How to choose a baby play mat for an HDB flat

Most baby play mats are chosen in a hurry, somewhere between the first crawl and the first bump on a tiled floor. Then they stay in the living room for years. Here is what we would look at before buying a baby play mat in Singapore, for an HDB flat or a condo.

start with the floor, not the mat.

HDB and condo living rooms are usually tile, vinyl or timber laid straight onto concrete. It is cool underfoot and it is hard. A mat's job is to put something soft between a baby and that floor. That means thickness matters more than pattern. Look for a stated foam thickness, not just "cushioned".

Tumble uses 30 mm of slow rebound foam. It presses down under a knee and comes back slowly, so a baby rolling over feels the floor change from hard to soft.

measure the space you will actually leave it in.

A mat that gets rolled away every evening stops being used. Before choosing a size, lay painter's tape on the floor where the mat would live, between the sofa and the TV console or along the balcony door. Leave a walkway around it. Then pick the largest mat that fits inside the tape.

Tumble is 150 × 200 cm. That's big enough for a parent to lie down beside a baby, and small enough to sit in front of a three seat sofa without touching the walls.

check what the top is made of.

Babies spend floor time face down. The surface is the part they touch, drool on and chew. Ask what the top fabric is and how you clean it. A mat that has to go in the washing machine is a mat you will avoid cleaning.

Tumble has a baby-safe flannel top with a water resistant surface, so everyday spills lift off with a damp cloth. Our care page has the full routine.

decide if it has to look like a toy.

This is the question most guides skip. A play mat sits in the middle of the room you spend your evenings in. Bright alphabets and cartoon prints are made to catch a child's eye in a shop, not to sit beside your sofa. If you care how your home looks, look for a mat you would choose as a rug.

That is why we made Tumble in two quiet designs:

• Scribble: one continuous Clay line on Off-White.
• Confetti: small scattered dots in Clay, Mist and Blush.

Both have a ribbed corduroy border that finishes the edge like a rug.

a short checklist.

1. Foam thickness is stated, not implied.
2. It fits your floor with a walkway around it.
3. The top wipes clean.
4. You would be happy to leave it out when guests come.
5. There is a return window if it doesn't fit your room.

Tumble comes with free delivery in Singapore and 30 days to change your mind on unused product.

questions parents ask.

what thickness should a baby play mat be?

Look for a stated foam thickness rather than "cushioned". Tumble uses 30 mm of slow rebound foam, to take the hardness out of tile, vinyl and timber floors.

how do you clean a baby play mat?

For Tumble, a quick vacuum on low and a damp cloth for spills. The care page has the full routine.

is delivery free in singapore?

Yes. Tumble is delivered free anywhere in Singapore, with 30 days to change your mind on unused product.

See Scribble · See Confetti

Read next: Why we designed our own playmat · What size play mat do you need?