Home / Baby / Baby Shopping Guide This research-backed play gym is the only thing you need for the first year of play It keeps my three children entertained at the same time, despite their age differences. By Motherly Editors Updated September 2, 2022 Rectangle We independently select and share the products we love—and may receive a commission if you choose to buy. I have three children under 3, so as you would expect, our house is covered in baby and toddler toys. As our family grows, we’ve been more and more intentional with our purchases, making sure that the toys we get can be used by several of our children at the same time, to keep clutter under control. In this process, we discovered Lovevery. For those unfamiliar with the brand, Lovevery is a company that offers subscription boxes by age, as well as an award-winning play gym and block set. All their products are designed for specific ages and stages by child development experts. Each of their products provides little ones with developmentally appropriate play and guides parents through the skill-learning processes our tiny ones go through their first years of life. What’s more, everything they make is absolutely gorgeous. With our first baby, I registered for a highly-rated play mat I found on Amazon, which I didn’t love. It was small, the poles fell sideways while I tried to coax him during tummy time, and it was just so ugly. So with our twins I decided to pay the higher price for the Lovevery play gym. Is the Lovevery play gym worth it? In my opinion, yes. Here’s why: 1. No batteries needed All the entertainment your baby needs is right there on the mat, with different textures, activities and ways to engage. None of which involve repetitive songs that will drill your brain at 3 am when you can’t sleep, or bright lights that will become an eyesore within weeks of unboxing. 2. It grows with your babies The mat is designed to grow with our kids throughout their first year. In the early days, it helps develop eye-sight with black and white cards, and once they’re able, it supports tummy time as they explore colors. The included toys are perfect for batting once they discover their arms and legs to finally playing hide and seek once the gym is converted into a tent. There are truly endless possibilities for children to play and learn. 3. It takes the stress out of playtime Literally every aspect of the Lovevery play gym is designed by experts with baby development in mind. From the mat itself to the toys and cards, each element serves a purpose to help your little one work on and reach key milestones with parental support along the way. If you’re the kind of parent whose baby playtime skills tap out after shaking a rattle and engaging in 40 rounds of peek-a-boo, the convenient play guide gives you fun, age-appropriate ways to make playtime more engaging and effective. 4. It’s easy to clean and store Babies are messy. We also have a dog that sheds a ton. Plus our toddler loves to join his sisters in tummy time. This is all to say our mat gets dirty fast. But that’s not an issue given how easy it is to clean. Also, the wooden structure is easy to remove and makes the gym perfect for those living in small places as you can store under a couch or behind a closet door. 5. It’s beautiful Like I said before, we have a lot of little people and a lot of their toys around us, so having something that takes such a significant amount of space in our playroom not look like a total eyesore is a win for me. The bottom line: Even though it comes with a higher price tag than other play mats in the market, the lifetime of the Lovevery play gym with your family is far longer and far more engaging than those others, which makes it totally worth it for us. Shop the Lovevery Play Gym! Lovevery The Play Gym • $140 The five development zones on the Play Mat that reveal or conceal to prevent overstimulation and promote brain and motor skill development, while the accessories can be used in 24 stage-based play activities. What it includes: Easy to store wooden structure Quilted play mat 4 high quality toys that can be connected or played with separately (organic cotton high-contrast ball, wooden batting ring, organic cotton teether, silicone teething ring 4 sets of activity cards (black and white card set, mirror card set, common objects card set, faces card set) The Play Guide Detachable play space cover Card set clips SHOP The latest Baby H5 bird flu outbreak: What families need to know to stay safe Baby The preemie crisis in America: Why the US keeps failing its most vulnerable babies News New study reveals what parents need to know about the link between air pollution and autism Baby E. coli outbreak sparks organic carrot recall across 18 states—check your fridge now