Our Favorite Baby Play Gym + 4 Other Popular Picks

Last Updated on March 18, 2026 by Jordyn Koveleski Gorman

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A baby play gym feels like a newborn essential. After all, they’re great for tummy time, floor play, and overhead play—exactly what newborns and young infants need.

Many baby play gyms and play mats focus heavily on the early months, before a baby can sit up. They’re designed mainly for tummy time and overhead play that encourages reaching and grasping. This can become problematic because they’re not cheap! When you’re investing in a baby item or toy, you want it to last.

When looking for the best baby play gym, we recommend choosing one that can also accommodate seated play to maximize longevity.

Here’s a breakdown of our favorite baby play gym, along with other great options for your baby. Take a look to see what made the list and why.

Best Baby Play Gym – Our Overall Pick

Lalo Play Gym II

Price: $129.99
Key Features: play mat, wooden legs, mirror, high contrast cards, 3 silicone teethers, bell, colorful ball, side panel for seated play, play guide

Our overall pick for the best baby play gym is Lalo’s The Play Gym II. New and improved from their original play gym we loved, it checks all the boxes for cognitive and motor development. I actually worked with Lalo to help design it!

There’s so much to do on the soft play mat. It’s big enough to allow your baby to kick and roll around while exploring.

Your baby can do tummy time while looking at the high contrast cards, or explore textures and sounds. The included silicone teethers and hanging bell and ball give babies lots to do when they have floor time.

One thing I noticed with baby play gyms and play mats is they lose their value after babies start sitting. Typically, the activities are meant for tummy time or floor time. The biggest differentiator with this play gym is the side panel for seated play.

Once your baby can start sitting up, you can practice working core muscles and balance! Use the included silicone teethers to sort shapes in a seated position, play peekaboo, and more.

This play gym can truly be used up to one year making it a better value for the money than most other play mats. The included play guide (written by me!) also gives parents lots of ideas for developmental play by age. You never have to wonder, “What should I do with my baby?!”

What we love:

• Focuses on cognitive and motor milestones
• Offers play ideas and activities from 0-12 months of age
• Includes high-contrast cards, teethers, and hanging toys
• Side panel for seated play
• Made with sustainable and non-toxic materials
• Soft colors make it aesthetically pleasing to leave sitting out
• Assembles in less than 2 minutes

Things to consider:

• Higher price point than some other play gyms
• You need a larger area to sit it out

Montessori-Inspired Play Gym

Lovevery Play Gym

Price: $150.00
Key Features: play mat, wooden legs, organic cotton crinkle teether, high-contrast ball, wooden rings with bell, mirror, high-contrast cards, card clips, canvas for fort, activity guide for parents

LOVEVERY’s Baby Play Gym is a very popular one, and for good reason. It was thoughtfully designed and includes 5 different zones of play. These Montessori-inspired zones work on the following developmental themes: focus, sound making, sensory exploration, hiding and finding, color exploration.

It’s designed to work from the newborn stage up to one year of age. To avoid overstimulation, the zones can be tucked underneath the play mat when not in use. An included activity guide helps caregivers with play ideas by age.

This baby play gym is the closest competitor to Lalo’s Play Gym II. The biggest distinction? Lalo has a side panel insert for sitting babies to work on developmental skills. LOVEVERY’s play gym offers babies the ability to bat at toys, look at cards, or transition to a fort in the seated position. But we would argue there is more opportunity for developmentally-based seated play with Lalo’s design.

What we love:

• Montessori-inspired
• Focuses on 5 different areas of play
• Offers play from 0-12 months of age
• Large play mat for baby to kick and roll
• Fold zones underneath play mat when not in use
• Sustainable and organic materials safe for baby

Things to consider:

• More limited seated play for 6-9 months old
• Higher price than most play gyms on the market

Musical Baby Play Gym

Fisher Price Kick and Play Mat

Price: $65
Key Features: play mat, arc with 4 hanging toys, mirror, light-up musical piano, maracas

This Fisher Price baby play mat is so popular, chances are you’ve seen it somewhere. Part of the reason it’s reached so many babies is the affordable price and the reputable name brand.

I had this for Paul and still remember him batting at the different colorful hanging toys. The songs it plays live rent-free in my mind.

