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We were sent this Skip Hop Reversible Playmat for the purposes of carrying out a review. All words and opinions are my own.
This looks great, really bright and colourful. We had a play mat when mine were younger but not as good looking as this one!
This would have been perfect for my reflux kid, especially as it’s waterproof. Might have saved me a fortune on new flooring! Great colours and design.
What a brilliant idea making it reversible! When they’ve finished with it then you don’t need to pass it on, just turn it over!! Brilliant!
What a great idea to make it reversible – I clicked through to check what the other side looks like, and that would fit well in many living rooms. So if you have no space to store it you could just flip it.
This looks like a great play mat for kids and also brilliant that it can be flipped over to fit in with your decor once the kids have outgrown it!
Love how colourful it looks and sounds like a lovely reversible playmat for the kids.
This is brilliant. Very useful for play and has multiple uses which is great to see xx