foam puzzle mats? (found one! post#6)

[♥ms.pacman♥]

want to get a large foam puzzle mat for DS (e.g. at least 6'x6') so he can practice crawling, rolling etc (putting a large blanket down on the floor doesn't seem to work well since it bunches up, and DS tries to bite it).

anyway, we are thinking of getting this one from BRU, but if anyone has other recommendations, i'd love to hear!
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2786146

[Charlie]

I wouldn't get the one you linked to, as it's a choking hazard. In a few months, when your baby can start to take the mat apart, the foam pieces that make up the middle of letters, are small. Your child will most likely put them in his mouth and they are a choking risk. The only alphabet mat I have seen that is not a choking risk, is the mat from One Step Ahead. It's a little pricier, but it looks nicer and is more cushy than other mats IMO. We have had it for over a year and a half now and it still looks good. Another option is the large, one color floor mats (no small puzzle pieces). We got some from Target but I have also seen them at TRU, or online.

[SnuggleBuggles]

We had the one you linked too, or very similar at least. Take away the little pieces and you should be fine. TRU today had solid, one piece foam mats though if you like that idea better. We use the letters from the ABC one for our DAD pictures every year so it's been handy to have those letters around. :)

Beth

[jgenie]

We had the one you linked too, or very similar at least. Take away the little pieces and you should be fine. TRU today had solid, one piece foam mats though if you like that idea better. We use the letters from the ABC one for our DAD pictures every year so it's been handy to have those letters around. :)

Beth

Now that is brilliant!!

[♥ms.pacman♥]

ok so this is why i post on this board b4 buying stuff...totally didn't think of the small parts being a choking hazard! :duh: durr! thanks guys for pointing that out!

i looked at the one on One Step Ahead and that one seems really nice (thicker, has no small parts). Pricier, but may be worth it. I like how you can buy the numbers and shapes parts separately, to add on to it.

and that's a good point for maybe getting a solid, one-piece rollup mat..BRU says they have them, so that may be worth checking out as well. thx!

[♥ms.pacman♥]

ok, so today just recieved the foam puzzle mat from One Step Ahead (thanks Charlie for the recommendation!). wow, it is really nice.:boogie: the pieces are thicker than the other ones i've seen at BRU and at BuyBuyBaby, and most importantly, has no small parts that can be choking hazards (is safe for all ages). also, the parts fit really well together, that even they stay together when placed on top of our (very thick) carpet.

http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=6683&cmSource=Search

THe funny thing is, it wasn't *that* expensive, at least compared to a few others. It was $30 for the 26 letters and $15 for 10 numbers, so $45 for all letters & numbers (36 pieces). Before ordering i went to BuyBuyBaby and saw a few foam puzzle letter/number sets that were $60 for the same number of pieces (same size, 6'x6'), but were marked for ages 3 and up (had small pieces). at BRU there was a few by SkipHop and they were abt $45 or so but it didn't have letters or numbers, just circles.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Cool!

Are you sure about the choking hazards? I can't see from the pic how the A is made, for example. The little triangle insert on my set is definitely an issue.

Beth

[♥ms.pacman♥]

Cool!

Are you sure about the choking hazards? I can't see from the pic how the A is made, for example. The little triangle insert on my set is definitely an issue.

Beth

yeah, the triangle insert on the "A" is definitely big enough not to be a choking hazard..i just have it right here, and i know it could not fit into MY mouth, let alone a baby's! just measured it and at the base the triangle is 2.5 inches wide and the height is 2.75 inches. it's pretty big!

[SnuggleBuggles]

That sounds awesome! :)

Beth

[Charlie]

Yay - glad you like it!