The included maracas have a soft end and work on grasping and learning cause and effect. You can detach the piano from the play gym and continue to use it as your baby grows.

It has settings for 3 different stages focusing on sensory play, discovery, and exploring. We used it most in Level 1 which has 20 minutes of continuous songs.

What we love:

• More affordable, highly-rated play gym
• Lights and sounds may encourage babies in tummy time
• Piano can be detached and function as a musical toy
• Machine washable play mat

Things to consider:

• More stimulating with lots of bright colors, lights, and sounds
• Play mat is more narrow so babies have less space to move
• The hanging bar prevents babies from rolling over
• Limited options for seated play
• Hanging toys are made from BPA-free plastic

Themed Play Gym

SkipHop Play Mat & Baby Play Gym

Price: $79.95
Key Features: play mat, 5 hanging sensory toys including a grasping ring, mirror chime, rattle, and crinkle rainbow, peekaboo mirror

SkipHop is a well-known brand and creates different themes of baby play gyms. The one being reviewed has an animal theme, but other themes include garden, farmstand, and celestial dreams.

The play mat features geometric shaped animals with peekaboo and sensory features. This allows babies to explore while working on tummy time. The hanging toys all feature different sensory elements and can be removed for play in seated mode.

What we love:

• Soft, aesthetically pleasing colors
• Play mat themes can match nursery design
• Hanging toys and mat designed with development in mind
• Larger play mat allows baby to roll around

Things to consider:

• Seated play is limited to only engaging with the hanging toys
• Some reviews note differing opinions on the quality of the mat and toys
• No play guide

Most Affordable Baby Play Gym

Bright Starts Baby Activity Gym

Price: $27.99
Key Features: play mat, cross-cross toy bars, clip-on mirror, 4 hanging toys – musical elephant, rattle, teether, and crinkle toy

If you’re looking for an affordable activity gym for your baby, this is it! While it can go on sale for under $20, the full price is still under $30.

This play gym allows babies to work on tummy time or overhead play with the hanging toys and baby-safe mirror. The elephant plays music to draw your baby’s attention and can be used as a stroller toy as well. Other toys include rattles, teethers, and crinkle toys – perfect for sensory exploration.

As your baby grows, they can continue playing with the sensory toys. Just detach them from the toy bar!

What we love:

• Affordable, under $30
• Hanging, detachable toys for sensory play
• Musical elements

Things to consider:

• Can only be used until ~6 months with limited seated play
• No black and white contrast toys

How do baby play gyms support developmental skills?

Play gyms and activity gyms can play a huge role in your baby’s development. They’re almost like a one-stop-shop for working on lots of skills.

• Tummy time & strength
• Sidelying
• Visual tracking
• Reaching and grasping
• Sensory exploration
• Learning cause & effect
• Gross motor skills – kicking, rolling, pushing up
• Communication and language opportunities

What to look for in a baby play gym:

When exploring baby play gyms and activity mats, keep your baby’s development in mind. Think about sensory exploration and high-contrast images. Look for a product that can support tummy time, overhead play like reaching and grasping, and seated play.

Ask yourself these questions:

• Does it have high-contrast elements for baby’s eyesight?
• Are there elements that draw baby’s attention and encourage tummy time?
• Is the play mat large enough for the baby to roll, kick, and explore?
• Can it be used in a seated position too?
• Is it made with baby-safe materials?
• Will it work for our space and the lifestyle we have?

When can babies start using a play gym?

Right away! Your baby can start doing tummy time on a play mat as soon as you’re home from the hospital.

When bringing your newborn home, tummy time can be as simple as laying your baby flat on the floor with their head turned to the side. Getting your baby used to being on their stomach is the start of good tummy time practice!

As your baby gets more comfortable on their belly, they will begin to explore trying to lift their head up (~2 months). Place high-contrast visuals and toys from the play gym directly in front of your baby. This will help them continue to lift their head and keep it up for longer periods of time.

Before you know it, your baby will be keeping themselves upright for longer and interacting with all the components of the play gym.

Looking for more?

Find our favorite high-contrast toys for babies and tips on how to play, as well as the best toys for tummy time.

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