Fisher-Price Tummy Time Llama Plush, Grow-with-Me Baby Toy with Rattle, Mirror & Teether for Sensory Play, GLK39

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Create a circle of toys and place baby on their tummy in the middle, encouraging them to reach and stretch with fun activities. Many of our baby play mats come tummy time ready with built-in toys. When choosing a baby activity gym, look out for colours, textures and fun features to help stimulate baby’s senses. Rattles, teethers and baby-safe mirrors encourage baby to reach and stretch, while overhead toy bars are great for lay and play fun. Some of our baby gyms feature prop pillows for a comfier tummy time, while others come with detachable toys for on the go. If your baby isn’t a big fan of tummy time, know that you’re not alone. Many infants dislike being on their stomachs at first, but most become more comfortable in this position as they strengthen the muscles that help them lift their heads. Until that time, however, you might want to consider investing in some tummy time toys.

I loved that thing,” Christine Mattheis, What to Expect’s Editorial Director, says of the Baby Einstein mirror. “My daughter loved looking at herself, and grabbing at the blue panda knob because it made a crinkly sound.” Finally, while all toys on this list are designed to be used when your baby is fully alert and awake and with your full supervision, that’s especially important with plastic materials. Make sure to always watch your baby closely while he’s using this mat to make sure his face doesn’t get pressed up against the plastic, Dr. Posner says. One downside with water mats is they tend to require some light assembly (in this case, inflating the mat and filling it with tap water) as well as some maintenance (parents say this mat can get some mold inside after a few months, so be sure to refresh the water regularly). It also scores points for being easy to assemble and disassemble, with many families saying they’ve taken it with them while traveling.

Longevity: As with all baby gear, the best use of your money will be on products that you can use for as long as possible. For example, a mirror and high-contrast cards are ideal for the newest babies, but they might not hold the attention of an older baby for quite as long as toys they can manipulate. This bee does a particularly good job of growing with your baby, too. It has three different play modes: one as a simple bee rattle;, another where the bee sits in the cloud and moves in a circle, which is ( ideal for tummy time;little ones on their tummies who can’t yet move to chase it around) and a third stage where it moves in a random pattern, which (great once your baby can start crawling after it). Christine added that it was the perfect travel toy, “because it folds flat and is soft and unbreakable.” Also nice: The high-contrast cards include a removable stroller link, so you can bring them with you on the go or remove the stroller link to loop the cards onto the mirror mount.

Tummy time gives baby (literally!) a new view of the world to explore, but it’s also an important developmental activity. We referenced guidelines from leading experts, including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). We also interviewed three pediatricians: Gina Posner, M.D., F.A.A.P., a board-certified pediatrician practicing at MemorialCare Medical Group in Fountain Valley, California and member of the What to Expect Medical Review Board; Charisma Garcia, M.D., a pediatrician at Texas Children’s Health Plan and The Center for Children and Women; and Taryn Hill, M.D., a pediatrician at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, for additional information on tummy time play. In line with these recommendations, all of the products on this list: Because it’s on the small side (just over 6 inches tall and wide) and offers a few different ways to play, this is a great tummy time toy to bring with you when traveling. Despite being small, however, it’s not ideal for small spaces. Melissa found that the bee traveled wide, even when sitting on the cloud.True, its primary use is for nursing, but the Boppy is so much more than a breastfeeding pillow. With its clever C-shaped design and dense padding, the Boppy is useful to support your baby during tummy time and eventually, to prop him up as he learns to sit. With gentle music, buzzing sounds, and the ability to move in either a circular or random pattern, What to Expect parents say that this small but mighty toy engages babies well during tummy time play. You don’t need a special mirror to encourage tummy time play — any mirror that baby can safely see at their eye level will work — but parents love that this Baby Einstein mirror is designed for tummy time and offers additional entertainment options for little ones.

The bar is shallow and can lie flat during tummy time, but once your baby has learned how to sit, you can prop it up so he can still access it. It’s also lightweight enough that your little one can hold it in his lap, stroller or in a chair to play with as well. And because it’s on the smaller side, many parents say they’ve traveled with it.Tummy time, i.e. placing your baby down on his belly to play, is a crucial part of your little one’s development. It may not look like much of a workout at first, but tummy time helps him develop motor skills that eventually lead to big milestones like rolling over, sitting and crawling.

We utilized a lot of tummy time toys which were all great, but could be very stimulating. With the Boppy though, my daughter could build those muscles while I read a book to her, which was a nice way to ease into naptime,” says Leah. Leah also liked that you could use elements of the toy separately from the playmat. She, for instance, would unclip the handing toys to bring in the car or on walks in the stroller. This multipurpose element is a big plus with other parents too. Once your little one is comfortable sitting up, you can switch the positioning so he can access the keyboard more easily. And after your baby has graduated from sitting-up play, convert the light-up keyboard into a piano toy that parents say is popular with their toddlers — some reviewers say their 3- and 4-year-olds are still using it as a standalone piano. The downside is that it’s on the more expensive side, and many parents understandably balk at the price. That said, you can easily get a year’s worth of play out of it. We retired it each time when my sons were around 18 months and became a bit too tall to fit in the tent as comfortably. If, however, you think you’d just use one or two of the included elements, you might be better off purchasing them individually). Development: Consider your baby’s current age when purchasing a tummy time toy, as well as how you might use it in the future. Is the toy developmentally appropriate for your baby now, but also offer opportunities for him to play with it when he’s a little older?Plus, in newborns, gentle abdominal pressure can help with digestion and stooling, Dr. Garcia adds.