I have a 2 month old little girl and have had the Tiny Love Gymini Super Deluxe – Lights & Music since she was born.

What is it?
A soft padded activity gym mat complete with lights, music and dangling toys suitable for babies from birth to 10 months.

What does it look like?
It is a very bright square mat with a crossed arch that goes over the top, it has a big round mirror in one corner. There are 5 toys which hang from the arches and can be removed.
The mat itself has a blue border, within the border is a safari type scene with a purple elephant (with a textured ear that can be folded over his face so you can play peek-a-boo), a black and white zebra (with a mane in felt that provides another texture), an orange giraffe (with a felt tail that can be pulled), a purple monkey, a pink bird with a squeaker and a big yellow and pink lion. All the animals are set against a bright green and blue background and in the bottom left corner are 3 pink flowers which have lights in the middle which flash in time to the music when the light/sound box is switched on.

How big is it?
The mat measures 81.3 x 81.3 cm, the arch is 43cm high.

How much does it cost?
This was bought for me as a gift, but it costs around £45.00 in the shops.

What features does it have?
• Machine Washable Mat
• Fold Down Arch for easy transportation and nappy changing.
• Activities above and below to encourage rolling over.
• Electronic Lights Which Flash
• Music Touch Pad which plays 10 minutes of Mozart (Sonata for Piano in F) or 10 seconds of 3 different Nursery Tunes.
• Large Mirror
• 5 Detachable Toys:
o Purple Jitter Elephant Pull-Toy
o Green and Orange Spinning, Rattling Parrot with textured wings
o Swinging Monkey with springy legs
o Soft Giraffe Rattle
o Brightly coloured Bead Rattle & Teether in One
• Peek-a-boo activity on the mat
• Squeaker and crinkly area on the mat
• Different textured areas on the mat
• Extra rings to add your own toys with

What’s it made out of?
The mat is 65% Polyester 35% cotton.

How do I clean it?
The mat/blanket part can be spot cleaned with a damp cloth or machine washed in cold water as long as the lights/sound box is removed first. It cannot be tumbled dried so has to be hung on the line – this is a slight nuisance.

Is it recommended by anyone?
This is a multi award winning toy:
• Winner of Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award 2003
• Parenting magazine's Toy of the Year
• Winner of the Parents' Choice Foundation "Parents' Choice Honors Award"

Does it need batteries?
Yes, it needs 3 AA batteries, but the one I bought came with demo batteries that are still working so I have not yet had to replace them.

What’s good about it?
It offers a multi-sensory play experience to stimulate babies and aid their development. There are flashing lights, a mirror and brightly coloured toys and images to stimulate sight, different textures and shapes to stimulate touch and, to stimulate hearing it plays music too. It’s great for motor skills too - the toys that hang from the arch encourage baby to reach up and grab or bat them and the bright colours on the mat should encourage baby to roll over.

My baby is 2 months old and so hasn’t made full use of everything yet; she is happy to lie on her back watching the toys and has just started reaching for them. She likes the mirror (she is fascinated by her own reflection) and the music. I put her for a bit of tummy-time on the mat every day – it is good for this as there are bright contrasting colours, lights and patterns on the mat for her to look at.

The hanging toys are detatchable and can also be used on the cot or pram – I have attached different ones to the carry cot when I go out and about and they seem to keep my little girl entertained.
There is room (and extra plastic rings) to attach extra toys from the Tiny Love range (and I’m sure other branded toys could be hung from the arch too). I am going to purchase the wind chimes which are supposed to be a nice addition.

The play mat folds up so it can be carried around – the arch just folds in 2, however although it is very lightweight it is rather large to carry about and tricky to slot neatly into our car. The arch can be easily collapsed so that the mat can be used for nappy changes – this is a good feature when you take the play gym away with you or around to friends/family’s homes where you may not have a changing area. The crossed arch is designed to give babies a secure sense of being enclosed when they are lying on the mat (to mimic the womb environment) – I’m not sure if it has this effect though!

I can tell this is a toy that will grow with her over her first year as she will be able to play with the toys and use the features in different ways as she grows older.

What’s bad about it?
Nothing really, apart from that it does need batteries and it can’t be tumble dried.

Would I recommend it?
Yes, I would, I looked at a lot of play mats for my baby and I do think this is one of the best available. It may be quite pricey, but it has a lot of features to keep your baby entertained as he/she develops, it’s also nice to be able to add and remove toys.


For more information visit the Tiny Love website: www.tinylove.com - there is a useful section on how to get the most out of the play mat for your baby at different stages.