Why are the Interlocking Floor Matts age 3+

[pepa]

Is it really dangerous to have the typical number or letter tiles Matt for 3+ whats the hazard with them.
I am temped to get the one from Skyp Hop but its over $80 here were they sell it, its a huge difference between $10 to $80

Should I just get Skyp Hop one or wait until DD is 3, its a bit long to wait, plus they have them everywhere we go, library, rec centre, etc

[edurnemk]

My guess is that it's because the plastics they're made of are toxic, and since children under 3 tend to put things in their mouth a lot....

There was an article posted here a few months ago about the toxic chemicals in these mats. We have a set with letters and numbers and I'll probably throw them out and just get a nice rug for the next baby to play on.

[wellyes]

Many of the mats do not contain formaldehyde. There's a link around here somewhere that says which ones are safe, if you do a search you can probably find it (I can't now, on phone)


Are you seeing that it says 3+ on Amazon? I think that every toy at Amazon that is not expressly for infants is marked 3+ as a general CYA disclaimer.

Some of the letter ones do have smallish pieces, like the cut-outs for the letter B (two small D-shaped pieces). But the ones I've seen do not look chocking-hazard size to me.

[Uno-Mom]

I'm sure it's because a child could bite off a piece and choke. At least that's what I've always assumed. It would be nice if the industry thought about chemical content but I doubt it.

We used an inexpensive one I found at a discount chain. It's probably toxic:bag. I did air it out before using but didn't worry any more about it. However, Sprog was over a year old at that point and wasn't going to be rolling on it, keeping her face in close proximity. It's one of those "adult-colored" ones and we have it under the legs of our coffee table to provide traction when she does laps (does that make sense?) not really used as a play mat. She plays with the pieces sometimes but we're eagle-eyed that they don't go in mouth. I would not use it for a toddler who liked to chew but Sprog seems past that stage.

[citymama]

Don't get them.

I bought a set last year when DD2 was a couple of months old. I ended up trashing them within a few months on learning they are banned in the EU and Canada. DH wouldn't let me give them away given the toxicity issues. I had always felt a little uncomfortable about them and when I saw DD2 face down trying to gnaw on them or lick them, I pretty much had it. Fortunately I bought them used, so hopefully they had plenty of time to off-gas, but even so, I don't want them around my kids. There are several threads about the toxicity issues associated with the foam mats. I think the Skip Hop kind uses a different (safer) material than your typical $25 set, but I am not sure.

[pepa]

Yeah I think I will wait on getting those ones for now. The ones from skip are great, but I think DD is not much in the mood to be in one place for a long time, Thanks for your replies I didnt think they were that toxic