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

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Parents also like that this book has a link you can use to attach it to your stroller to keep your baby entertained when you’re on the go. And if it gets chewed or spit-up on, the book is easy to clean by throwing it in the washing machine, parents say.

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. Many families find that water mats can be a fun addition to a baby’s tummy time routine. These mats usually contain small toys, and when your baby pushes up on his arms, the water moves the toys, capturing his attention. Over time, these kinds of products can help teach cause and effect, since your baby will realize that his movements are helping to shift the toys. This mat has a fish tank design and six colorful toys inside, and What to Expect parents say the design is a hit with their babies. 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.We brought this toy whenever we’d visit my mother and mother-in-law, since it easily fits in a suitcase and provides so much entertainment,” says Leah. “Even when we’d turn off the sound, my daughter was happy to spin the ball in the middle and press the buttons.” But even with the sound off, toys that light up and play music aren’t for everyone — some babies, and parents, too, find them overstimulating. If that’s the case for you, this is one to skip. 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.

As one of Lovevery’s most popular products, The Play Gym offers countless ways to entertain your infant during tummy time and beyond. There are five play zones on the mat, and your little one will love rotating through each on his tummy, interacting with the embedded crinkly fabric, squeaky toys and textured fabrics. The gym also comes with high contrast cards, photo cards and a mirror that slide into a tummy time-friendly frame, so you can rotate them out regularly and keep baby’s view fresh. We spoke to three moms on the What to Expect editorial team who have three children between them and have tried several of the products on the list.

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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. The AAP recommends placing your baby on his stomach two to three times a day for a short period of time, such as three to five minutes. As the weeks go on and your baby gets stronger, you can increase the time. What are the benefits of tummy time? Melissa also said it doesn’t work great on carpet: It’s best on hard wood and foam mats without any texture to them.

Tummy time gives baby (literally!) a new view of the world to explore, but it’s also an important developmental activity. Playmats and baby gyms are suitable from birth, and make great developmental toys for those first few months. We have a great selection in our range, including Bright Starts and Fisher-Price gyms. Multi-purpose. All of the toys on this list helped entertain and motivate infants during tummy time play, but could also be used when baby has moved on to other milestones like rolling over and sitting up. Easy to use. You won’t want to reach for toys that have a complicated setup or aren’t straightforward to use. The right tummy time toy will keep your baby entertained while also encouraging them to move and build muscles. How we chose the best tummy time toysThis light bar is incredibly popular with What to Expect parents, who say that the music and lights help grab their babies’ attention during tummy time play in particular. It has three modes — animals, colors and xylophone — and lights up with your baby’s touch. 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). 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.” 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 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.

Finally, the toy requires three AA batteries, which may be a turnoff for some parents who would prefer not to have to continuously replace them. 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.

The baby-safe mirror is held by a small fabric floor mount that places an infant’s reflection at their exact eye level during tummy time. Babies like to grab onto the soft fabric on the mount while interacting with themselves in the mirror, and parents say that the included high-contrast cards are also a big hit. 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? 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. 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.